Sometimes a trip into Birmingham is a delight. Sometimes it is unavoidable! Todays' visit was a bit of both. Had to buy some uniform stuff, some provisions for a weekend camping trip and some 'bits'. The children were actually very good and the sneaky coffee at the end was right up their street!
Krispy Kreme Donuts, Selfriges, Bullring
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie
Bought: Coffee for me, original glazed donut for Ethan, Powder blueberry donut for Naomi, Strawberry Kreme donut for Edward, Cinnamon apple donut for Susie
Cost: £7.15 - eeeeek!
And: The coffee was actually amazingly nice. AND I got the last bite of Susie's donut - also very nice.
Showing posts with label Birmingham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birmingham. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Thursday, 5 August 2010
3rd August 2010
It's been a while! School holidays do rather infringe on time which should rightfully be devoted to sneaky coffee-ing so today I bit the bullet and suggested an aptly titled 'child infested' sneaky coffee!
The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Danni, Naomi S, Maddie, Laura, Rachel, Viv and Alex
Bought: I used a filled up stamp voucher for my free coffee and bought the children a pepsi, two orange juice and lemonades and a fruit shoot (The filled up voucher was given to me a couple of weeks ago at a promotion in the downstairs mall designed to enlighten people of the fact that The Arthur Robertson actually serves coffee! The man who gave it to me knew me well - and presumably was fully aware of my full awareness of said fact!)
Cost: £5.05
Sat: The adults got table 28, the children rather charmingly sat at the next table and even managed to instigate a 'sort of educational grammar' game!
And: A child infested sneaky coffee may not be quite the same, but it can be fun anyway!
The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Ethan, Naomi, Edward, Susie, Danni, Naomi S, Maddie, Laura, Rachel, Viv and Alex
Bought: I used a filled up stamp voucher for my free coffee and bought the children a pepsi, two orange juice and lemonades and a fruit shoot (The filled up voucher was given to me a couple of weeks ago at a promotion in the downstairs mall designed to enlighten people of the fact that The Arthur Robertson actually serves coffee! The man who gave it to me knew me well - and presumably was fully aware of my full awareness of said fact!)
Cost: £5.05
Sat: The adults got table 28, the children rather charmingly sat at the next table and even managed to instigate a 'sort of educational grammar' game!
And: A child infested sneaky coffee may not be quite the same, but it can be fun anyway!
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
21st July 2010 - part one of two
The last week of term is always busy. There are assemblies, awards nights, parents evening, parties, proms and all manner of 'end of term' events which make the week exceptionally full. By this point in the week I had done Ethan's parents evening and Susie's 'graduation' and though I was looking forward to the holidays with the children I also knew that some of my term time pleasures would be sorely missed until September! Danni and I knew our usual Friday breakfast would not be possible as various children would be off school for 'teacher training' so arranged to use an excess Tesco voucher and head into town for an indulgent breakfast.
Cafe Rouge, The Bullring, Birmingham
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: We each had the 'complet' option which had a coffee, a glass of fruit juice and a pastry (we both had pain au chocolat) and I also had a glass of water for my vitamin tablet to effervesce in!
Cost: The menu was £5.50 each but we had a £10 Tesco voucher so it cost me £2 (I tipped!)
Cafe: It was a sunny day and Cafe Rouge has a nice outside deck where you can sit, but the sun was still quite low in the sky and we found that one or other of us was blinded wherever we sat - so we moved and sat in a window seat inside. The restaurant inside is classic 'pretend French' but charming nonetheless.
And: The pastry was warm, the coffee nice and the fruit juice a little warm due to being served in a warm (straight out of the dishwasher?) glass. The ice battled bravely but ultimately the heat won. However - the conversation was nice and neither of us had much to do so we enjoyed a very nice jaunt around town afterwards - savouring the last opportunity to do so in such a care-free (aka child-free!) manner for a couple of months!
Cafe Rouge, The Bullring, Birmingham
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: We each had the 'complet' option which had a coffee, a glass of fruit juice and a pastry (we both had pain au chocolat) and I also had a glass of water for my vitamin tablet to effervesce in!
