06/04/2013
Coffee37&38 – “Strengths” is the longest word in English with just one vowel
Easter Sunday, I drove myself to Cardiff and round Roath Park Lake, in the glorious sunshine. Yes, the car did still make its warning alert chime that it was now only 4 degrees but I was in sunglasses and all was well. After my two hour jaunt, I walked to the little house on the hill, housing my Pilates instructor, Yoga and her husband, Composer, and three children, Painter, age 11, Inquisitive, age 9 and the Koala Bear nearly 4. I had an Easter lunch there, and was told that it was very vegetarian today. I’d already started eating and it tasted quite meaty to me… The best kind of food always does. Anyway, at wine I mean at lunch… Two glasses were had. Then Koala Bear wanted to play football in the street, so Yoga and I complied. Koala used to be a very quiet and shy child. Now, he is Mr orchestrator, Mr Bossy. His teacher Miss Cross (read Miss Youngandenthusiastic) said she was pleased he seemed to be talking to Tiny Tim. When Yoga asked Koala what he has talked to Tiny Tim about, he said he was telling him off. He also sang the song ‘Holiday, holiday, holiday, holiday’ and when Yoga said ‘that’s a nice song, Koala’ he said ‘No it’s not.’ A sharp and damning judgement. It should be said, when I came into the house for the first time, he made sure Yoga knew that he liked Lemon Cat. He repeated it in the other room a lot. He’s a child of potentially 3 languages, his shyness might have been a product of the world around him speaking English and Welsh maybe, his mother speaking Lithuanian, German, English… After football, Yoga made me a beautiful coffee. She heated the milk specially. I think she may have actually brewed it in the mug, as coffee grains were at the bottom. It was very nice! And then she offered another. And then I also had green tea. It was a good time.
I fear that no Easter bunny will still be present for White Rabbit Monday! 31/03/2013.
Coffee34-36? – Coffee#3
After a stint in town on this fine, and unexpectedly sunny day, I’d waltzed down Queen Street for the first time in my prescription sunglasses, my periphery sight confused, chatting happily HoneyCat about her imminent emigration to Vancouver, I had no idea how close to peril I was! Blood would be shed in but a few minutes, spilt from both of our hands. We trotted happily into Coffee#1, where HoneyCat is a former employee. By one method or another, HC had obtained a full loyalty card, entitling the bearer a free coffee. Having lost another on the way, she gifted me with the card. I gladly ordered a large free latte and settled back, chin wagging as she supped her machiatto (the proper way, not the Starbucks way. It means ‘stain’ in Italian after all, as you stain the milk with the coffee). She’d also asked for a large water glass at lorded over my small tumbler. None-the-less, I skimmed up the foam of my coffee, but something was amiss. Inside now, I decided it was time to try my woodlike glasses. I received the occasional conversation stopping compliment from Hannah. I didn’t think the milk was off, but it had soured and after Hannah agreed, she took it back, discussing with the barista that it had perhaps overheated. I got a replacement, which was lovely. Free coffee number 2. I drank it down as Hannah and I chatted. I decided I’d give not wearing glasses a go, for a bit of variety. Then HoneyCat went to have some water. Tall Galieth tumbler remember. A missjudgement. The glass shattered, shot out in my direction! Stunned, the barista ran over. HoneyCat apologised over and over to the bar staff, confused by what had happened. Both our hands were bleeding a scratch worth of blood. Both the Lemon Cat and HoneyCat’s kittens would have drawn more blood. My latte, half forgotten was taken away. Replaced with a small latte number 3! 30/03/2013.
Coffee28-33 – LDN Pre, Post and Beyond!
Coffee Good Friday
After a very long lie in, and a good hour behind the wheel of a car, followed by a not very good 30mins driving, I decide buying milk and making a coffee in the kitchen is preferable to falling asleep during the play the Cherry Orchard, in the Royal Welsh College. Abstained from coffee for several days, not consciously, have been to 3 plays in three days. A crescendo of talent and vigour, from the amateur antics of Around the World in 80 Days, to the Science Theatre of TQ being used as a Theatre for a one man show about Alfred Russell Wallace – the Welsh Darwin… Kinda, to the astonishing show in the beautiful Richard Burton theatre. Wonderful. Theatre really is it. Entirely, and astonishingly IT. 29/03/2013.
Coffee Tuesday
McDonald’s near our hotel in Bayswater, near Notting Hill. Lots of very nice cars. 26/03/2013.
Coffee Monday
Post lunch on the Strand in -12 wind chill, McDonald’s. Monday coffee deal – £1. 25/03/2013.
Coffee Sunday
First McDonald’s coffee. Outside temperature 0 degrees with a wind chill of -10! 24/03/2013.
Coffee Saturday
Costa latte immediately off the coach in Earl’s Court. Wild flurries of snow in London. 23/03/2013.
Coffee Friday
Far too strong office coffee, trying to sort out Welsh Government figures, with little success. 22/03/2013.
Coffee27 – best thing since sliced bread, fare the well!
