6 Cold tea

Ok, you maybe not actually like it, but you've probably got used to the taste of it.

A typical morning might run something like this. Make a cup of tea at 8am. Get distracted by baby wanting to be fed, have his nappy changed or crying. Get around to sipping tea at around 8.45am when it is lukewarm and a thin layer of scum has settled on the surface. At 9am, when it is stony cold and completely undrinkable, throw it away, boil the kettle and start again. Process repeats itself until day ends.

At various points you may find yourself microwaving three-quarters full cups of tea. This never works as it will either a) be so hot it will take a thin layer of skin off the top of your lip b) make the whole thing taste even more like leftover dishwater c) heat up the film of scum on top so it looks, as well as tastes, revolting.

Like a long soak in the bath, straightening your hair or wearing full make-up, having a hot cup of tea is something you may never experience again.

Fact: one tenth of global warming is caused by mothers boiling kettles for cuppas they never actually drink. Maybe.