The Sunday Reflection #75 - Another cup of tea please

My beautiful wife Clare is making me a lovely cup of tea as i write this. By the time I have finished the blog, my cup of tea will be finished as well. I love a nice cup of tea on Sunday morning. I have a little ritual I follow most Sundays. I get up (often with a mild hangover), go to the 8.30 mass at The Sacred Heart, then I come home and make breakfast for whoever wants it. Sometimes this will be bagels, cream cheese and Smoked Salmon from Yummies. Today I made omelettes. I have a special recipe that is influenced by Japanese street food. I fry up cabbage, onions, mushrooms and then whisk the eggs up with a bit of salt and pepper. This all gets mixed up. This morning Clare and Matt went first, then I added chorizo for the meat eaters. It was delicious (even if I say so myself). 

Once that has been scoffed, I start this series of blogs. My original brief, for this series was to take a look at life in a more spiritual (not with a religious tone) at life. As it has evolved, I've realised that it is often more interesting simply to look at things that have happened in the week and reflect on them. It has been a terrible week. An old work mate of mine passed away. During lockdown, he descended into a private hell of isolation and drink. His marriage broke down. He eventually lost his job last year and apparently he fell over drunk, banged his head and died. It is fair to say he always liked a drink a bit more than was good for him, but in recent years, it became the alpha and omega in his life.

I like a drink, I probably should drink a bit less, but I abstain 3-4 days a week. I am just as happy with a cup of tea most of the time. It is when I am with friends that I overdo it. Yesterday, I met my friends from North Wales in a pub in Shepherds Bush, had a couple of beers, went to Loftus Road to watch a brilliant game of football, that Wrexham won in the last minute of extra time, with a simply spectacular goal. They were 2-1 down at 90 mins and the Welsh boys were ecstatic. We then took a tube to Euston, had a couple more beers in the Doric Arch. We then had a tasty curry at the Great Nepalese. After that we bade farewell, then made our way home. As it was still relatively early, I picked up a bottle of wine at the Turkish shop in Mill Hill, which I shared with my wife and daughter. 

Yep, I know it's a bit too much. But it was a wonderful day. I didn't feel my best this morning. Not too bad but I have to say, a cup of tea or three is the order of the day. I might have a glass of wine with lunch today, nothing tomorrow, a few beers at Hadley on Tuesday and then probably nothing until Friday. Many cups of tea will be drunk. Although I know that I should drink less when I am out with mates, I also know that life would be less fun if I didn't drink at all.  I don't need a drink to have fun, but when I am with drinkers I thoroughly enjoy it. But the other side is that I enjoy a cup of tea and a chat just as much when its a non drinking situation. Actually that is not entirely true. It is almost impossible to get decent tea in a cafe or restaurant in the UK now. No one knows how to make it and it is ridiculously expensive. If I had the choice between tea or beer, I'd probably choose tea, but not the slop you get charged £3 a cup for in most London cafes these days. I don't know why it is so hard to use proper leaves and make it in a pot. I used to love the old cafe builders tea, that was so strong the spoon would stand up in it. These days, I drink my tea black. It is one of the few simple pleasures at home. in cafe, its just legalised mugging