If you can believe it, I do not own a teapot. I know! Shock! Horror! Right? How can I drink tea with my Mum and write a blog about it if I don’t own a teapot? That’s just not right! So now the search for a teapot is on!
Mum’s teapots
My Mum owned several teapots, all lovingly used and shared. Specific teapots were used for specific guests. Some teapots had themes, some went with particular tea sets. Other teapots were merely for show, though these were few and far between.
When Mum passed and we were deciding what to do with some of her things, I was offered my choice of teapots. At the time, I was reluctant to take one because I didn’t want it to get broken in my suitcase on the way home. That would have been tragic and there was no real way to prevent that from happening.
I’m not sure that Dad would have parted with the one that I wanted anyway. He still has the teapot that Mum and I used most often. It will be mine one day unless my brothers fight me for it.
Most of the rest of Mum’s teapots were shared among friends and family, so that they could remember taking tea with Mum. My brothers did not take any at the time – they are not big tea drinkers – but they may be holding out for this one special one. They do not have as many things from my Mum as I do.
Symbols are important
Taking tea with my Mum is in part a symbol. I don’t always have tea, don’t use a teapot (at the moment anyway because I don’t yet have one!) and don’t often talk out loud to my Mum. Instead, I let my conversations flow through my fingers and the keyboard of my laptop into this blog
The teapot is also really only a symbol, at least as far as this blog is concerned. I don’t need the teapot to have these conversations or to work through my feelings or find clarity and comfort. It’s more about taking a moment to stop and think and let myself feel. By simply making a pot of tea and letting it brew I am forcing myself to take a few moments to reflect. Even if I don’t get a chance to drink the tea.
The search for a teapot is on!
Now, the search for a teapot of my own is on. From my research (well, taste-testing), I know that tea, which has seeped in a teapot, tastes much better than tea in a cup, even if you are only using bags rather than loose tea. Accordingly, I need to find a teapot.
I will also need one if I plan to have real afternoon tea at some stage – I’m building up my recipe repertoire in anticipation.
Something simple would be best, without too much pattern, but with elegant lines. It does not have to be large – two to four cups will suffice – but it should not break the budget either.
I’d also be rather partial to one in blue and white or with a blue willow print – just like Mum’s teapot. Or something more simple, with classic lines. It does not necessarily have to be something old-fashioned though.
Should try a second-hand store, or buy something new as a late birthday present to myself? Perhaps etsy? Or would something higher-end better? It would also be nice to find a matching cup and saucer.
Any ideas of where I should search?
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