Happiness is…
A sky like that…
Happiness is… 1
with tea like this…
Happiness is… 2
The house is finally stocked with 3 kinds of tea:
- Twinings English Breakfast
- Lipton Earl Grey
- Lipton Gold
Lipton Gold is a blend we had never tried before coming to Amsterdam but it has wormed its way into our hearts since then. It’s from Sri Lanka (update: and Vietnam) and has a slightly spicy (clove-like) edge. Plus, it goes very nicely with Dutch Speculaas. The supporting cast of other teas (which has been put together after many false starts) keeps things from becoming monotonous.
So while things haven’t been better on the tea front, those azure skies are becoming harder and harder to come by. I’ve spent more time in the rain in the last 3 days than all my days in Amsterdam combined. I don’t like being cold and wet - especially in the socks. A sturdy umbrella - the sort that doubles up as a walking stick - had to be summoned from a dusty corner of our store room, where it had been generously left by the last tenant. It did well against the strong winds but there is nothing it can do to keep me from stepping into a puddle of water.
Still, there is a certain romance about rains which this sun scarred boy from the subtropics refuses to lose. And I don’t know of a more legitimate excuse for a cup of hot tea on coming home.