Tea Party for One

Being back at school full time, I have a lot of reading to do, and it is often not the kind of reading that I enjoy. I find theory the most difficult, and sometimes I have to bribe myself a bit to get through it. It's easy for me to let my brain shut off and stop reading actively. My newest bribe, and the best, is a tea party for one.

I come home to my pretty, tidy apartment (yes, it's tidy. I can hear Mom sniggering, but it's true. I am reformed. For how long, I don't know), and I put on the kettle. I get out one of the "American Beauty" teacups that my mum-in-law gave me, and set out a few cookies and some fruit on the saucer/plate. I hot the pot (learned from my English grandmother; we know how to make proper tea in our family, we do), a good sturdy Brown Betty, pour the water, and let it steep. Like a good English girl, I pour the milk into the cup first (this is generally done so that the hot tea doesn't damage the delicate china), then pour my tea and take a sip. There's nothing like it.

And teacup in hand, erudite article on my knee, I proceed to read as a good English student should: thoughtfully, analytically, and at a moderate pace, underlining and writing marginalia as required. This is how I pass many an afternoon, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life as an academic, which will hopefully be the rest of my natural life. A good cup of tea, a good brain, and many more afternoons reading to come. Life is good.