Simple joys

[Lotus Eater]

My cousins have left - carrying more luggage than they appeared with. And they complained about the weight of that luggage - because it contained 10 books for me, 5 up to the minute Oz newpapers, and about 30 magazines of all types for my newspaper and magazine reading class. I am having a lovely time reading!!

They also brought vegemite, Timtams, stuffed olives, Oz alcohol, medications I like but can't buy here, dodgy things like subsitutes for when you can't clean your teeth, new face creams from a range I like. And they left all of their travel medications as a 'just-in-case" for me.

But the books and magazines are a treasure. Since I have signed another contract and will be here at least until jan 08 I have also started to subscribe to magazines, and they are delivered here to me - parcels from Oz!! This is a joy. My family and friends keep in regular contact via email, MSN and Skype - I rarely get letters or parcels and the delight of the FAO calling me and saying "You've got mail" is wonderful.

I have subscribed to a variety of magazines including Australian Geographic, New Scientist, Yen, and a couple others I will remember when they arrive! One of them (don't know which) had a complimentary subscription gift of the DVD "Baraka" - amazing DVD - no words, just music and film from around the world. Really worth watching if you can get it.

This is a double process - I read the magazines then use them in class.

Such a simple joy - parcels and reading.

[mich]

I received a wedding invitation in the mail on Saturday. My Uncle, (who is 10 years older than me) is finally getting married.

I won't be home in time for the wedding and he knew that, but posted the invite anyway.

As silly as it sounds, it was really nice having an actual letter I could hold that came from home.

emails are wonderful, as is speaking to family on skype and MSN..but there is nothing like receiving a letter in the mail from home.

[George61]

My Mother sends me books. That's all I miss. Food is food...booze is booze. I don't have anything I can't live without. If I haven't got Vegemite, I live without it. I can eat Dove chocolate when I feel the need, otherwise I buy a Snickers. I can buy cheese when I feel the need. I can buy steak, and I can buy pawpaw to tenderise it. I would like an oven for roasts.

[Lone Traveller]

I'm definitely with you on this one Mich. I

'm a mail girl for sure. I love getting mail. It's like a mini Christmas for me. My family sends me "bits and pieces" from home. Chocolats that I can't buy here. Photos of my niece (which I use in class sometimes), magazines, letters.

Maybe, it's the fact that I love the thought that someone is thinking about me... hehehe ;D

Who knows?

L.T

[Ruth]

george61 said:

I would like an oven for roasts.

Buy one. Crippler made a stuffed pork roast for dinner tonight in our little toaster oven. Yum.

People sent care packages the first year we were here. No need now because we stock up when we go back for visits. Pity. Getting care packages is fun. The only mail I get is from our bank and our investment company, both of which have been instructed to deal with us online, but somehow haven't got the message. I agree with Mich. It's nice to get an actual letter from home. From a real person, not an institution.

[Lotus Eater]

While I have been here I have started to develop my interest in teas. I regularly go to the tea markets, and I have a couple of favourite laobans who give me good deals on tea, plus teach me more about it each time I go. It is very akin to being a red wine conisseur - the more you learn the more interesting it gets. I can easily spend all afternoon tasting teas and learning about them. Helps my Chinese no end as none of these people speaks English.

But ... teas come with a set of accoutrements that also get to be a little addicitve - and I am now into the tea dongxi. I have enough stuff to run a fairly basic Japanese tea ceremony (thanks to a previous FT who taught me the really basic ceremony and left me some of her stuff and has sent more in the meantime for me), plus 2 tea boats, different tea pots for different teas, a huge collection of different teas from different regions and this week I bought the electrical teapot water heater thing that can be set for the correct temperatures for different teas.

So now one of my little joys is to set up my tea making stuff, watch a movie (or as at the moment work my way through Alias) and sip one of my teas made in a special teapot and poured into one of my special cups. Very relaxing.

