Before you get your hopes up, no, I didn't cry when listening to Billy Boyd's Last Goodbye, I did, however, come close to it. Which is more than, any other song has done before. There I sat in the theatre, watching what was the last journey in Middle Earth, and then this song came on. It hit all the right chords, it told the end of Bilbo's journey, but not only that, the end of our journey. Viewers of The Return of the King have already had the pleasure of listening to Pippin, who's eerie voice weaves a spell over its listeners. This was their goodbye to us, all the films are made, both Bilbo and Frodo, have accomplished what they set out to. For avid fans, like me, this was our final farewell.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that Peter Jackson will get the rights to the Silmarillion, which is a downright shame. Maybe, we should start a petition: let Peter Jackson make the Silmarillion. Maybe a fool's hope, will come true: there's a first time for everything.

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Needless to say, the music video copyright is held by WarnerBros studios.

Merry Christmas world!

Spare a moment for those who suffer in this world. Those we've given no other choice. Our world, has a tendency to change, we may not notice it, but if we remain blind, when we next see, we may be facing a very different future.

Apologies, this was supposed to be a merry and Christmasy post. Well, whoops. I guess this blog will remain somber.

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Irish Elk, Flickr "labeled for reuse"

Tolkien, to me, is simply a painter of words. He is the father of epic fantasy, caretaker of the ancient races, and an inspiration to all. If you are not a subscriber to his work (which seems a word too common to describe his masterpieces), may I recommend you visit a different blog (or at least blogpost). Although, this blog is not exclusively about the world of Middle Earth and beyond, know that a fair number of posts will concern it.

I can't put in to words, the pain that pierces me, that never again will I see a work of Tolkien in theatres. I had both the joy and the tragedy of watching The Battle of the Five Armies on December 15th. I will be writing a number of posts about this movie in the future. All I wanted to talk about in this post is Thranduil's elk, who first appeared in The Unexpected Journey. 

As a rider of, horses, seeing the Elvenking ride upon a Irish Elk was fantastic. Needless to say, I now want to ride and elk. I actually did find out, that the Sami people, ride reindeer. So my wish, my not be an impossibility. If I'm not mistaken Irish Elk are extinct, however, are rather similar to the still living elk of today.

Expect more posts about this mystical creature, but for now, I've spent enough of your time, talking about elks.

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Wikipedia "labeled for reuse"

As should be rather obvious, by my blog title, I am a tee drinker. And quite an obsessive one at that. I started off drinking camomile, to make me drowsy before bed, however, I've reached my roots out into a number of different teas. Since my blog has "tea" in the title, I believe it only fitting, to have a regular column about tea. This particular one, will simply go over the teas that I am currently drinking (as I said, I drink a lot of tea).
I tend to have a cup in my general vicinity whilst, reading, writing, or watching TV, which happen to be the three activities that I am usually executing. Without further ado these are the five teas, currently in my cupboard.

Yin Hao Green Tea

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I've had this tea for a number of months now, and at first I drunk it quite regularly. The issue is, it is loose leaves. Now, I don't take issue with loose leaves, just the majority of the time I find it simpler to place a tea bag in some hot water: as opposed to measuring out the correct amount, placing it in a tea bag or strainer, and then having to throw the mess away. I'm someone who will leave the teabag in, until I'm done drinking, however, if I have a strainer in my cup, this proves to be an impossibility.
Loose tea leaves aside, this is a decent enough green tea, however, it's lacking the subtle flavour of higher quality green teas. It leaves a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste, that I wouldn't associate with tea. Thus, I will probably finish off this can, and never buy it again. What can I say, I'm a green tea snob.
Lipton's herbal infusion Camomile (pyramid bags)

Pixabay "labeled for reuse"

I've been drinking camomile for years, so simply smelling it brings back many fond memories. What I like about this type of tea, is the near impossibility to have a bad batch. All the camomile that I've tried, all have a very similar flavour. The only one that showed a more noticeable difference, was the completely fresh and loose flowers, that I got from a gourmet market. All this in mind, Lipton's camomile is perfectly acceptable, and I have the right mind to purchase it again.

