Picking my July Precious

Now when I show you a picture of my precious this month, you are likely to raise your eyebrows in a quizzical way and mentally think 'Really?'  Oh yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

So let me take you on a journey down memory lane.  It's the early 80s and we're newly weds.  We decide that we want to do something different to celebrate the New Year and so we have a word with our dear friends, Denise and 'himself', and arrange to stay at a hotel in Bournemouth for New Year's Eve.  We chose to go to Langtry Manor, historically the home of Lily Langtry, the mistress of King Edward VII.  It was an amazing place and they held a seven course banquet for New Year's Eve.  We had a brilliant time there and whilst exploring the area the following day, we popped into a craft shop where I bought this mug.

 

Now I'm not quite sure what appealed to me about it because it clearly wasn't the prettiest mug in the shop but let me tell you this, this mug makes the best cup of coffee in the world.  Not tea.  It's not a tea mug, that would have to be white china, it is most definitely a coffee mug.  And if ordinary coffee tastes very good in it, I can tell you that milky coffee tastes AMAZING.  It is the perfect size for holding between both hands and it keeps the drink hot for ages.  When I am feeling poorly and fancy something comforting - this is the mug that has to be used.  And no one else uses this mug.  No one.  The handle is too small for manly hands and for some reason it has always been known as 'Mum's Mug'.  It's the one I instantly pick when I come home from work, and the favourite one for mid morning coffee.   My daughter asked me a very scary and thought provoking question the other day: 'Whatever will you do if you ever break that mug Mum? Eeek!!