Simply a Moment–a welcome cup of coffee

Thursday’s is my grocery shopping day.  I usually have a coffee in my supermarket, Waitrose, before I start the shopping.  But I am a bit earlier today and the restaurant is busy, so I walk to my favourite cafe, Caffe Latte:

Source:http://www.caffelatte.org.uk/coffee-shops/worthing/index.shtml

As I approach the counter full of delicious looking cakes, I remind my myself again that I really should not order one, remember that dress that is a bit too tight at the moment!  But I should come here for breakfast one day, maybe before I go to my volunteer job at Citizens Advice Bureau.  I order my latte and find a table near the front door.  The sun is shining outside and I can see sunlight dancing on a ladies silver hair sitting by the door.  The waitress brings my coffee across to me, but unfortunately spills coffee into the saucer, I hate that, don’t you?  No matter, the coffee is good, and as I am sipping it I am adding groceries to my list.  I always shop with a list and do try to plan my menus for the week, but today I am not so organised.  I can hear other people’s chatter.  There are two women sitting at the next table, but my hearing isn’t good enough nowadays to eavesdrop!  Someone else has ordered a coffee and I can hear the noise of the milk being frothed.  I love the turquoise and brown decor in this cafe.  It’s very fresh and modern.  There are some really nice pictures on the walls too, they look great against the rich turquoise back drop.  I finish my coffee and get up to leave and walk back to the supermarket, refreshed from a few minutes reverie with a welcome cup of coffee.

Simply a Moment–In my Garden

 

It is mid February and the light is getting stronger.  The dark dismal days of deep winter are giving way slowly to brighter warmer days.  It feels like I have come out of hibernation.  Spring is just round the corner.

My garden is very wet and soggy after prolonged winter rain and snow, but it feels like the right time to be out here cutting down and generally tidying up.  I have on my bright wellies (A Christmas present from Mum), and an old fleecy jacket.  It doesn’t feel cold out here.  I’ve collected my bright green bin, secateurs and small fork from the greenhouse, and wearing my new pink gardening gloves, am busy cutting down overgrown plants and pulling off old dead leaves.  The soil is deep dark brown and I detect a few small bulbs poking through.  Even though it has been so cold the weeds have still grown!  My back twinges as I struggle to pull out a bramble that has taken root both ends.

There is a little robin who flits about and gets really quite close to me.  I stay still and quiet and watch him hopping about looking for grubs and worms.  Hey, Mr Robin!  Here’s a big juicy worm, right here! There are lots of other birds singing in the trees.

Merlin comes up and steals a stick from my bin.  He runs off down the garden to chew it.  He notices that the dogs are out next door so goes to the fence to sniff them.

My bin is full up now, time to go and empty it!

 

I am linking up with Alexa’s blog for Simply A Moment.

Simply a Moment

Following Alexa’s prompt, here’s my moment from today.

 

It’s 4pm, and it’s beginning to get dark outside.  Although it’s been a bright day I can see it’s gloomy now, and it looks very cold.  I’ve had the central heating on high all day as I’ve cleaned my bedroom carpet and I’m hoping it will dry.  But I can still feel a cold draught around my legs.  I’m still wearing my old fleecy as it’s so cold today.

I’m sitting at the dining room table that is strewn with craft stuff.  Still trying to finish off my Journal Your Christmas album.  I’ll have another go at it in a minute.  I’ve just taken the backs off a big pile of Christmas cards so that I can give the pictures to Mum for making recycled Christmas cards. It feels good to get them out of the way - what a long time it takes to put Christmas properly away!

I’m listening to BBC Radio 2 iplayer.  Stewart McConie is doing a really interesting series called ‘The People’s Songs’.  The episode I’m listening to is called ‘Two Tribes’ and includes songs and interviews  about the cold war.  Very interesting!

The rest of the house is quiet, everyone out to work. They will be back in a couple of hours so I will have to start thinking about cooking dinner soon, but for now, I can move the laptop out of the way and indulge in a little cutting and sticking!

I’m back! With ‘Simply a Moment’

Sorry about being missing for so long – nearly 1 month!  Not sure why exactly, although I have been busy with Christmas preparations, of which more about later in the week.  I love to get organised in November so that I can just enjoy the Christmas spirit in December and have time for some crafting of my own.

Alexa over at ‘Trimming the sails’ suggested that we take ‘Just a Moment’ each month and write about it.  You know me, I can’t resist documenting the everyday – photos, writing, scrapbooking, – so here’s my contribution for November:

It is 7.20am.  I am woken by Maurice’s bright, jolly voice, ‘cup of tea for you’.  It’s something he does every morning – and I love him for it!

I struggle to open my eyes and wake up.  Too many times I have fallen back to sleep and woken half an hour later to cold tea. It’s quite dark, the gold curtains glow faintly with the light outside.  I look at the shadows amongst the folds as they hang.  It must be quite dull outside.

My bed is big, warm and comfortable. We’ve thrown off the blanket during the night – too hot- and it lies in a heap at the bottom of the bed.  I move my legs tentatively testing for how sore they feel after my exercise at the gym last night.

I am thinking about the day ahead, coffee with friends later on this morning, always a joy!  First though I must get out of bed, dress in dog walking clothes and take Merlin out.

The radio has been on since 7am but I haven’t heard it up until now.  Chris Evans is shouting excitedly.  It’s ‘Children in Need’ day and people are ringing in with pledges of money for the worthy cause.  In the background, I hear the rest of the family moving about and getting up.

But, I’m staying here, sipping my warm tea – comfortable and warm in my big bed.

 

Back later in the week with some crafting!  See you then

Simply a Moment

Inspired by Alexa, I took a moment on Saturday lunchtime and made notes and took photographs to document ‘simply a moment’.  Here it is:

It is 1.25pm on Saturday 15th September 2012.  I am sitting in the conservatory with Maurice having just eaten lunch.  We had muffins with bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, with orange juice to drink.  It is warm and sunny outside, but the sun has yet to come round onto the conservatory.

The kids are both out, there’s just us and the dog, who is hanging expectantly about us waiting for scraps. 

The table is an old oak draw-leaf covered with a pale blue tablecloth with white polka dots.  There is a pile of sticks on the table, waiting to be painted a la Alisa Burke, and Motorcycle News, which Maurice is reading.  The rest of the conservatory is messy with Lucy’s washing hanging on a dryer, and a big cardboard box with stuff spilling out fo the top waiting to go to the shed.

There is a lovely green view from here out onto the garden, with a backdrop of trees from neighbouring gardens.  There is a new shed in progress of being erected on the patio outside. The sun is noticeably lower in the sky now it is September, but is shining on the leaves in the pots outside, and I can see little white butterflies fluttering about in the gentle breeze.

The radio is playing – Tony Blackburn’s top 20 from 1974.  Here’s the top 5:

5 John Denver – Annie’s Song

4 Sylvia – Viva Espana

3 Donny and Marie Osmond – Leaving it all up to you

2 Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting

1 Osmonds – Love Me for a Reason

We are talking about the music and how we remember these songs!  Sadly, I can remember all the words!!  We’re talking about a family member expecting a baby, while a small airplane flies overhead, and the beep of the microwave interrupts us as the milk for our coffee is ready.