Tuesday 29th June - part two of two

My friend Sarah has been ridiculously busy for the last two years as she attempted to do an ESOL teaching course, do some ESOL teaching, do admin work for her church, run the children's ministry at her church, raise three children, be a devoted and godly wife and manage a lovely but slightly bonkers greyhound named Lulu. She is like to become busy again doing a selection of the above PLUS a job as well. Thus I had to make sure a coffee date was made before she forgot what I looked like!

Starbucks, New Street
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni and Sarah
Served by: the barrista (sorry - too busy chatting to notice!)
Bought: A small black coffee and a skinny peach and raspberry muffin
Cost: £3.20
Cafe: This Starbucks has a ground level and a basement. Both levels have a selection of high and coffee tables. We didn't get an armchair table this time. We felt we ought to go and sit in the basement as we had smuggled in sandwiches purchased at the Tesco across the road (because spending £3 on a sandwich in Starbucks would be silly!) However - once the illegal contraband had been consumed we went back upstairs as the air conditioning in the basement was at full pelt and we were shivering!
Position: This Starbucks is on pedestrianised New Street. A little distance from the Bullring where we usually begin our town visits but this made us confident that our calorie intake was already 'paid for'!
Busy: Yes - mornings are always better for a quiet coffee
Food: Lovely yummy chicken fajita wrap from Tesco, equally yummy muffin from Starbucks
And: Well how nice to have a good chat and a catch up. Sarah provides me with Christian conscience and encouragement without the complications of church politics as we go to different (although theologically similar) churches.

29th June 2010 - part one of two

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Jane
Served by: Steven
Bought: A large black coffee (then later had a small black coffee bought for me)
Cost: A large costs £1.29 but I bought one for Viv... then she got one for me... not sure!
Sat: Table 28! It should have our names on it really!

And: A sunny childfree Tuesday, a group of relaxed and contented friends, a whole weekend's worth of conversation fodder! Brilliant!

23rd June 2010

Danni is very busy at the moment. She is a cake decorator extrordinaire but not always that organised! Thus she has four cakes to make this week and three of those are wedding cakes or in a wedding cake style - which means even more work. I phoned her mid-morning just so that she wouldn't feel too lonely in her days of crafting icing flowers and piping endless designs - and found she needed a quick trip to the shops for supplies. Would I meet her for a very quick coffee! Let me think.....

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni and Susie
Bought: Danni bought me a black coffee and a coke for Susie
Sat: 28!

And: It wasn't very quick but may have been quick! A quick catch up to fortify us both for an afternoon of industry (though I am, as you can see, whiling it away on the computer!)

22nd June 2010

Tuesdays are great. Child-free Tuesdays my favourite day of the week! Sunny childfree Tuesdays bring me to the edge of ecstasy but although this Tuesday was all of these things my joy was tempered by the fact that my Grandad had died on Monday night.

Today's blog is, therefore, dedicated to James Ashdown - a true gentleman, a devoted family man and very fondly remembered by all who knew him. We lost him to Alzheimers Disease a few years ago really and now can really start to grieve for him - but the shock still caused real sadness.

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv, Alex, Amanda, James (Alex was off school with tummy ache)
Bought: Nothing - Amanda not only bought me some flowers as she'd heard about Grandad, but she also bought my coffee. :-)
Sat: Need you ask!? Table 28!

And: My friends are the best in the whole world. My Grandad's death made me sad, but it wasn't a tragedy. He was almost 93 and had lived a full and good life. They were able to let me be sad, but also grateful and happy that I had had him in my life.

18th June 2010

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: Matt (though I accidentally called him James as the till told me that was his name!)
Bought: A large (!) coffee and a pain au chocolat
Cost: £1.79
Sat: Table 28
Food: The pain au chocolat was particularly delicious this morning. Really warm (almost hot) and crispy of the outside with gooey chocolate inside.

And: I can now have proper white coffee! I phone Lactofree this week and requested they introduce a portion size UHT version of their product for people, like me, who like to drink their coffee or tea in places other than home. They were ahead of me and yesterday evening a big box of 100 portions arrived!

17th June 2010

I needed to pop to shops this morning so texted Danni on the off chance that she might need to as well... she didn't but we still ended up having coffee!

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: Steven - who now greets us like old friends!
Bought: A black coffee and a cappucino
Cost: It was my free 6th coffee!
Sat: NOT at table 28! It was sunny and bright and warm so we sat outside on the 'terrace'. Quote of the day came from Danni who said, when gushing about the glorious weather, "You could be anywhere.... except you're not, you're in Perry Barr"!