Lipton's herbal infusion Mint (pyramid bags)

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I've never been overtly fond of mint tea, so I wasn't expecting all too much from it. I've taken to drinking it as a replacement for green tea, come night-time (green tea has a tendency to produce sleepless nights). Since I've started drinking it again, I've actually grown rather fond of it, the slightly numbing sensation it lends, is something very unique to mint teas. Mint tea will remain on my tea roster.

Lipton's tea Forest Fruit (pyramid bags)

Pixabay "labeled for reuse

Before, I become a tea snob, if I ever drank tea, it was fruit tea. Since then, I've been informed, that fruit tea, is not actually tea. Proper tea only comes from one plant, which fruits do not. Ergo fruit tea is not tea. Nonetheless, I recently watched and read The Hobbit, and let's just say the lifestyle of the Woodland Elves has rather captivated me. Thus, I saw some tea labeled "Forest Fruit", and decided I must have some. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it, and strangely enough it did remind me of the scents of a forest. Although, it isn't a favourite of mine, I can imagine having a cup or two on occasion.

Lipton's White Tea with refined floral notes (pyramid bags)

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Finally, I've found White Tea. White tea has been somewhat elusive as of recent, in other words, I couldn't find it. I haven't had it for such a while, that I had quite forgotten its taste. Needless to say, I enjoy it. I'd probably rank it second only to my staple Green Tea.

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Throughout my many journeys both in literature in film, I've come across some interesting words. In general this it true, however, more specifically, I mean names for groups of animals. I'm sure many of you have heard the term, "a party". Which can be construed as raucous festivities, or a group of people. A Party is the tip of the iceberg, I've compiled a list of interesting group names below, for your enjoyment (links to my sources are at the bottom of this post).

Drinking: A cup of The Blanc White Pyramid Tea by Lipton

A cete of badgers

A colony of bats (It's also a colony of termites incidentally)

A tower of giraffes

A romp of otters

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A pride of lions

A prickle of porcupines

A tiding of magpies

A murder of crows (why do they always get such a bad rap?)

A parliament of owls (quite fitting, wouldn't you agree?)

An unkindness of ravens

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An army of frogs

A shiver of sharks (people's fear of them is cruelly deep-rooted)

An intrusion of cockroaches (most certainly)

A congregation of alligators

A clowder of cats

A coalition of cheetahs

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A battalion of falcons

A shadow of jaguars

A conspiracy of Lemurs

A glint of goldfish


Sources:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/36-bizarre-group-names-for-animals#.bjopQPpnAE
http://www.writers-free-reference.com/172groupnames.htm

Welcome, once more, to Serenity in a Tea Cup. As today is Christmas day, I though nothing more fitting, than a post wishing you a magical one.
Something about Christmas brings the kid out in all the joyous folk- something it shares in common with Disney.
Christmas is a time for cozy reads by a fire, relaxing with a good movie, and most of all spending time with family (although, some would argue it's the food).
As it is, after all, Christmas, I will leave thee to your merrymaking.

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!

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Dearest Readers,
And so begins our journey. A quest thats destination is yet to be written. I implore you to join me, through reviews, recipes, stories and anything else that tickles my fancy.
Be assured that Lord of the Rings will appear frequently, as will any number of other franchises I subscribe to.

Take up arms, grab a cup of your favourite tea (for me that's green tea), curl up on a couch, and begin reading- while I'll begin writing.

In haste,

A fellow tea lover


P.S. This blog really isn't about tea- I may have a section at most, I just enjoy tea in general. Particularly, when reading, writing, or watching TV. All activities, which I frequently undertake.

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Dearest readers,
I believe my absence, lasting over a month now, warrants an apology. Well there you have it. Sorry, I'm not really one to explain myself.

Moving on.

Well, today, is Christmas eve. How the year has flown by. I have no idea how long I've had this blog, however, it seems as if it's been quite a while. Christmas has always been one of my favoritist (I realise this is not a word) times of year. My hope is people will be in a more mindful state of mind, perhaps their actions will save just one animal. Although, I'll venture, that saving the planet, may not be on many peoples' minds this time of year. It's a holiday more focused on our own species, nonetheless, the new year is on the horizon, and I hope that our destructive habits may change yet.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas,

Concerning Kingdom Animalia

P.S.: Don't forget to leave something for the reindeer :)

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