A Cup of Tea with Mum

Taking a picnic — a thermos of tea and freshly baked muffins — to the beach on a cold sunny day in Perth.

The arrival: the beach first — grey ozone, salt drying on rock, dune grass in the wind, one thin break in the clouds.

The heart: the flask opens. Strong black tea steaming into cold air, the steel of the cup on its lip, a muffin unwrapped from paper — orange zest, a bite of apple, a whisper of raspberry.

The settle: the cup in your hands. Tannic tea gone milky-soft, warm quiet musk, the last crumb of the bake — the wind still moving underneath, the warmth refusing to give in to it.