And: Short, sweet and precious xxx

15th June 2010 - part two of two

I love a good excuse! Simon needed some more food for his tropical fish and this food is only available at larger retailers of fish paraphenalia hence a trip to Melbicks was planned. Danni has recently got an allotment so is enthused to buy lots of garden stuff. Viv lives in a newly built house so her garden is a blank canvas in need of garden centre purchases. Amanda is both a keen gardener and shopper! AND Melbicks has a lovely coffee shop. Win win win win win!

Melbicks, Chester Road, Coleshill
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv, Amanda, Naomi and James
Bought: We all had different things. I had a normal coffee from the 'Starbucks' bit of the coffee shop. I also bought Danni a hazelnut latte as a thank you for a clematis montana she bought for me.
Served by: Polite but not very friendly young lady
Cost: About £4
Cafe: The coffee shop has a large area with classic high tables but also has a large area with coffe tables and leather sofas. We got the very best one with one long sofa and two armchairs. The cafe has a glass roof so it lovely and bright.
Postion: At the rear of the garden centre to the right.
Busy: Reasonably - but who cares? We got the best table!
Food: Amanda bought chocolate cake and Danni bought a tea cake... no complaints from either!

And: I got to have my coffee white as Amanda bought a carton of lactofree milk! She had bought it specially because I had lunch with her the day before and didn't need it herself! Bless her!

Conversation was light and merry!

15th June 2010 - part one of two

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Viv, Amanda, James and Danni
Served by: Lovely Steven
Bought: A small black coffee (and also had a glass of tap water)
Cost: 99p
Sat: At table 28!

Complaints: My water didn't have ice in it - but that's just picky!

11th June 2010 - part two of two

Ok - this one's going to look at bit random. Danni, Viv and I had an afternoon to play with. All of us had more worthy things to be doing - it cannot be denied - but somehow the lure of 'going out to play' won out over the laundry, cleaning and housework!

We'd aimed for Ikea as Danni had stuff to return but I needed a DIY place and B&Q is right opposite. I suggested combining the two and Danni, shockingly, pronounced that coffee at B&Q was probably nicer than coffee at Ikea!

B&Q, Wednesdbury
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Susie
Served by: A lady
Bought: Two cappuccinos and a black coffee, a muffin for Susie and I to share and a scone with jam and butter for Danni
Cost: My drink and cake cost £2
Cafe: Not brilliant. A few tables and chairs in the corner of the DIY shop.
Position: Views of radiators!
Food: Lovely, really lovely, muffin. Apple and toffee I think. Took vast amounts of self control not to scoff Susie's half.

And: How can coffee and time with these lovely ladies be anything but wonderful? Plus I bought blinds for my newly decorated bathroom and toilet!

11th June 2010 - part one of two

Sneaky Breakfast with Danni is becoming a tradition I intend to nurture, cherish and absolutely insist upon! At the end of a busy week, with an even busier weekend looming, is there any better pleasure than the company of a good friend and the consumption of a slightly naughty breakfast treat? I think not!

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: The youngish blonde man!
Bought: A coffee and bacon roll for me, a cappuccino and pain au chocolate for her
Cost: £1.49
Sat: Table 28!

And: Lovely! Conversation topics: tantrums (of our children!), end of year exams (for the kids!), the world cup and the importance and value of a sneaky breakfast!

8th June 2010 - part two of two

I had a few errands to run which necessitated a trip to Birmingham. I wasn't in the mood really as it was chucking it down with rain and I had remembered, thirty seconds after leaving the house in the morning, that my boots had started to leak. Thus I had wet socks and soggy feet for most of the day. However - my husband doesn't often ask me to do things on specific days so I headed into Birmingham anyway and Viv was kind enough to keep me company.

Errands complete we had planned to meet at Starbucks on New Street but en route I was accosted by a Market Researcher who wanted my views of bleach bottles and was willing to pay a fiver for them! Viv and I cheerily offered said opinions (very nice new Domestos range coming up in fabulously bright coloured bottles) and pocketed the fiver each!

The novelty of earning money led me to buy a cake as well as a drink!

Starbucks, New Street, Birmingham
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Viv
Served by: Couldn't tell you age, race or gender but they did offer (without being asked) to give both of us a cup with ice in the decant our bottles into.
Bought: Two bottles of juice / spring water stuff (I had serious caffeine jitters) and a skinny peach and raspberry muffin to share
Cost: I paid for the muffin - the drink and cake was £3.55 but Viv gave me some for her share
Cafe: Typical Starbucks, some comfy seats around coffee tables, some hard seats around dining height tables. We got two armchairs.
Position: This particular Starbucks is on a corner which makes it quite light and airy. It also has a basement cafe which isn't light or airy but is quite cosy. Today we sat upstairs.
Busy: Getting a comfy chair was a bonus as it was quite busy but a few high tables were empty so it wasn't heaving.
Food: The muffin was really nice - much nicer than I expected and a half was totally ample to serve as a small treat.
Complaints: None at all.

