As the weather becomes more conducive to spending time outside, I find myself heading out into the garden for a cup of tea more and more often. Granted, the emergence of more summery weather in my part of the world has been a little behind schedule, and this week we’ve had a relapse into chillier, stay-indoors-if-at-all-possible temperatures. However, slowly, but surely, we are getting there. And as we do so, a cup of tea outside becomes increasingly appealing.

For me, there are several stages to this progression.

Stage One: The weather is inviting enough for me to be enticed outside with my morning cup of tea. Although it might be a tad chilly, I’ll stand outside for a while enjoying the morning sun, sipping and cradling my mug of tea to keep me warm.

Stage Two: In this stage I know that the weather is nice enough to enjoy my tea outside, and I will plan on sitting in the garden to drink my morning cup. This will most likely involve a more elaborate set up than the impromptu outdoor mug, and I’ll prepare a pot so that I can sit outside and enjoy both the tea and the sunshine for a while.

Stage Three: This is when I start planning to take all of my tea breaks outside in an effort to soak up every drop of nice weather (and tea!) that I can. This is especially the case if my schedule keeps me working indoors for most of the day.

Stage Four: In this stage the weather is warm enough that drinking hot tea is no longer an appealing option. Although I might stick to a hot cup in the morning when it is cooler, later in the day I will make iced tea to enjoy outside.

Right now Stage Four seems a ways off; as of yet, I have only got as far as Stage Two. Sadly that lasted all of two glorious days and then the weather relapsed back to Stage One, and this was only after a couple days of cold rainy days that meant I stayed inside with my mug of tea. Hopefully warmer weather is on the horizon, and with it, more teatimes in the garden.

See more of Elise Nuding’s articles here.

© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.