I also have a teapot laoban who teaches me about the different types of pots and clays and craftspeople. I have started a collection and have some really special pots - but this is a little more expensive! I have 12 teapots, plus 2 of the larger cup things to make tea in - and this isn't counting the 2 bodum pots I use when there are several people to have tea. And I have my eye on 2 pots (a set) in the shop that I have been promised a special price on if they weren't bought by a Chinese collector whose son is in Canada opening a tea place.

While they were here my cousins and I ended up with 15 teapots between us - 2 of which were gifts to me from the pot laoban and one of my tea laobans. Packing them to go back to Oz was fun! NOT.

Have I given up red wine - NO - and now that I have found a winery - I will be adding to my cellar as well!

[Jollyjunklass]

Hey Lotus,

Before I read this post I was just discussing collecting teapots and teacups with someone, I would like to get one in each city I visit. I just had this thought a couple of months ago so I only have two teacups, thus far. I also collect coolly wrapped baiju bottles. And no I don't drink them on those desperate days!! If you don't mind I would really like to see a pic of your teapot collection.

[mich]

I sent a package home for my sister's birthday. It arrived on Friday. There was nothing majorly expensive in there. Just some bits a pieces that I've picked up along the way..little figurines, cute little socks, some chinese embroidery patterns..light little things that I knew she'd think were cute.

She called me when it arrived so we could 'open it together'.

Hearing the excitement in her voice was absolutely priceless. She giggled, her voice was trembling. There were a lot of 'oohs and ahh's' and 'oooh look at that!!!'

Then she read the card. I think it all got a bit much for her, she bawled her eyes out! It's amazing the impact that a package can have on someone.

she has a job as a courier...she says the best part of her job is seeing people smile and say, 'oh thankyou, I was waiting for that!'. Sometimes she gets to deliver flowers, which of course are generally unexpected. She loves it when she's a part of making someone's day.

[Lotus Eater]

My collection - teas on the shelves, and a conglomeration of pots and cups on the bench. Not all can be seen - the traditional Japanese pot can only be seen by it's handle. The small cha hai is there with 2 little Aladdin's lamp pots on it - the larger one is too big and lives on the floor.There are also 2 leaf holders (chayetong) - one made from Yixing pottery.

It's a lot of fun to play with them. I am looking for a nicer way of displaying them - considering asking the university carpenter to make me a display case.

[Hamish]

What's the ying/yang gizmo?

And, did you drop it?

[Lotus Eater]

It's actually 2 teapots - and NO I didn't drop it!!

Those are the handle and spout areas.

[Da Dan]

"Yixing pottery"

I just went through Yixing on a bus da otta day...
there were a Lot of pottery places in that area.

Is the good Yizing pottery famous?

[Lotus Eater]

Yup - it's famous for it's tea related pottery.

Yixing County, in the southern part of Jiangsu Province, has been the center of Chinese teapot production since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). High quality Yixing clay comes from along the banks of Lake Tai near Nanjing. Refined and fired to a high temperature it produces a slightly absorbent pottery highly regarded by tea lovers.

Since the clay will absorb some of the flavor of the tea and thus enhance the flavor, it is important to drink only one kind of tea out of it. If the tea pot has any age to it, it should have a distinct residue of old tea inside.

The clay used for Yixing pottery is called Zisha ("Purple clay") despite the fact that it is not always purple in color neither unfired or fired. The high content of metallic oxides in the clay body resulted in wares ranging from purple to beige or green, the variation in color being caused by differences in kiln temperature and atmosphere.

It's on my list of 'must go' places.

[George61]

I've been there. In my early days in China, I once spent three days there. Didn't visit any potteries, but I got to see a place where they made computerised water fountains, and watched a video of some of their installations. Also had my first (and last) experience of Chinese cinema. The film was so violent, I had to walk out!! The final straw was the villain killing off his most recent victim by placing a stick of dynamite into her "Ladies Lounge" and lighting the fuse.
I do have a Yixing teaset, though.

[Lotus Eater]

More simple joys:

Hotwater bottle to curl my toes around in bed at night. It doesn't wriggle, complain that my feet are cold or creep onto my side of the bed.

Hot shower first thing of a morning.

Watching the leaves change colour.