I took almost a week off from my blog up until today. Put simply, I was exhausted. A lot of traveling and a good bit of work and photography and visiting and family and walking and running and shopping and hundreds of other things meant that I was just worn out from all the little daily things that I'd been doing so well.
So, I just stopped everything for a little while. It's good to do that. Whilst in one way it's great to be such an achiever, and successful, and firing ahead at all pistons every day, it always catches up to you. And when it does, just lie down and rest until you're ready to get back up again. It's a good thing.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Day 57: Organic White Tea (Pai Mu Tan)
Today was a pre-wedding shoot with Robert and Lorna in Belfast. It's only a few days since I arrived back in Scotland from the States, but as I said to a friend later that day, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast is like taking public transport. I had no luggage with me, so it was a matter of dandering through the airport, editing a few photos on my laptop while I waited for the flight to board, and then a 20 minute flight and I was there.We had an amazing day, and a very full one. We started off with breakfast at a little place called The Yellow Door (interestingly enough on our way there I spotted the Green Door and the Amber Window and several other similar restaurants - a popular notion!), and of course I asked for tea. They brought out an entire box of teas for me to choose from, and I hesitated for quite some time before finally deciding on an organic white.
I don't think I've had a 'plain' white tea yet, and this one was described as a white peony tea, which sounded perfect to me. And it was. I really, really love white teas. And on a day when I'm doing a pre-wedding shoot, and looking at wedding venues and sprinkling rose petals and taking photos of beautiful engagement rings, a white tea is just right. I think if I got married I would love to have an entire tea bar of white teas - there are so many and they have such incredibly beautiful names! And anything white goes well with a wedding :)
So we went to the venue where Robert and Lorna are getting married (the Dunadry - a gorgeous place!), where they spent ages going over the tiniest of details with their wedding coordinator. Meanwhile I wandered the grounds and found beauty everywhere. And then it was on to Dunluce Castle, and White Rocks beach for some fun shots, and after a quick dinner I was off on the flight again (through a completely empty security - nine security guards and one little me!) and home before 10! An amazing day, and a lovely tea to start it off with.Walk length: All over! Hard to say.
Day 56: Pear Helene Green Tea (loose leaf)
Today's tea was my 'bonus' tea that I got because I bought so many at Souvia (the day I tried the Angels' Kiss green tea with Betty). It's called Pear Helene, and has little pieces of dried candied pear pieces in with the green tea leaves. It also includes marigold flowers, the packet says, and originated in Germany. There's an interesting aspect I haven't looked into yet - the origination of all the different teas. I never really had a burning desire to go to China, but I definitely do now. I'd love to go somewhere to see the tea plants and the drying leaves and the whole process from beginning to end! This Pear Helene tea is another perfect example of an excellent fruity green tea - light, so light that there seems to be very little flavour, but like walking through flowers and yet not overwhelmed.
I have to confess I can't even remember what my walk was like this day. I'm writing this blog post many days after the fact, so my best guess is that I walked down to my local grocery store and stocked up on supplies!Walk length: 15 minutes
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Day 55: Good Earth Sweet & Spicy
I’m home in Scotland today. It is so good to be home. I love traveling and visiting my family and seeing new places and doing weddings, but there is nothing like walking in my front door to my warm and cosy flat (okay, cold and chilly, but it WILL be warm soon), all tidy and clean like I rarely get to see it! J I had no idea what my tea of the day would be. I thought of getting one at the airport, but other than Starbucks (which really doesn’t do tea), there weren’t many options. And I do like to enjoy a cup of tea, and my traveling today, whilst not stressful, wasn’t relaxed and easy-going, either. I actually finally got called over the announcements for the first time!! “Miss Karen Reyburn, please come urgently to gate A3, where your flight to Edinburgh is closing.” The hilarious part was, there were 15.25 and 15.50 flights to Edinburgh boarding right next to each other, and I had it in my head that I was boarding at 15.50, so I was sitting comfortably at gate A2, checking to make sure it wasn’t boarding yet, and typing up blog posts while I waited. It’s amazing how there can be so many announcements which just pour over your mind like water, and then suddenly your own name is spoken and alertness comes roaring back! Fortunately I didn’t have far to go, so I picked up my bags and took a few steps to the right and all the gate attendants were laughing at me. (No, with me!) At any rate, it was quite comfortable really – I wasn’t stressed at all, and I didn’t have to queue up, and I didn’t miss my flight! Perfect!
So, when I got home, amongst the pile of junk mail, magazines, bank statements, pleading letters from Scottish Hydro, gas bills, and other incredibly boring mail, I had this amazing letter from my friend Emily, complete with my cup of tea for the day – and it’s even caffeine free, so I don’t have to fear that I won’t sleep tonight! (I had a grand total of 1 hour of sleep during my 15 hour journey overnight, so I think I’ll sleep well.) I’ve never had Good Earth Sweet & Spicy before. I’ve had Good Earth and I like it, but this is on a whole different playing field. It’s an incredible tea. For a teabag (ie non-loose-leaf), it packs a serious punch, with more flavours than you could imagine pressing into one little package. Right off I noticed the sweetness – it was like someone had put in a huge spoonful of honey or brown sugar. I was shocked to discover that it’s all natural sweetness. On my own I could taste cinnamon and orange and rooibos, but other than that I had to go to the packet to see what else was amazing me in this tea. It has (according to the back of the packet): Red Rooibos, Chicory Root, Rosehips, Cinnamon, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Papaya, Chamomile, Panax Ginseng, Anise Seed, Dandelion Root, Ginger Root, Orange Oil, Orange Peel. Wow. Almost every single flavour is intense in and of itself – ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass, ginseng – you don’t mess with those guys. They’re the mobsters of the tea world, but really nice once you get to know them. That is, as long as you’re on their side, and you hang out with them in the right company. Mix in the wrong fellows and you will wish you never took a sip. It’s not personal, it’s tea.
