It's so big and so smokey up there

Actually it was neither really, more busy and sunny when I went for a trip up to Perth the other day. It was with much gratitude that I hitched a lift early in the morning for a day of fossiking and nosying. Perth is a beautiful city - scattered north and south of the wide and winding Swan River, clear blue skies as far as the eye can see, lush green parks hither and thither, a fantastic mish mash of boutique brands, chocolate cafes and Tudor tributes.

Hang on... architectural nods to the motherland?



Yes indeedy, smack bang in the middle of this not yet even 200 year old city, is a hommage to that beam heavy 14th Century style of building that was dreamt up by those English folk who sent their convicts to one of the most gorgeous places in the world (btw, I think England got that completely wrong. Ah yes, lets send all the naughty people to a beautiful country with stunning scenery, amazing weather and a laid back lifestyle because they will so miss their six month winters, tube strikes and Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon. That'll learn them!)

Rather incongruous with the rest of the main drag, but this council folly brightened an already bright day for me. I wonder if they thought it would bring in the tourists, or if they wanted to reprazent the Commonwealth or a friend of a friend has some spare lead light windows and wooden beams that fell of the back of a lorry? Anyway, I went through the archway (only half wishing a knight in shining armour would be waiting for me on the other side) and wandered along until I spied this little place...


I got chatting to the nice lady in the shop about tea cosies (made to order by her sister-in-law), what she likes to drink (regular tea for breakfast then an oolong during the day) and whether they had any books on tea (they don't). All their teas come in gorgeous wooden containers with vintagey style graphics, and I just couldn't resist buying a box of chai from her.


And three retro souvenir tablecloths from Good Sammys, but that's another story altogether.