Granted, it might not be paid. But I’m working with some great people
I’m approaching my new role with little baby steps (odd for a 40-odd yr old) and all with a smile!
taking and delivering orders, brewing cuppas, washing pots and pans and waiting tables
all in the familiar surroundings of the Brain & Spinal Injury Centre in Salford.
Processes ? learning how to turn on the cafeteiere (posh machine for heating the brews) and mastering the art of the till have been difficult – but i’ve managed!
even down to the zen mastery, that is how others have their brews….
and for Those wondering if i’ve kicked my museum work into touch – you need not worry – i’ll be back there on Monday!
Todays ensemble : Cabbage, Onions (Red and White), Tomato and Carrot
Brain and Spinal Injury Centre, Salford
17th February 2017
…Following last weeks close up food shots, we continued the theme with a heap of vegetables to produce some wonderful still life artwork. The vegetables were set on a Square slate and against a marble backdrop
No Auto today! each picture was taken manually – with me setting up angles and close ups of the food stuffs.
Camera used was my able Bridge camera : Sony DSC H-300 with zoom. Great camera with some wonderful zoom functions.
Friday Afternoon saw me back at BASIC for the photography group, where we’ve been working on close up photography. I used my trusty DSC-3000 from Sony for the first half hour and my Ipad for the rest of the session.
I enjoyed taking the pictures of the flowers – which have been set in little teapots. These decorate the conservatory area of the Food for thought café
I really enjoyed the session, and rewarded myself for my efforts with a Sandwich and a cup of tea from the café!
When the weather is particularly choppy, I like to sit down in a nice comfy chair and enjoy a biscuit with a cup of hot chocolate. It reminds me a little of my youth, when I used to enjoy a cup with my little sister before bedtime. We still share the same enjoyment of the tasty warm cocoa drink, but now we share it with family and friends, in particular … my two nephews who like it as a treat just before their nanna and granddad tuck them into bed when they are visiting
The hot chocolate shop has many different flavours to go at. In the beginning, I’d go for the standard, no messing about, hot chocolate..70% Cocoa – Deep Chocolate Flavour. It would last me for two to three months, due to the size of the tin it was in. But since then, I’ve been introduced to a smorgasbord of chocolate flavours, everything from cherry to Rocky road (it’s got marshmallows in it) and orange to mint…most recently the creme brulee has had an outing…and I’ve really enjoyed it’s flavours of vanilla and caramel…when the nephews are coming round they like this too…but they also like the minted chocolate…that’s their favourite
Of course I sometimes enjoy a biscuit with my cocoa. So if I’m in the mood i will get a bag of cookies from the local supermarket…just as good as the ones you get from the coffee establishments…but cheap as chips if you happen to be passing the bakery section at just the right moment….at the moment I like the coconut based cookies…really soft and squishy…but lovely in a cup of orangey chocolate.
When I’m out with friends we often hit a particular well known cafe, the flavours might be limited but the number of flavoured syrups you can add more than makes up for it…it’s the place where I was introduced to minted hot chocolate, and I suppose you could say I got my love of the dark brown liquid gold.
Well, that’s enough from me, I’m going to get an early night , Taking a leaf from my Memory Workshop class which awaits in tomorrow afternoon…but before I do,
A Mug of something magical - normally my mug of hot cocoa from whittards!!!
A Mug of something magical – normally my mug of hot cocoa from Whittard’s!!!
Chocolate Dreams
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Pick Your Potion.”
I really enjoy a Hot Chocolate at the end of the day. Particularly on winter days like today. I love it when the hot cocoa melts into the milk releasing the lovely smell of dark milk or white chocolate into the air.
It’s something we should be grateful to the Aztecs for…as they had been drinking it for years before the Spaniards came along….
Nowadays of course – there’s so much variety – Coffee-infused chocolate for the Cappucino set who drink at your Costas or your Starbucks, Orange Flavoured or Banofee Flavour for those who like something sweet and now there’s a heap of White Chocolate varieties too…Crème Brulee and Strawberry Flavours have recently found their way into the local branch of Whittard’s which stock these yummy treats
My Favourite Flavour ? It’s got to be minted hot chocolate. Its really rich, warm, dark, satisfying and most of all – Minty. If Whittard’s get any in during Christmas then Costa may have a job on their hands to entice me in…as there’s nothing better than a hot chocolate you’ve made for yourself.
I can smell those aromas as I’m typing…and I’ve not even entered the kitchen yet
I’m sat on a seat waiting for my tea with Mum and Dad. The sun is shining brightly on this part of the Turkish Coastline, local fishermen are sat by the harbour – seeing to their nets. The water is so clear, you can see the fish swimming around the boats.
The café is by a fountain, and there are shaped box – trees in the shape of Dolphins, Pelicans and Flamingoes around it. As we sit down to eat we’re greeted by two real live pelicans – kept by their owners – the cafe’s owners named their establishment around them. We’re reassured – They’ve been Fed.
A Cup of Apple Tea, is the perfect start to the lunchtime treat about to come. Local Fish , Chips and Salad. The chips were really crispy and were dusted in a special mix of rosemary and thyme… But in essence its the Fish that’s the star of the show in these parts – Landed by the fishermen and served in herby citric breadcrumbs with a slice of lemon. The Mushy peas and Tartar sauce side players on the dish – but nice all the same.The Salad is just as nice – Fresh Tomato Cucumber and Lettuce, served with a Tzatziki sauce, and the obligatory Turkish olives. Drinking a Beer would have ruined the taste of this lovely dinner – so I have a lemonade instead. As the sun shines down on the waterside, it makes rainbow bubbles in the glass which land on the tablecloths. Local seabirds look on enviously from the pathway – waiting in hope for a piece of fish to drop from the table. Alas for them…the tables are guarded. The café owners Cat is watching them from nearby.
Some cold ice tea, and a fruit salad finish the meal off nicely. After paying and thanking our hosts we then walk alongside the harbour, where there are a number of boats from the local fishing fleet alongside visiting yachts.
Pulled out and dusted down from my archive, a tale of a little Turkish café, me and my family visited on a previous visit to Turkey, this occasion was the coastal town of Side, near to Antalya.
Enjoy the read!
There’s a place on the corner
Where the people all meet
And the hosts are all welcoming
In the way that they greet
Where food from the east
Is ate by people from west
Tastes and the flavours
Are surely the best
It’s the place where the English
Meet up with the Danes
Watching over dinner
Some football games.
It’s the place where the locals
Entertain all their guests
Whilst Swallows and Swifts
Go home to their nests.
And the Turkish all dance
Waving scarves in the air
Dancing away happy
Without a care
It’s the melting pot by the sea
Where east meets the west
A place that for eating
is surely the best
The Inkwell