And: A lovely oasis in a rainy day. AND the rain stopped and the sun appeared while we were in there. AND it was effectively free given our 'earnings'!

8th June 2010 - part one of two

The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv, Amanda, James and Jane
Served by: Steven - who today won favour by noticing we hadn't been in last Tuesday (it was half term - between the five of us we have 24 children!)
Bought: A large black coffee, then Jane bought a 'round' later so I had another one. She accidentally bought one to many cappuccinos so we were there for ages - well after noon by the time we left. My frozen produce was merely chilled!
Cost: My coffee was £1.29
We sat: At our table
Food: Amanda had a bacon sandwich

And: Conversation was lively and varied - we covered lodgers, music, weddings, wine and tool cupboards!

Viv

I have known Viv for just over ten years. We met when my eldest daughter was about five months old (and apparently looking cool in dungarees!) and her youngest daughter was a couple of weeks old. We bonded almost immediately after learning that our respective husbands were both mechanical engineers. We each have a collection of 'being married to a mechanical engineer' anecdotes!

We both have four children though hers are older than mine. However - the two girls who met a decade ago are now best friends (forever!) and find an eight hour school day insufficient to say all they need to say to one another so weekend, evening and holiday get togethers are common!

Viv, of all my friends, needs coffee the most. I mean she really needs it! Even her children, when they were much younger than they are now, made the link between Mummy's general demeanour and efficiency and her coffee consumption! Caffeine doesn't affect her sleep thankfully or I suspect she would never sleep!

When it comes to sneaky coffee Viv usually has a cappuccino. She takes it with a little sugar. She can always be relied upon for good conversation! Not only does she have four children, and an engineer husband, to supply her with endless funny stories but she is also a teacher and, despite being extremely able, prone to entertaining 'interludes' of activity!

Viv is also one of the most selfless people I know. Unerringly generous with her time and any other resource she has to hand.

My life is certainly the richer (and easier!) for having her!

5th June 2010

Ok - this is maybe not quite a 'sneaky coffee' in the fullest sense of the word but it was great coffee and had a little bit sneakily so I include it anyway!

Chez Smith (The Smith's House!)
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Matt (plus nine children!)
Served by: Matt
Bought: Nothing... but I enjoyed a black 'lunga' (I think) whilst the others had cappuccino
Cost: Free at the point of delivery though I believe the little capsules used in the posh coffee machine cost about 35p each.
Cafe: The small but perfectly formed garden at Chez Smith
Position: On the bench underneath the kitchen window by the compost bin!

And? Coffee with friends? Good coffee at that? All good!

This was a happy accident. I had popped in the Chez Smith to collect planning books for Sunday School, I was then going onwards to collect a box of Samosas for my brother's wedding celebration and Danni suggested I left the children with her then went back to collect them then Viv saw my car and followed me (inspired by self confessed nosiness!) and thus we ended up enjoying lovely coffee with lovely friends. Happy accident. Serendipity!

3rd June 2010

Each Christmas my family draw names from a hat and then each buy one nice big present for the person selected. This means you get once pretty decent thing instead of a smaller things. It also saves money when you are the purchaser. It's a scheme which serves us well. This year I drew my Mum. My Mum, when asked what she wants for her birthday (or similar) always replies, 'I don't need anything, don't spend your money on me' and, when very heavily pushed, concedes 'a small thing, bubble bath, writing paper or a new pen' would be ok. So I was faced with finding £30 bubble bath or finding an alternative. Interestingly my Mum actually had the idea (and amazingly she voiced it too!). She wanted a treat instead of a present.

This is a fine idea on so many levels. Most of the people I know have everything they need. They also have almost everything they want... especially everything they want in the £10-£30 price bracket. A treat, and some time, are a lot more fun and don't clutter your house up.

To this end I spent the day with my Mum yesterday and we went to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and while there we had (an exceedingly posh) afternoon tea!

