Here she is, my new best friend Brown Betty. She is stout, sturdy, earthy, and practical (Ha! I just described myself). No wonder we get on so.  As you can see she was born in England. In the picture she looks black, but she has a rich chocolate brown glaze over her redware foundation. I just love some of the sentences printed on the info tag included. "The Red Terracotta Clay with its Rockingham Glaze, Coddles the brew, and gives the perfect cup of tea." The capitalization was theirs. I love the word "coddle".

I already owned a teapot-a pretty white one and it brewed tea just fine. When the occasional craving for tea came on I used it. But I have spent  many happy hours lately watching the British TV series "Larkrise to Candleford" and of course, "Downton Abbey" and now I am embracing all things British. I guess it was seeing all that steam rising from all those teapots. Some of them humble models like my girl and some very ornate. Now I have to have a cup or two everyday. Nothing fancy, just English Breakfast Tea. And I don't use teabags. I like the whole business of heating my pot and adding my leaves and then using a little strainer when I pour it into my cup. Then I add just a touch of fresh milk from the dairy cow share I participate in. The simple things really are what make life good.

All of this tea drinking has brought about an unexpected mini-obsession. Tea Cozies! I already owned a pretty blue toille cozy that I made for my white teapot and I just love cuddling Brown Betty in it and tying the ribbons to keep her round belly full of tea hot. But now I am perusing knitting sites for knitted versions and looking at fabrics to make a couple more quilted versions. It's a little crazy. And probably silly sounding to some. But just so you know-apparently I am not the only one with this obsession. Typing "tea cozy" into the search engine at Ravelry, the knitting world's best online resource, you get tons of pictures and patterns for knitted and crocheted tea cozies.

This in turn has lead to an interest in British foods and cooking. I am collecting some ingredients so that I can invite my girls over for a spot of tea and biscuits and some other British foods. Amazingly, tucked away here in the Appalachian Mountains, you can buy quite a few British foods at the local grocery. Maybe it's the Scotch/Irish influence of the population? I don't know. I am just glad. I've got my clotted cream and I am a happy girl. Cup of tea, anyone?