WHO'S THE MUG AROUND HERE?

Well, at 01.49, I guess it must be me!  I don’t sleep that well, so rather than go up to bed and toss and turn, I tend to stay up and “do” things - like cleaning the kitchen or play Words with Friends on the computer, or even catch up with my Blip comments.

Tonight (well it’s tonight until I’ve been to bed although it’s this morning, if you get my drift!) is no exception and I am still wide awake.  I have caught up with blips, written a couple of cards to friends, read the newspaper, tidied up in the kitchen and then I decided that before I went to bed, I would empty the dishwasher.  That is usually Mr. HCB’s job when he comes down early every morning - and no doubt he will be up by 6.30 if not before!

When I was wiping off the mugs, which filled the top rack, I thought that stacking them might make a good blip.  (Just as an aside, can anyone tell me why someone can’t invent a dishwasher that allows the bottoms of mugs to drain of water without having to dry them all?)

I started piling them up, being very careful, because if they crashed down and Mr. HCB heard the noise, he might think we were being burgled!  Many of these mugs belonged to Mr. HCB’s mother, who died 18 years ago, so they are fine bone china because that's what she liked, so we have been very careful and looked after them, but we do use them every day and of course, I have my favourite ones.  I do like the bone china and not those horrible, thick ones that men don’t mind!

Got me thinking about why some people save all their good crockery and only bring it out when someone special comes to tea.  We had a friend whose mother used her best Wedgwood china every single day because she said that beautiful things were meant to be used, not just looked at in a china cabinet.  An excellent way of living, but we were quite concerned, when we stayed with them for a week, taking with us a boisterous two year old - but we needn’t have worried - all was well.

Time for bed now - it’s gone 2.00 a.m. and I can hear that Mr. HCB is sound asleep already!

"Start living now.
Stop saving the good china for that special occasion.
Stop withholding your love until
that special person materialises.
Every day you are alive
is a special occasion.
Every minute and
every breath,
is a gift from God.”
Mary Manin Morrissey

P.S.  I know that the Marmite mug on the very top isn't bone china, but it was given to me by a special friend so that's why it's there!