Tag Archives: drink

To Blog or not to Blog

Rhubarb and Apple crumble
Chicken and Mushroom pie

My blog has not been updated for a few months, however, I wonder if I have any regular readers who have noticed? I can offer no real excuse but how many people know my blog and, indeed, website exists?

I recently read “Globejotting” by Dave Fox which I found to be very motivational. However, maybe it was only motivational while I was reading it. It is time to put what he wrote into practice.

The majority of travellers will carry a camera in one form or another whether it will be a phone camera or a top of the range DSLR.

Dave’s question though is how many of us actually take the time to write about their travels? This is where the numbers drop considerably and this is where his book steps in to offer encouragement.

Finding time to write would seem to be half the battle for those who want to write a blog about their travels or whatever. This post has been written in an Oxford restaurant while I was waiting for for my food to arrive. I’m off to the theatre afterwards so I’ve asked if they can serve me quickly so I can get there in time. They have assured me they can so I shall wait and see.

Footnote:- Yes, they did, one two course meal washed down with a beer and I’m off to the theatre with time to spare!

A place near me

The next exercise was to describe “a place near me”. Here is my effort.

Steam rises from the frother as the barista prepares the steamed milk for my cappuccino, the hissing sound filling the air around me. My drink is placed on the counter, I pay and take a seat by the window. Cheerful classical music emanates from the hidden speakers dotted around as I take stock of my surroundings. 

Young mums with babes in prams sit in groups discussing the joys of motherhood. Other customers are hunched over their laptops The advent of flexible working means cafes now serve as inexpensive office space. A couple of cups of coffee is a cheap price to pay for somewhere to hold a meeting. What kind of business are they in? No suits, just casually dressed. Maybe every day is a dress down day like it is for me.

Pedestrians scurry past the window wrapped up to ward off the biting cold wind. This is Chipping Norton, one of the highest places in the Cotswolds. The cafe is a refuge from the cold and is extremely popular on days like this and indeed every day. I jokingly refer to it as my “Chipping Norton office”!

I take a tentative sip of my drink. Today it is frothier and more chocolatey than usual, a trainee barista served me, it still tastes good but I end up with a milky moustache. No one notices as I wipe my face. Everyone is either chatting away or studying their laptops or newspapers to pay any attention to my predicament.