Hanger Tea – Teabags Packaging by Soon Mo Kang » Yanko Design

Hm – now I know I’ve shared stuff from Yanko Design before, but this one has EVERYTHING!

Like all good design, it actually solves a problem. In this case that issue of where to put your tea bag when it’s provided enough flavour and you don’t want to turn your drink bitter. (Of course – I wasn’t even aware of this issue before I moved to Canada. In the UK you’d make tea in a proper tea pot, even if it was only for one cup. Here, it’s often the case that the bag is placed directly in the cup).

Anyway, the problem, as well as being solved, is being solved with WIT. WIT always gets my attention. A little clothes rack to hang your hangers on. Classic. Love it. But there’s more! Word play. The bags are in the shape of (wait for it…) “Tea-shirts”! Brilliant!

Hanger Tea – Teabags Packaging by Soon Mo Kang » Yanko Design.

Tea-time – Tea Steeper Design by Pengtao Yu » Yanko Design

I like this idea. A solution for a couple of common tea issues. How to avoid your tea getting over-stewed and how to make a single cup with loose leaves without the hassle of making a full pot.

Tea-time – Tea Steeper Design by Pengtao Yu » Yanko Design.

Boredom and lavender

So I’ve been grumpy of late. I used to be Doc, but the suit doesn’t fit any more, and I always thought Sneezy was a bit of a hypochondriac.

I had a drink with an old work colleague last night, and he shared the news that his wife is due to have a baby. As a father of three myself (“one of each” as I like to quip), I commiserated with him, and we had a pleasant evening “shooting the shit” as is the male preference on such occasions.

But in all seriousness, this was great news, and it made me realise how much I’ve been missing my old colleagues from my previous job. Not that my new colleagues are bad, you understand. I just haven’t reached that “depth” with them yet.

Luckily when I got home I was cheered up by my self-administered cure. I’d recently engaged in web-retail therapy, and my brand new “toy” had arrived. I was now the proud owner of my first red-lined Canon lens. Yup I own an L-series 100mm macro lens. So now what?

Well – like a kid with a new bag of marbles, I just had to start taking pictures. Of anything. Anything at all. Several times. Even if it complained. Or in the case of the dog – growled. As with any new lens, it’ll take me a while to get the best out of it. Well – the best I can get out of it that is!

For now, I used it as an excuse to get out my tripod, my remote release (no – that’s not a sex toy), and take photos of random detritus – a surprising amount of which seems to inhabit our house. And then I remembered the lavender tea my number two offspring had asked me to buy on our summer trip to Victoria. Mmm… I can almost smell it from the photo. Or maybe it’s on my fingers. Or in my head. I’m still on the hunt for things to photograph up close and personal. Perhaps a piece of Wedgewood next…

The downside became apparent as I looked through my “test images”. The dog! Her shed hair is EVERYWHERE, and at these resolutions you can see it in the most surprising places – like in a pine cone! Still getting used to the depth of field (as with any new lens), but here’s my first attempts…

Mmm… can’t you just smell that lavender tea? Doesn’t it bring back memories of summer and easy company?

Earl Grey was looking a little dry and shriveled, but once he’s had a hot bath, he’s as fragrant and tasty as any old guy can be.

My brown-eyed girl

How the hell did fluff and nonsense get into a box of “trombones” as the French call them?

Pining for the fjords

Cool or naff?

There’s a fine line between being cool, innovative and original… and just being, well… lame!

Think of snuggies, for example. So I came across Suck UK. I have to be honest and admit that there are indeed some items in the Christmas cracker/dollar store region of the naff-o-meter. But some of the other stuff is downright inspired.

For example “The Flower Grenade”. What a concept! Pre-loaded with seeds and growing medium. In a natural clay “grenade”. What a great way to have fun planting wild flowers… or breaking your neighbour’s window.

My favourite of course was in pursuit of the perfect tone of tea…

Every product from SUCK UK.

Advice on how to prepare tea like a Englishman (sic)

First born is having a rare old time as a co-op student in Switzerland at the moment.

As far as I can tell she is making good use of my educational dollars and getting drunk and/or laid quite regularly. (At least she is evasive enough in answering my questions that I am simply forced to draw such conclusions.) She recently went on a road trip to München to the Oktoberfest… I am so jealous. Good on ‘er! Life is the best education anyone can have.

Me embarrass her?! It’s character forming…

All I can say is it’s a good job my own parents weren’t such shameless libertarians… I’d probably never have left University with a functioning liver.

Anyway, one of her “friends” (wha’?!) passed on this little titbit, which she thought I’d appreciate. I did, and despite the appalling English in the title, I thought you might too, so here it is… a tongue in cheek description of making “English” tea.

Thaddiousz comments on LPT Request: Advice on how to prepare tea like a Englishman.

Of course, bits of it are deadly serious… like the bit on sugar. Although, I have to say that I know at least one less-than-abhorrent sugar taker. Perhaps their family often falls victim to swan attacks… just sayin’!

BBC News – London 2012: 12 more British quirks in 212 words for 2012 visitors

I’ve done well so far to ignore the Olympics back in the Old Country. Couldn’t resist this spin-off project on Aunty Beeb though.

“What is Britain?” in 212 words…

Tea anyone?

BBC News – London 2012: 12 more British quirks in 212 words for 2012 visitors.

Epic Tea Time With Alan Rickman

Reblogged from Record | Preserve | Share:

Making a cup of tea is one of life's little pleasures. The repertoire of  actions becomes a calming ritual as you inhale and savour a good brew. Unless you're Alan Rickman. His tea making skills are boss. And this super slow-mo video is at once compelling, ridiculous and inherently dramatic. The moral of the story? Don't get between Rickman and his tea.

