Tea habits, Star Trek, chat and visiting

Lord H was hugely pleased today at the discovery that three cups of tea a day is good for you, as advised on the BBC news site. I suggested it would be a good idea to up our intake then as we hardly drink tea at all. Ah, innocent wife! Lord H casually replied that he drank loads of tea at work anyway, so it wasn’t a problem. I think he was about to go on with some other remark but I was staring at him with such stunned surprise that he was forced into silence. In all the years I’ve known him, and in fifteen years of marriage, I’ve never realised he drank tea at any other time than on holiday. Aha, the truth is coming out now - obviously I just don’t understand him, you know …

Well, I am now enlightened and will have to add tea to my shopping list at the next available opportunity. However, Lord H says he doesn’t drink tea at home, as it’s for work. And holidays. Um, obviously. Marriage: the last great mystery indeed. The whole revelation and the fun we’ve had with it reminded us both of the episode in Star Trek TNG where Keiko O’Brien is mourning her supposedly dead husband, Miles, and watching DVD clips of his last few moments before he vanishes. She only realises the clips have been tampered with by evil aliens when she sees him drinking a cup of coffee even though he’s on duty after 7pm. Being his wife, she is convinced he never drinks coffee after 5pm as it keeps him awake at night so, on her say-so, the ship rushes back to where Miles was taken and eventually finds him alive and well, hurrah! The joke is that in the episode’s conclusion, we see Miles enjoying a well-earned coffee last thing at night and saying he always has a cup during his last half-hour of duty – under Keiko’s astonished gaze. So, if Lord H ever gets snatched by evil aliens, that may well be my way of foiling their evil plans, aha. Mind you, as I have now discovered the fifteen-year tea drinking secret in advance of such an event, the jury’s still out on whether I’ll rush to his rescue or not …

Anyway, today I’ve taken the afternoon off as time in lieu for my recent Saturday working. On my way home, I popped in to see Jane H to pick up some Nutrimetics products (I do love their soothing facial mask – it’s bliss) and have … um … a cup of tea. Well I have some catching-up to do after all. And lovely to see you, Jane. I then popped into see Gladys and restock her birdseed. She was drinking tea as well – so it appears the aliens have got everyone I know already. Hell, I may actually be the only person left to save the universe – Lord help it. Am I up to the task?...

While I ponder on how to save the universe, and inspired by Sharon, I’ve decided to look at another later section of Hallsfoot’s Battle so I have more of an idea as to what I'm aiming for. It's a plan anyway. Funny how books are all different, dammit. Like children. I imagine. And thanks for the tips, Sharon – very much appreciated.

Tonight I shall be glued to Lost in Austen on TV, but will have to video Who Do You Think You Are? David Suchet’s such a charmer – I can’t miss him.

Today’s nice things:

1. The amusement of tea and Star Trek
2. An afternoon off
3. Tea – again! – with Jane H
4. Doing something different with Hallsfoot.
5. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website