The problem with temporary contacts is this, when they time out, people leave. A few weeks ago, when discussing our futures, Milk Monitor (my assistant) and I ended up having a conversation as follows:
MM: You’re the nicest boss I’ve ever had [and I’m 53].
LC: You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had and I have never doubted for a second that I didn’t make the right choice when hiring you.
MM: Awe, thanks babe.
LC: You’re the best.
MM: You’re the best.
LC: You’re the best.
MM: You’re the best
LC: You’re the best.
MM: You’re the best
Etc.
Today, my Milk Monitor did her last shift, half a shift actually as my assistant and headed off to greener pastures, or what will be greener pastures after a rather big operation on Monday and the 6 weeks recovery.
Sad, deflated, missing MM already, I had a quiet staffroom coffee with Ninja and others, but it just didn’t taste right, despite the Milton cleaner smell, the birthday chocolate cake (so many summer holiday lovin’ babies) and the weird fig Saudi Arabian confectionary on the staffroom table which I recommended just about when half way through but wouldn’t have after having finished it.
Joy. Tears. My card to MM stated that she was bloody fabulous, in fact she was the best thing since sliced bread.
Drove over Caerphilly mountain and back down again in my driving lesson today. Real driving, breh!
20/03/13.
Coffee26 – Post-Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Breh!
Could a building blend any more into the landscape (imagine the hill more brown and the air more grey)
So here’s the thing, when a job is listed as having “plus other responsibilities”, that generally is a fair reflection of what you end up spending most of your time faffing around with. For example, today, I walked into work, having promised to buy someone a puppy if they went out on outreach to a school, only to find that an illness meant that I too had to go out to a school to deliver a contemporary science debate on ADHD. A child said that Jim Carey was “too funny” to have ADHD, while another said they thought Billy Connolly did because he was “mental”. That’s Scottish, my friend, but yes he does… or at least suspected ADHD, which is probably why he hasn’t been on a relaxing holiday with his wife for 20 years and the Radio Times decided to pay him to go on one to get an article about it. Random. Anyhoo, the kids were mildly interested and I got to venture into the valleys in a green shirt instead of staring at spreadsheets.
When I did get back to the office, I had a coffee and some birthday cake and waited for the calls to stop at 5pm, before sloping home in beautiful sunshine and a huge pile of counter intuitive rainy downpour!! 18/03/13.
a little card I gave someone at work today for their birthday
Coffee25 – St Patrick’s Day?! You’ve gotta be kidding me!
Not after yesterday! The heads of the welsh were sore, but not as sore as the hearts of the English. That’s right, you honorary welshy… 6 Nation Champions – Wales 30 England 3 (the English would have won the 6 Nations if the Welsh had beaten them by less than 7 points… 27 points difference in rugby is huge.
Mostly darling, I know you don’t care much for sport. But you will love these bunch!! Write these guys into your lesson plan, hell, insert them right in to your novel!
Anyway, after that much excitement, and two sups of mead I was totally exhausted by Sunday, so drank a coffee while watching the telly, eating Celebrations… (apologies for all the rugby excitement, just want you to feel a part of it at home). 17/03/13.
Coffee24 – Solarplate Flat White
Another flat white from Shot in the Dark during the lunch break of my solarplate etching class. It was hugely sunny in the morning, despite the predicted torrential rain (which mark my words came down later), so I straddled a wall outside and let the sun do its bidding on my orange inky solarplate as I played around with the ink. In fact, I did something so random, but scratching into the ink – the scratches then exposed to the sun – and then covering over the ink, that the tutor was most perplexed by the finished print, but it far exceeded my expectations. It’s strange how quickly a day of printing can go. I didn’t get much done and I went in planless. Apparently no one else was. They all had plans and aspirations. I’ve got a job, and driving lessons, and am supposed to be writing a novel. I can’t also plan an art project to complete in 5 hours! Still seemed to have managed by fluke to come up with a novel related urban sprawl image. The first time I did it it was a nice idea but the inks were horrible together and we all laughed at the hideous combination, but the second time, spot on I hope. Good stuff.
As expected, afterwards, Cardiff became a ghost town, and people either went into the stadium or to a functioning television to see the battle between the Welsh and the English. A 30 man war!! 16/03/13.
Art School Graffiti
Coffee23 – Be Frank, Robot
Oh yeah, that’s right, bad boy. I watched this little baby in Chapter with AmyoftheHobnobs. If I’m frank, it’s a short film and if you have now watched the trailer, well that’s pretty much it. But still a delight. It was a pretty shoddy latte… unusual for the place. The kind you add a lot of sugar to, which almost helps. 🙂 15/03/13.
Coffee22 – Waitress
I drank my staffroom coffee today, with birthday cake, as one of the Directors had to excuse himself from the circle of chairs to dry his weeping, laughing eyes in the kitchen area. It was beautiful. The story needs to be told. I might have to come up with the best way to tell it when you are so far apart. Watch this space, bro. Watch it, but don’t stop living your life until I say :). 13/03/13.
incupsofcoffee2013 