“english autumn mornings are often like mornings nowhere else in the world.The air is cold.The floorboards are cold.It is perhaps this coldness which sharpens the tang of the hot cup of tea. Outside, steps on the gravel crunch a little more loudly than a month ago because of the very slight frost”

“Nowhere is the English genius of domesticity more notably evident than in the festival of afternoon tea. The [...] chink of cups and the saucers tunes the mind to happy repose.”

“The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.”

“He stepped into the morning feeling more alive than he'd felt in months. Hold fast and believe in me, love, hewhispered across the centuries. Because love and belief were serious magic in and of themselves.”

“Today was a very cold and bitter day, as cold and bitter as a cup of hot chocolate, if the cup of hot chocolate had vinegar added to it and were placed in a refrigerator for several hours.”

“Outside the open windowThe morning air is all awash with angels.”