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It’s been a very cloudy, very damp day out, even though it has never actually rained. And being a Monday, I lacked motivation to do…well, just about anything. However, I know that I can’t just be a lazy lump taking up air for the next decade or so (lump-status will come soon enough), so after my quiet time, I tried to focus on sewing.

And I tried to focus. On sewing…something.

Anything.

As the house grew dimmer and the sky blacker, I decided to give up for awhile. It was the perfect kind of day to just hunker down with a hot cup of tea and a good book under a quilt.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
– C. S. Lewis

I rooted through my tea spaces, of which there are many, and discovered a tin of David’s Tea at the back of the drawer…hot chocolate tea. It’s a blend of black and pu’erh tea, and also contains cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, chocolate curls, cocoa powder, natural and artificial (chocolate, white chocolate mousse) flavouring, and stevia extract. Allergens include milk and soy. I didn’t really see the chocolate nibs or curls, but the chunky chocolate chips I could see. And they were very inviting!

I vaguely remember reviewing this tea many moons ago, and was disappointed that it lacked depth of flavour. and creaminess…like hot chocolate should. However, this time I was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps I steeped it the appropriate time or used enough tea to actually get the right flavour. In my earlier days, I tended to use too little and consequently, was disappointed with flavour. The bitterness of cocoa nibs was balanced with the sweetness of the chocolate chips, making it neither cloying or sickly. It was warming and decadent, and just right for a chilly day.

It inspired me, so after my tea, wrapped in a quilt made by my Mom, Aunt, and Grandmothers, I channeled their love into a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies.

The sun came out sooner after. I never got to my book. But I did get to some sewing.

I’m getting ready for afternoon tea now. I am going to steep the hot chocolate leaves again, and if it’s not strong enough, I’ll add some regular black tea, and savour it all over again.

Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.
– Bill Watterson, The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book