I’m off to bed now. It’s raining outside, and my walk for the day has consisted of a fairly long stretch through Heathrow’s Terminal 5, as well as Phoenix Sky Harbour’s Terminal 4. I think I’m good for the day.
Day 54: Desert Blossom Iced Tea (Jobot)
Today was my last day in sunny Phoenix, and as my flight didn’t leave until 8pm, I seized the opportunity to spend a little QT with my sister Laura. I had a LivingSocialvoucher for a coffee place called Jobot, down near 5th Street and Roosevelt, and we thought we’d give that a bash. I really love LivingSocial. Other than the failed Arizona International Festival, which was an ultimate disappointment, all my other LivingSocial purchases have enriched my life experiences. 
Jobot is in a strange part of central Phoenix. It’s an area where two blocks north you’re doing some nice shopping and buying a Starbucks; two blocks west you’re potentially buying a house; two blocks south and you’re cheering on the Diamondbacks; and two blocks east you feel like you’re going to get shot at. But right where Jobot is makes you feel like an artist. There are little houses that have been renovated and spruced up (but not too much – they still maintain their roughed-up, grunge feel), some as artist blocks, others as galleries, and Jobot as a coffee place. It’s a classic grunge café, complete with peeling paint in various colours, old furniture, a random bathtub in the toilet, various memorabilia you’ve never heard of before (for instance, instead of a little wooden milk truck it’s a wooden beer truck), outside tables with misters to keep out the heat, and very down-to-earth staff who are friendly but you also get the feeling that they’re writing a novel or dreaming up three different business ventures while they’re making your tea. 
In terms of a tea experience, the taste was excellent but the knowledge was a little lacking. I chose the Desert Blossom tea as it sounded like a nice white, perhaps with peach or pear or even prickly pear flavour to it. But when my tea was delivered to me, I asked, “Is this a white tea?” hoping for some more details, and the server just looked at me as though trying to decide if I was asking a daft question or if he ought to know this, and said, “No, it’s a dark tea”. I stared at the very pale iced tea and then back at him and decided to just leave it. I guess I’ll never know what’s in it. He was funny though – he had a little trouble making my sister’s Sweet Peach tea, getting remnants of tea leaves floating merrily about at first, and had to try three times to get it right. It’s the kind of place where you don’t really mind when that happens, especially when he said very matter-of-factly, “This is becoming the most difficult task I’ve done all day, making this one cup of tea!” We ordered savoury crepes which were excellent – mine was root beer pulled pork with jalapenos, and Laura’s was a Monte Cristo. We enjoyed both, and our teas, immensely, and I’d highly recommend the place. Just go with a relaxed mindset and you’ll be all set.
My walk was short today – I got a late start and on the last day of May in Phoenix, you don’t want to walk too far at 11am. It did start to cloud up a little, so we did about 20 minutes round the block, but even that seemed to wipe me out. I think I’ll be glad to be back in Scotland where I can go for a walk any time day or night, and my only query is how heavy of a jacket to put on!
Walk length: 20 minutes
Day 53: Laura’s Homeblend Herbal Iced Tea
Today was Memorial Day in the States, and our family got together for a dedication barbeque for my dad’s new property in Sedona, Arizona. This place is absolutely amazing – I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating, that this is a sprawling ranch-like property complete with caboose, gazebo, tree house, workshop, garage, and creekside access, all in addition to the house itself. The place just exudes peace and rest, and my sister and I drove up the night before to experience some of that rest, and I almost found myself rushing about to grasp every opportunity for rest – down at the creek, on the swing, watching the stars, and sitting in the very comfortable reclining chairs inside. 
My sister Laura made some homemade iced tea for our family get together , and I have no idea what kind of tea it is specifically, and I didn't even take a picture of it, but I kind of like the fact that it’s just original Arizona blend, in keeping with our family barbeque. This was some barbeque. There were at least 75 or 80 people there, and yet with such a sprawling place you hardly even noticed. Car parking spaces seem to materialise out of thin air, and hide the cars away so that their technological look doesn’t spoil the woodsy feel of the place. There were children playing in the caboose and treehouse, men fishing down at the creek, a rousing game of Connect 4 over here, and lazy discussion over there. It was just the right kind of day – blue skies, red rocks, incredible steaks, good company, time with family, and the reminder over all that all of these blessings come from God.
The verse my dad quoted which is the only response to all these benefits and graces and gifts and joys is: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought us thus far?” (2 Samuel 7.18)
No real walk today. I tramped over the rocks to the creek and back, but I needed a few days off, and this was one of them.
Day 52: Absolut Wild Tea
Tonight Pin and I went to Dad’s new place in Sedona for some R&R, and I brought out one of the most amazing teas I’ve had in this whole challenge: a white-tea-and-elderflower-flavoured-vodka. Wow. It was like drinking white tea on fire.It was incredible, after having tried so many different teas, and beginning to really tell a white tea from a green tea from any other kind of tea, that I could really taste the white tea flavour in there.
The elderflower gave it a softening aspect, but after I sat and savoured a few sips, I decided to add a little cranberry juice. It changed the entire flavour of the ‘tea’, but definitely made it go down a little more smoothly. I liked it both ways.It really was a rest day today, so that’s all I have to say about that!
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