Another cup of coffee



A week has passed and I haven't written.... how tardy of me... I have been drinking coffee this week , but not with the same vigour or necessity that I have been this year.. It is still essential to my daily routine remaining one of the fundamental pleasures of  my day, I just can't seem to write about it!

Maybe because I have had a sad week, another gentle man gone way  before their time. Another shock of the reality's of life and the sometimes really crappy and meaningless curve balls that it throws!  It does make me lose  that sense of invincibility, we are all fragile and every moment, day , week, month  is precious and we need to be mindful of that and live in the moment....and don't lose faith! 

I attended a "Happiness" seminar at work today and I took away all of these things... as well as being gentle and kind to ourselves, look out for each other , write down 3 blessings every day... even if it is that you survived another day.. and enjoy the time we have, by smiling, laughing and immersing your self in the things that you are good at and that make you happy!!  For me thats coffee drinking! (and on the odd occasion - writing!)

Looks just like me right?!?! In a cartoonish, glamorous kind of way!

In such an up and down week, I enjoyed coffee at places of comfort to me - Elevenses, The Corner Shop and Wee Jeannie - Plus a couple of newbies - The Truffula Seed (another one ticked off my list!) and A Pint of Milk  .... and then some on my Bendigo escape that were worth a mention as well - El Gordo and The Bendigo Corner Store. (see next blog post!)

First mention will go to the Truffula Seed... an Espresso bar  located in the Paris end of Collins St and nestled in the Shell house in Spring St ! The entry from Flinders lane was quite unique, I descended upon it from escalators above.. and it was a very very pretty site to see. The name of the cafe is inspired by the  Dr. Seuss book ‘The Lorax’, which is a story about the environment, industry and human nature... that explains that they run a sustainable no frills business, making sure to use ethically sourced beans from another one of my westie cafes "The Social Roasting Company"  and I'm guessing organic produce (and milk!). I was utterly mesmerised by the lit from within silhouettes that make up the coffee bench! If only i could get a replica and put it on my wall- check out my picture below and on their website!... It kind of reminds me of me... well  I'm not as delicate.. but I know it would inspire me to drink coffee everyday!  The coffee, with real chocolate sprinkles (a winner for me) was a the perfect warm anecdote on a very chilly Melbourne Afternoon! Why oh why does it have to be so far away! .....Ill come back here soon, if only to ask how I can get that picture!  

With Grandma!!

Next on the coffee of the week is a newbie (only open for a few weeks) .... The Pint of Milk.. in Williamstown (or Newport as the maps say!) ... Only about 3km from home, it is nice to add another one to the ever growing western suburbs  list! I have been here a couple of times and had lunch, this day with my mum who was down to visit. As you might have guessed the Pint of milk is an old milk bar fit out! Still selling bread and milk... and the odd mixed lolly bag  or two! The cafe is bright and open with  newly polished hardwood timber floors the only giveaway that this place hasn't been open for longer, soon they will  treaded on more and more and will have garner a authentic rustic feel (like the corner shop does). The food each time I have been here has been fresh and delicious! The coffee is also good, although I think they are still perfecting that.. but I'm guessing it wont be long, especially since using 5 senses beans!

Friday was a very draining and emotional day ... where coffee was pretty far from my mind! Although I did manage to get  an early one  from Omar and the marvellous coffee bird in Gardenvale...after Darby was dropped off with Grandpa Vic... I think I was inspired as Dave's dad gave me a wonderful and heartfelt surprise... A CD burned just for Java Jane.. with drumroll..... songs all about coffee.... It was a really touching thing to give me and it has been played in my car ever since.. Its magic to listen to artists such a KD Lang, Bob Dylan, Nat King Cole, Bill Haley  all singing about coffee!  It made a hard day feel a little easier and did give me that warm and fuzzy feeling that someone else in the universe is interested in what I am doing!

And on that note I will leave it there for today.. I will start my regular writing, curve balls and all from now on!! I am on the home straight... 38 cafes to go and I still have 28 weeks left of 2011!!

Until Next time... Life is too short to drink crappy coffee!!





PS: My newest craze in getting my life back to basics has been cooking my own bread, in the words of Nigella, there is nothing as satisfying as baking your own bread and their is some kind of whimsical nostalgia  that makes you feel very satisfied for all that hard work (well its not really that hard apart from a little kneading, which is more tension releasing and therapeutic than hard or annoying !!) ... and of course it tastes amazing straight from the oven with lashings of butter! I was amazed at just how simple and easy it is to do.. no bread maker required!  I just have to remember to not eat too much of it!!