The Cavendish Rooms, Chatsworth, Derbyshire
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Mum
Served by: Very well dressed, polite and helpful ladies and gentlemen.
Bought: Our 'afternoon tea' included four finger (crusts cut off!) sandwiches each - egg mayonnaise, cucumber and cream cheese, ham and mustard and smoked salmon. They also brought out extra sandwiches on request. Then there was a scone with jam and clotted cream, a chocolate brownie, a meringue dusted with freeze dried berries or similar and a shot glass of lemon cream. (Re: the lemon cream - I should not have eaten it with my lactose problem. I decided to have a tiny spoonful to see what it was like and it was the most delicious thing ever so I polished off the lot and felt a bit nauseous and bloated for 24 hours.) We also had a glass of rose wine and a pot of tea each - chosen from a list of about 20 tea varieties! It was proper leaf tea too - but we kept forgetting to use the strainer!
Cost: About £15 each - not an everyday treat!
Cafe: Lovely! Proper solid wood (looking at least) tables with comfy bucket seats. Tones of pink and purple mainly. A L shaped room along two sides of a stable block.
Position: The Cavendish Rooms are in the old Stable Block of Chatsworth House. The cafe has glass where the arches would have been so you look out into the courtyard. The rest of the Stable block hosts lovely gift shops and another (cheaper canteen style) restaurant. There is a fountain and some sculpture in the courtyard and lots of people milling about - great for general people watching.
Busy? It was a bit but not in any detrimental way. The clientele were pretty quiet and genteel. In fact - I was self conscious about getting my camera out to photograph the sandwich and cake stand but did it anyway!
Food: The food was great - very posh, very dainty and very tasty.

And? An all round lovely experience. The shops were great for 'mooching' and, being child free we got to have a proper explore of them. Chatsworth gardens are amazing. They go on and on and on and just as you round every corner, you see how much further they continue for. Lots of water features, beautiful trees and planting and, in the glorious sunshine of our visit, it's all absolutely stunning.

Chatsworth House is similarly stunning. Extravagent and rich beyond belief and morality! Touring it, and similar stately homes, always brings out my inner Marxist! These super rich people must have had to develop complicated inner ideology to justify their rampantly privileged lifestyles. Then I am reminded that on a global scale not much has changed - we just don't live in the same locality as the poor propping up our lifestyles in the West anymore.

1st June 2010

I feel like I should add 'finally' to the heading of this blog entry. I spent a few days in Essex staying with my mother-in-law who is kind and generous but not as attuned to 'sneaky coffee-ing' as I. (Though in fairness - few are!) We had two utter (and disappointing) failures in sneaky coffee terms and both times her response was 'Well - we can have a coffee at home' which is accurate and pragmatic but entirely misses the point! Maybe I can see the true source of Simon's inability to grasp the concept properly!

The first incident would have featured a coffee trip for eleven - all six of our family, Nanny (aka Mother in Law or Marjorie), and Simon's sister Wendy and her family (husband Phil and two children). We went for a walk along the shores of Hanningfield Reservoir in windy, chilly and slightly damp weather - all the time bribing the children with the promise of sneaky coffee (or equivalent) at the Fishing Lodge cafe - about a mile along the path. We arrived at the cafe to find that they only served meals between 12.00 and 2.30 and no 'drinks only customers'. It was 12.30. The cafe was packed and our chance at coffee scuppered. The children were each appeased by a packet of crisps or bar of chocolate from the adjoining shop but there was no consolation for me (both foodstuffs were offered and declined - I wanted a coffee!)

The second time was the following day. It was cold, it was wet, it was grey and any plans for 'outings' had long since been abandoned. However - the kids were a little 'cabin feverish' so I suggested a trip to a local garden centre. I have found that garden centres are surprisingly good family destinations. They often have a pet section so kids can look at birds, fish, small mammals, reptiles. They also often have quite interesting shops and products to marvel and giggle at! (Honestly - some of the water features must have been designed as a joke!) They also often feature coffee shops - as this one did. The smell of the coffee was amazing as we pottered around looking at scented candles, silk flowers, hose pipe attachments and bird tables. We selected a few items for purchase (as I said - my Mother in Law is very kind - we all got something!) and then took them to the car as I had seen on a quick recce to to the cafe that baskets were forbidden. We then hastened back to the cafe - arriving there at 16.02 and finding it closed!!!! It closed at 16.00. I was sad.

But then... success.... sort of

Tesco, Mayflower Retail Park, Basildon, Essex

We ended up in Tesco. I needed to buy groceries to bring home to Birmingham. The others went into the cafe while I did a 10 minute run around an unfamiliar Tesco looking for familiar products. I finished, I joined them and was gratified to learn that the children still had just about enough stamina left for me to have a drink too.

Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna - and Simon, Marjorie, Ethan, Naomi, Edward and Susie
Bought: Well I had a coffee but I couldn't say for certain what else was bought. I saw hot chocolate, more coffee, fruit shoots....
Cost: Don't know - Marjorie paid while I wasn't there. My coffee was 95p.
Cafe: Typically Tesco - in the corner of a vast store. It had some coffee tables with bucket red leather seats but table choice was made for me as I arrived last.
Position: Views of the car-park and a distant A127? Not much to comment on.

And? Well I got a coffee but it wasn't quite the experience I had hoped for!