A cold hard frost this morning.
A couple of minutes only to change trains at Guildford. I usually make it, but not today. Train was running late. I may have made it, but stopped to speak to the guard to alert that carry on luggage sitting on the luggage rack where I had been sat was not mine. Arrived at the platform as train doors were closing.
35 minutes wait for the next train. That was why I caught the earlier train, 20 minutes wait if I had caught the next train.
FCB kiosk not open. It luckily opened after about ten minutes.
Excellent Colombian guest coffee from Dark Woods Coffee.
Half the coaches of the train freezing cold with air conditioning units blasting out cold air.
A walk along the River Wey. Pockets of frost in the grass. Ground waterlogged, pools of standing water.
Not much choice at Cafe Mila. I choose vegetable soup followed by quiche. Waitress brings me soup, says she will then bring quiche. I explain no. She asks was it the main course? What did she think I was going to do, dunk the quiche in my soup?
I had brought copies of Caffeine and The Alchemist to drop off. Whilst I am not looking, vanish from the table. I assume over-zealous waitress.
All the good staff appear to have left.
I walk to Waitrose at the other end of Godalming.
Throwaway coffee cups filling the bin. Waitrose contribution to the 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups thrown away every year. There is a cafe at Waitrose. Why do they not encourage customers to use the cafe? Though I note there is a queue. Or, compostable paper cups, with a bin for the cups?
What do they do with the coffee grounds? They could put outside with the garden gear and plants, free for gardeners to collect.
Two-month old coffee on the shelves is not doing Union any favours.
For mid-afternoon, mid-week, Waitrose busy. Not all the checkouts manned.
A slight detour to basket shop to say hello and wish Merry Christmas. I drop of The Fifth Mountain and The Devil and Miss Prym.
I look in Waterstone’s. Only one coffee book, the utterly useless Where to Drink Coffee. I draw to the attention of helpful assistants. They open book and see, yes, useless. I ask why, when we have many coffee shops, why no books on coffee? They agree, very strange.
I make it to Cafe Mila before it closes. Now closes early at four o’clock.
Pecan pie and a mug of tea spoilt by handful of out of control screaming kids. No one attempts to control them or keep them quiet.
Cupsmith is low quality catering supply coffee. Cafe Mila need to source better coffee. Hence my drinking tea not coffee.
It is commendable Cafe Mila may wish to source their coffee locally, support local businesses, but not if it means buying poor quality coffee. How local is local? High quality coffee can be sourced from The Roasting Party or from Horsham Coffee, and why not have occasional guest coffees? The world has moved on from serving low quality catering coffee, leave that to the chains.
I walk to the station. Train again cold with air conditioning units blasting out cold air.
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