Opening, First Infusion, First tasting ...

First of the two 2019 Heng Tong Hao "Gong Ting Tribute Cake" Ripe Pu-erh Tea.

Story in Pictures:

My preferred cake opening tool (Divers Knife)

Sometimes you need a Persuader and Helper:

Nice, an Inner wrapper: (10/10 for folding neatness)

Cake exposed; Back side, great colour and texture:

Cake viewed from Front with small inner ticket:

Two caddies ready to be loaded-up:

First Opening .. Looks and feels great: 

Both caddies partially filled (little area to breathe):

Nice view of inner ticket with no tears:

Jeannie setting up for a first infusion:

First pour into a Sharing Jug :

Hand-made tea bowl ready to enjoy:

Some Pu-Erh Tea Cake pictures

3 new cakes arrive

I ordered and received 3 Pu-Erh cakes and some Jasmine for Robbie.

One, 2019 Menghai "7572" Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake

Two, 2019 Heng Tong Hao "Gong Ting Tribute Cake" Ripe Pu-erh Tea

200 grams, 2019 Jasmine Silver Needles White tea of Yunnan

Source: https://yunnansourcing.us/

New cakes set aside to be opened in a few days:

Just sharing a Great Idea

Picturesque Scotland

Luskentyre estuary backed by the mountains of North Harris.

Edinburgh with a dusting of snow.

WWW. Butt of the Joke

Old School 3D printing ..

Happy with the Get-Well sign & cards .... Thx. to all that signed the cards

Kids Artwork on display at grade school

Jean presents her Artwork to local artist and judge

Another sign of the times:

"Break a Leg" is only apropos in the acting profession .. NOT in the teaching.  Get well soon :)

Aliso Creek Trail Update

Link to my: Oct.30th. 2019 posting:
https://chawu.blogspot.com/2019/10/aliso-creek-trail-early-mid-morning.html

Trail upgrades (flood control) complete and the trail is open.  Only down side the small bridge over the creek has not been replaced (Yet ?? )  see pictorial views below:
First we have and nice sun rise sky, with last nights rain clouds making their departure:

 

Trail swings under the 5 Fwy.:

Location of the former bridge:  (easy to step across when not in spate).

Good for another 25 yrs ... or so ... rebuilt/new gate .. UPDATE March 2021

Spoke too soon: I used newly treated lumber (way too wet) so with lumber shrinkage (drying) and Picket Expansion (HOT Sun) made from recycled plastic !!! ..see post on 3/27/21 ...

ICI Nobel Ardeer / Massey Ferguson; Kilmarnock

Short History story:
Leaving school after sitting my “A” and “O” levels ( at Irvine Royal Academy)  I took my first “Real Job” .. ICI Nobel division; Ardeer, Stevenston, Ayrshire Scotland. As part of tenure with ICI I managed to attend university and graduated with a Mech. Eng. degree.

The Ardeer peninsula in Ayrshire is basically a gigantic sand dune - chosen by Alfred Nobel in 1871 as the site for his British Dynamite Factory because of it's remote location and lots of sand to make protective berms and blast walls.
It soon grew into the world's largest explosives factory, making explosives for mining and quarrying, and expanding into other explosives and propellants for both civilian and military uses.
Nobel Explosives became part of ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) in 1926, but production shifted away and the Ardeer plant diversified into other non-explosive products, unfortunately these didn't do so well - much of the site is now derelict. 

Thinking back .. my experiences at Ardeer were to serve me well in future ventures & adventures. It would be a Herculean task just to list the Skilled trades and unique process mastered at Ardeer.  Some trades seldom encountered in an industrial habitat: Sailmakers, Patternmakers, Tinsmiths, Blacksmiths,  Instrument Artificers, Glassblowers, Train Drivers. These coupled with major: metal, wood and glass working trades along with many detailed facets within a trade made a unique set of learning adventures. Add to all this a plethora of Engineers and Scientists of every ilk. To help visualize this site.. It’s approx 21 Sq. miles .. 7 miles long by 3 miles wide. A shipping dock on the Irvine (south) side. Inside the factory boundaries: Infirmary, Dentist, Banking to name a few.
Nobel Enterprises was sold in 2002 to Inabata.

As an apprentice tool maker and mechanical engineering candidate I got a 6 month rotation in most of the factory activates:  Explosives, Chemical and Acids.  In the explosives section you learn about Static Electricity VERY fast. Negligence could be and was fatal in some instances. I worked there from 1965 thu 1971. 

Shorty after leaving ICI I worked briefly for Massey Ferguson in Kilmarnock, before moving to USA.

Asian Paper-Making, in days of yore

A first rate public resource:

Old Papermaking In China And Japan, 

by: Dard Hunter.. 1932

https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=121304&fbclid=IwAR10bpwXP3lqP9Td-xm4LCpuiKN98fk_RsT88s6W0TmM07xcwYAtyF9Wt7g

Front Cover and an example page:

Palindrome

2nd. of February, 2020 .. UK
February 2nd., 2020 ...... USA
2020, February 2nd ....... China

02 02 2020 .. Classic Numerical Date Palindrome. 

Year of the Rat : joining us for tea: Rat 鼠 (shǔ) and Burns Night Jan 25th,

Just for the hell of it

Happy New Year ... 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè)

恭喜发财 (Kung Hei Fat Choi) I wish you earn more money This year