Cost: The menu was £5.50 each but we had a £10 Tesco voucher so it cost me £2 (I tipped!)
Cafe: It was a sunny day and Cafe Rouge has a nice outside deck where you can sit, but the sun was still quite low in the sky and we found that one or other of us was blinded wherever we sat - so we moved and sat in a window seat inside. The restaurant inside is classic 'pretend French' but charming nonetheless.
And: The pastry was warm, the coffee nice and the fruit juice a little warm due to being served in a warm (straight out of the dishwasher?) glass. The ice battled bravely but ultimately the heat won. However - the conversation was nice and neither of us had much to do so we enjoyed a very nice jaunt around town afterwards - savouring the last opportunity to do so in such a care-free (aka child-free!) manner for a couple of months!
21st July 2010 - part two of two
OK - I hope you read the previous post... because this one follows straight on!We were jaunting and savouring and the prospect on one last coffee entered one or other of our pretty little heads and almost by magic we found ourselves in M&S Cafe Revive. That decision was mine. I have a distant memory of M&S coffee being amazing and suggested trying it again... maybe not the best decision ever!
M&S Cafe Revive, High Street, Birmingham
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: A caramel cappuccino for Danni, a large black for me
Cafe: WAS CROWDED! We brought the average age of customer down by a decade or so and waiting so long to be served was frustrating. Almost every table was occupied and the ones with leather armchairs and coffee tables more so! However - the provided a pile of trashy magazines (the type you like to read but could never actually buy!) which the aged clientele were clearly not enamoured with so that was a plus! We learned much about the ongoing antics of Ms Cole and so on!
Cost: Can't remember exactly but expensive - at least Starbucks prices which one doesn't expect in a department store cafe
And: Well - the coffee WAS very nice, but the queue was long, the service efficient as opposed to friendly and the ambience somewhat elderly for us.
M&S Cafe Revive, High Street, Birmingham
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: A caramel cappuccino for Danni, a large black for me
Cafe: WAS CROWDED! We brought the average age of customer down by a decade or so and waiting so long to be served was frustrating. Almost every table was occupied and the ones with leather armchairs and coffee tables more so! However - the provided a pile of trashy magazines (the type you like to read but could never actually buy!) which the aged clientele were clearly not enamoured with so that was a plus! We learned much about the ongoing antics of Ms Cole and so on!
Cost: Can't remember exactly but expensive - at least Starbucks prices which one doesn't expect in a department store cafe
And: Well - the coffee WAS very nice, but the queue was long, the service efficient as opposed to friendly and the ambience somewhat elderly for us.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
6th July 2010 - part three of three
Costa Coffee, WHSmiths
This was not a sneaky coffee for pleasure but rather a work one. Honest! I did not enjoy it at all! (Actually I did but we did work, honest!)
Sneaky coffee-ers: Heather, Danni and Viv
Bought: Peach flavoured iced tea
Cost: £1.95
Sat: A sofa miraculously became available as we arrived!
And: For a Kids Alive, end of term planning meeting, this was a lot of fun!
This was not a sneaky coffee for pleasure but rather a work one. Honest! I did not enjoy it at all! (Actually I did but we did work, honest!)
Sneaky coffee-ers: Heather, Danni and Viv
Bought: Peach flavoured iced tea
Cost: £1.95
Sat: A sofa miraculously became available as we arrived!
And: For a Kids Alive, end of term planning meeting, this was a lot of fun!
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
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!)
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.
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.
Friday, 18 June 2010
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!
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
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
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
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!
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!
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!
Friday, 11 June 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
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'!
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!
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!
Sunday, 30 May 2010
29th May 2010
Viv, a dear friend, is a somewhat nervous driver. She has no need to be. She is perfectly competant. However, this nervousness means that on occasion she asks for help getting to bits of Birmingham she can't drive to. Today that place was Tyseley. Danni, newly free from days of busy-ness, was happy to join us on our little road trip. The business at hand took mere minutes leaving plenty of time for the more important things in life... coffee!
