About the only time I ever have loose-leaf tea is when my colleague, Zoe makes it. Zoe has the office next to mine, and from time to time, she’ll say, “I’m having a cuppa. Would you like one?” Since I’ve been working from home since March last year (yes, last year, it’s a thing), I haven’t had “proper tea” for several months.
Things also changed about six months ago when I read the articles about the microplastics you can find in tea bags. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49845940 I honestly thought they were made from paper. Though I hope the problem isn’t as bad as I’ve read about, I’ve been a reluctant tea drinker (with bags) ever since.
But if there is to be a new years resolution for me (that I think I can stick to), it’s a decision to drink home-made loose-left tea. That is, tea in a proper pot, without tea bags. Since I’m working from home, I can do this. I don’t need to rush quickly to the kitchen, throw a bag in the cup, and quickly pour in some water from the hot-tab in the office kitchen. I can boil the jug and let it settle! I made my first cup today, and you know what? It was awesome. Even a couple of hours later, when I reheated a cup, it still tasted wonderful. Going to the gym? Nah. Drinking less? Nah. Eating more healthily? Nah. All of those things seem to hard too keep up regularly, but making and drinking a cup of home-made loose-leaf tea is something I think I can do.
I popped to Bondi Junction Shopping Centre today to purchase my new teapot.
There were definitely more people wearing masks on the bus, and in the shopping centre than the last time I visited, but the figures will still quite low. This, on a day when the NSW Government has manadated them from Monday in pubic places like shopping centres, with the risk of a $200 fine. “At last, they’re taking this seriously”, a few of my friends have commented on social media.
I’m not into victim blaming, but the shopping/bus trip reveals the least likely to be wearing facemasks are older white blokes. People like myself. The same people who generally don’t go to doctors, and get their health regularly checked for things like skin cancer and prostate cancer. I was talking to someone the other day who said her husband was reluctant to get tested for prostate cancer because of the fear around a finger up their bum. “What?”, I said. “They don’t even do that anymore”, I added. There’s got to be a way to get the message through? Maybe fines will work?
If they were fining people today, they could have funded the entire NSW Health Budget, I suspect, with very few people wearing masks.
It really does make me quite grumpy that so many people are continuing to ignore the reality around them? Already today I’ve had the cup of tea and a good lie down, so is it time for a Bex? No, I’ve learned the lessons there, as my mum lost a kidney back in the 1970s due to overuse. https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/bex_powders