Having a cup of tea or coffee is not a straight-ahead affair. Is it a dog mug kind of day? Did I see a bunny in the yard so it’s a bunny mug day? Am I off to sing a concert of my favourite composer so it is a Mahler mug day? Am I performing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, so it’s a TSO mug day? So many options!
For many people, especially Brits, finding the right mug for the right occasion is key. My cupboard is cram-jammed with a wide variety of mugs. Every time I open the cupboard, be it for my morning coffee or one of the many cups of tea consumed during the day, I don’t just grab any mug. I stand and survey what there is and choose what feels right for that moment.
Whenever I go and visit family in England, usually within the first hour of me being there, it is established which mug will be mine for the duration of my stay. Sometimes I get to choose and other times I am given a set mug. Amongst a larger collection, my aunt and uncle had a set of four mugs, each one representing a different season. I can still hear my uncle saying “you will be the spring mug, Susan.”
It is the same at my mum’s house where the majority of the mugs are either dog mugs or mugs with scenes of the Scottish Hebrides. When I arrive, my mum chooses out a mug for me and it’s always a dog mug. Why is it always a dog mug? Partly because I adore dogs, but mainly because the Scottish mugs are my mum’s so my sister and I know they are off-limits! If one of us does happen to use someone else’s mug, it is usually mentioned. Not in any nasty way just a very nice, “That’s MY mug”.
The tradition continues with me and my husband. When we met, he had a lovely set of four plain, but coloured mugs – 2 blue, 2 red. He also had a handful of memory mugs from places he had performed, but they were not really in rotation. Did the blue and red mugs do the job? Yes, yes they did. Are they still around? No, no they aren’t. It was never a conversation that we had, but merely over time, he realized that there was such a thing as “the perfect mug” and the cupboard slowly but surely edged out the blue and red mugs. He now has many favourites, especially his Scrabble mug – maybe that mug is how he manages to win just about every game we play!
The caption reads “You put the kettle on and I’ll get the biscuits.”
If I had to choose my favourite mug, it would be the mug in the photo above. I bought it from The Little Dog Laughed. Tea and dogs…two of my favourite things. It makes me smile every time.
Do you have a favourite mug?
