When I was pregnant, I gave up coffee. I was very crabby. I would go to my local coffee shop every morning on my way to work, and grudgingly order a hot chocolate instead of coffee, taking in deep breaths of that gorgeous coffee smell as I waited in the queue.
Once I'd had S, I thought maybe I could start up my coffee habit again... but it turns out that breastfeeding + big fat coffee habit do not mix well! Also the only time I was anywhere near a coffee shop, I usually had my baby strapped to my chest in a sling - which isn't entirely safe.
So my coffee habit took a couple of years off. I didn't really get back into it until I went back to work. After dropping S at nursery, I would head straight to a coffee shop and get the largest bucket of coffee they sold on my way to the office.
Now I work from home, and I don't pass a coffee shop on my way to or from nursery. If I'm going to get a coffee, I'm going to get a coffee, and then I go straight home to my desk. So I sort of miss out on it.
What I do tend to do though, is arrange as many client meetings as possible, at a coffee shop!
My favourite at the moment is an independent artisan bakery that has a gorgeous seating area outside where you can sit and drink a lovely coffee while watching the world go by. My local market square has just been refurbished and has a lovely European feel to it now. Even better - the bakery also does the best toasted teacakes I have ever tasted, and S is quite partial to their gingerbread men too.
It's a lovely place with a great atmosphere, and a great view across the square. You can sit and drink your coffee and watch the world go by. On market day, the stalls finish just past the seating area, so that there's this little oasis of calm with a busy, bustling market just on the other side of some plastic covering.
The other week, some of you may have seen from my Twitter and Instagram feeds that S and I were house/cat sitting for a friend. She has the kitchen of dreams, with every sort of gadget you could ever imagine - including one of those fancy coffee machines where you just pop a pod in, and it gives you a lovely cup of coffee. Once I'd figured out how to use it, I became something of a connoisseur, sampling every different flavour they had before choosing my favourite: the purple one! I've no idea what it was called, but it was gorgeous! My mornings were spent with a leisurely cup of coffee in the garden while S ate her breakfast... heaven!
Do you love coffee? What's your favourite type? Do you like to have flavoured syrups? Frothy milk? Cream?
I came late to coffee (age about 28 believe it or not) and since then have been, probably, an addict. I have two a day - a very large Nescafe Al Jazeera (as my Dad calls it), it's actually Azera I think, in the mornings, with about three heaped spoons and one sugar. And then I usually have one out in the afternoons, mostly a flat white if I can get it, only ever from indpendent places as Bristol is blessed with huge amounts of them, and few chains outside the city centre. I'm not saying it's my only vice, but it's my only one I consider to be essential to my mental wellbeing - which is nuts, I know!
ReplyDeleteOh you did well to give up, I'm trying desperately to order decaf when I'm out but I still find myself buying cans of coke here and there! Grr!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't until having children that I discovered my love of coffee, up until then I was a proper tea drinker. I am an early riser by nature, which suits me just fine and gives me the opportunity to enjoy a huge cup of black coffee, with just a teaspoon of sugar to take the edge of, before anyone else crawls out of bed. Which is a great way to start the day.
ReplyDeleteI don't 'do' fancy coffee, I prefer good old Nescafe instant coffee. A couple of years ago we went over to South Africa to visit family and nowhere out and about seemed to do instant coffee. I was practically heckled out of a Starbucks there!
I love my coffee - especially in the morning :)
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I am not a coffee drinker. And whilst pregnant the smell of coffee made me very nauseous. I do love a cuppa and a glass of coke is always a winner in my book. It felt like torture giving up coke during my pregnancy. Hugs Mrs H xxxx #weekendbloghop
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