Pausa Coffee, Dunelm Mill, New Bond Street, Birmingham
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Susie
Served by: Phillip
Bought: We all had a drink and cake combo. Thus the order was three varying types of coffee, a carton of orange juice then one slice of farmhouse fruit cake, one (humongous!) slice of marmalade cake, a toasted fruit bun and a pink gingerbread bunny rabbit!
Cost: Danni paid but the coffee cake combo is advertised at £2.75
Sat: Around a table - soft chairs. Nice.
Busy: No
Food: Lovely fruit cake - light and a lovely sugar crust on the top
Complaints: Again coffee was spilt into the saucers. It is a small thing but has happened three times out of three visits to this place.
And: Lovely as ever! Susie was on form with her 'mock' adult conversation which isn't quite perfected! (Mainly as she is only four!)
Short mooch around Dunelm afterwards. Danni bought a duck egg blue towel for her newly decorated kitchen. I resisted navy blue bath mats for my newly decorated bathroom despite the fact they were in the sale!
Pausa Coffee, Dunelm Mill, New Bond Street, Birmingham
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Viv and Susie
Served by: Phillip
Bought: We all had a drink and cake combo. Thus the order was three varying types of coffee, a carton of orange juice then one slice of farmhouse fruit cake, one (humongous!) slice of marmalade cake, a toasted fruit bun and a pink gingerbread bunny rabbit!
Cost: Danni paid but the coffee cake combo is advertised at £2.75
Sat: Around a table - soft chairs. Nice.
Busy: No
Food: Lovely fruit cake - light and a lovely sugar crust on the top
Complaints: Again coffee was spilt into the saucers. It is a small thing but has happened three times out of three visits to this place.
And: Lovely as ever! Susie was on form with her 'mock' adult conversation which isn't quite perfected! (Mainly as she is only four!)
Short mooch around Dunelm afterwards. Danni bought a duck egg blue towel for her newly decorated kitchen. I resisted navy blue bath mats for my newly decorated bathroom despite the fact they were in the sale!
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
25th May 2010 - part three of three
Sunny afternoon? Post school trip to the park!
Handsworth Park
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: Anna
Bought: A mocha and a minestrone soup
Cost: £1
Sat: On the middle bench!
And: A nice way to round off the day!
Handsworth Park
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: Anna
Bought: A mocha and a minestrone soup
Cost: £1
Sat: On the middle bench!
And: A nice way to round off the day!
25th May 2010 - part one of three
Well - it does seem that Tuesdays net the most sneaky coffee! Tuesday - or as I like to call them - Childfree Tuesdays - is the day when I have 9am - 3.20pm with not children in my care. I take full advantage of this. It was particularly welcome today. Last night I went to a ladies meeting with my church and we all committed to trying to make one scripture leap from page to life. I hadn't exactly decided which scripture but was erring in the direction of being patient with my children. However - by 8.30am I had failed - utterly and miserably. Thus I was utterly miserable by the time I arrived for the first sneaky coffee. My friends - all of Christian persuasion in this instance - are the gift of God to me at all times but especially today. We've all been there and we are all dependent of God to make up for our inadequacy.
The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Ellen (Viv's grown up daughter), Viv, Jane, Amanda and little James
Served by: Laura - my new favourite member of staff. She was friendly and polite. She offered me a 'real' teaspoon if I didn't want to use a wooden stirrer, gave me lots of ice (and offered lemon) in the glass of water I requested and later on she brought a colouring sheet and packet of crayons over for James.
Bought: A large black coffee and a glass of water....
Cost: But it was all free as I had a fully stamped loyalty card (i.e. I have bought five coffees)
We sat: At our sofa table
Food: I had a pack of oatcakes to eat... and Danni brought in a pack of Thorntons Caramel Flapjacks - which I cannot eat due to the milk content.
Complaints: None at all!
And? My friends are the best - really really the absolute and very best! Our conversation was such fun, so uplifting and peppered with laughter. I love them.
The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky Coffee-ers: Anna, Danni, Ellen (Viv's grown up daughter), Viv, Jane, Amanda and little James
Served by: Laura - my new favourite member of staff. She was friendly and polite. She offered me a 'real' teaspoon if I didn't want to use a wooden stirrer, gave me lots of ice (and offered lemon) in the glass of water I requested and later on she brought a colouring sheet and packet of crayons over for James.