Read more… 3 more words

Tea! Alan Rickman! Dramatic Music! What more could you want? Perhaps some hotter water? No wonder he gets miffed! Nice find. Thanks for sharing.

49th Parallel Coffee Roasters & Lucky’s Doughnuts Opening At Main & 13th : Scout Magazine

Another great piece from Scout magazine for Vancouverites. They pose the reasonable question: “Does Main St. need another coffee shop?” Read on for their opinion, but I might posit that if you are perhaps peeved at the casual custom that takes up the bandwidth (seating and WiFi) in your favourite other café in the area, then at the VERY least this addition to the offerings will relieve some of the strain…

49th Parallel Coffee Roasters & Lucky’s Doughnuts Opening At Main & 13th : Scout Magazine.

And for those perhaps not from Canada, the 49th parallel is the line that by and large splits Canada from the non-tea drinkers to the South. (I still shudder at the thought of all that tea being wasted in Boston in 1773!)

There are a few kinks in the line, such as when BC moved its provincial capital to Victoria in the South of Vancouver Island to make sure that Canada got the whole island, and not just the top bit (look how well that went for Ireland or Cyprus, just as an example…)

However, the flip side is a local peninsula (Tsawassen – try saying that after a couple of beers. Actually – at all!) with about 2 square kilometres below the line. This tiny plot is technically Washington State and goes by the name of Point Roberts. The rest of it is BC. There are a few folk living on the end, and so when they get jiggy, there are inevitably a few kids. Enough to build an elementary school even. Too costly to have a secondary school though. So guess what! The poor teenagers have to make the daily trip via school bus across two international borders each way and travel all the way to Blaine in “proper WA state”. The more logical alternative of sending them to one of the several Canadian high schools they pass on the way, or even – dare I say it, making Point Roberts Canadian – seem to have been passed over. It’s handy for getting a US mailbox or cheaper petrol though. Just sayin’…

Check it out on Google maps here.

Mrs Malaprop and the Aussie birds

So I recently finished reading Sheridan’s “The Rivals“. That snippet of information has only tangential relevance to anything that follows, but I did tell kathryningrid I was about to read it, and I just wanted to show I was sincere.

We just got back from walking the dog around Campbell Valley Park, and she was pretty well knackered. We had a good friend coming round for dinner, so I suggested a quick diversion to the local Murchie’s to see if they sold Russian Caravan - a favourite morning beverage – to enjoy the calm before the storm. Unfortunately they did not sell it for consumption at this branch, and it turns out that “Queen Victoria” (though smoked) was not in the same ballpark at all. Anyway, whilst walking up to the shopping centre, Mrs Elephant suddenly said I should look out for the Galahs.

Having travelled to Australia several times on business, I am familiar with these birds which fly free – rather like starlings do in the UK or crows in BC. The first time one sees them in the wild it’s a bit weird, as previously they’re strictly the things of aviaries and zoos. To see them lined up on a fence is pretty jaw-dropping.

Wikipedia: Galah

OK, so the more astute amongst you will have gathered that galahs are not in fact native to BC, and so this statement had me stopping dead and searching the trees for swooping parrots. Presumably escaped from some nearby condo. It took a few more seconds to join the dots and realise my long suffering other ‘arf was in fact referring to the broken bottle lying on the pavement ahead of us.

You see, in Yorkshire, “glass” rhymes with “ass”, whereas in the South of the UK, from whence she originally hails, “glass” rhymes instead with “arse”. Ignoring for a moment that a UK arse is the same as a North American ass, you perhaps begin to see the issue. The galahs were in fact glass. Not Dale Chihuly organic works, but a plain old vandalised bottle.

Lydia Languish would be amused…

Nirvana: Smells like tea spirit

Some readers may recall mention of my not too distant (temporally) trip to Brazil. I think I forgot to mention though my introduction to a soft drink containing the delicious Guaraná berries. It went by the rather grand name of Antarctica brand, and was delicious to the last drop. A little reminiscent of Vimto for those in the know. It’s very Brazilian, and though Coke brand their own variation with more than twice the added sugar, it’s a poor imitation.

Guaraná Antarctica

Having left the environs of Blighty some 11 years ago, I was therefore all the more PO’d to learn that Tesco is one of the few non-Brazilian chains to carry this drink. Wikipedia claim it’s available in Canada now, so I’m definitely keeping my eyes open for the distinctive green cans/bottles, but thus far, there seemed little chance of tasting the fine flavours until a possible return trip to sunny Brazil. Then, quite by chance, I was in the local corner store looking for some mint imperials(a little luxury I sometimes afford myself if I’ve been well-behaved. I don’t get them often as you can imagine, and I’d cheated even on this occasion when I wasn’t looking).

Wikipedia: Mint Imperials

The store had a promotion on for a brand of herbal teas I was unfamiliar with: Four O’clock. Experts of course will recognise this as “tea time” (along with one, two, three o’clock rock, and any other time there’s a warm enough kettle within reach.) I think they’re based in Quebec. I could be wrong. It sometimes happens.

Four O'clock: Nirvana tea

Anyway, one of the products, going by the name of Nirvana contains not only guaraná, but also mate for good measure. Both these plants are supposedly high in natural caffeine (my favourite “i after e even with no leading c” word!)

Wikipedia: Mate in a traditional calabash gourd

It’s only made with the extract of guaraná, which is a bit like mechanically separated meat, but for plants. Could be anything! Still, it’s quite tasty and remember, above all: it was on special offer!