Bought: A large black coffee and a glass of water....
Cost: But it was all free as I had a fully stamped loyalty card (i.e. I have bought five coffees)
We sat: At our sofa table
Food: I had a pack of oatcakes to eat... and Danni brought in a pack of Thorntons Caramel Flapjacks - which I cannot eat due to the milk content.
Complaints: None at all!
And? My friends are the best - really really the absolute and very best! Our conversation was such fun, so uplifting and peppered with laughter. I love them.
Friday, 21 May 2010
21st May 2010
I think the Friday morning breakfast with Danni is going to become a fixture. We both enjoy it so much and it costs relatively little in terms of time or money. Today is, as far as I am concerned, the first 'proper' spring day we have had. The sun has shone before now, the air has been warm... but today to two coincided and I deemed it not only a sandals day, but also a shorts day!!!!
Danni was in a hurry this morning and almost cancelled.... but she didn't. We just ate, drank and left without the usual following hour of chat! (Mental note - make sure that I allow twice as long next week!)
The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: A cappuccino and pain au chocolat for Danni, an Americano and bacon sandwich for Anna
Cost: Danni paid!
We sat: NOT at our usual table but at table 55 which was near the open front entrance of the pub (over looking the bus stops!) but far enough from the actual 'patio' area which was full of smokers. We got to see and feel the sunshine - a bit.
Food: They put butter in my bacon sandwich (after expressly requesting that they didn't) which added calories. I don't understand why bacon sandwiches need butter. Mayonnaise maybe but not butter!
And? Lovely as ever. I also took along my 'effervescent energy boost vitamin supplement' tablet with me which I fizzed into a glass of (free) water. Somehow this added to my enjoyment!
Danni was in a hurry this morning and almost cancelled.... but she didn't. We just ate, drank and left without the usual following hour of chat! (Mental note - make sure that I allow twice as long next week!)
The Arthur Robertson
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Bought: A cappuccino and pain au chocolat for Danni, an Americano and bacon sandwich for Anna
Cost: Danni paid!
We sat: NOT at our usual table but at table 55 which was near the open front entrance of the pub (over looking the bus stops!) but far enough from the actual 'patio' area which was full of smokers. We got to see and feel the sunshine - a bit.
Food: They put butter in my bacon sandwich (after expressly requesting that they didn't) which added calories. I don't understand why bacon sandwiches need butter. Mayonnaise maybe but not butter!
And? Lovely as ever. I also took along my 'effervescent energy boost vitamin supplement' tablet with me which I fizzed into a glass of (free) water. Somehow this added to my enjoyment!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
18th May 2010 - part four of four
And so the kids were out of school. The sun was shining.
We all met at the local play park which has been refurbished in the last few years and provides a great range of play apparatus and - crucially - access to the coffee machine in Handsworth Leisure Centre. I took squash and brioche rolls along for the children (seven in all) and a few small coins to provide for our needs!
Handsworth Play Park, 4pm
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: Anna!
Bought: A mocha for Danni, Minestrone soup for me
Cost: £1 - but only because I paid for Danni's too. 50p each.
We sat: On the bench to the far right!
Busy: The park was VERY busy because it's one of the first sunny afternoons we've had for weeks.
And: Danni and I have children (four each) who LOVE to spend as much time together as possible. They have such a special friendship which is great because so do we!
We all met at the local play park which has been refurbished in the last few years and provides a great range of play apparatus and - crucially - access to the coffee machine in Handsworth Leisure Centre. I took squash and brioche rolls along for the children (seven in all) and a few small coins to provide for our needs!
Handsworth Play Park, 4pm
Sneaky coffee-ers: Anna and Danni
Served by: Anna!
Bought: A mocha for Danni, Minestrone soup for me
Cost: £1 - but only because I paid for Danni's too. 50p each.
We sat: On the bench to the far right!
Busy: The park was VERY busy because it's one of the first sunny afternoons we've had for weeks.
And: Danni and I have children (four each) who LOVE to spend as much time together as possible. They have such a special friendship which is great because so do we!
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