Cozy Café Catch-Up – no. 1
Welcome to my little rambling catch-up. Think of this as our monthly coffee date – we’ve just come inside from the cold, we’re both wearing something super cute, and we’re ready to take snapshots of our cake for Insta.
Grab your favourite hot drink– I am partial to a dairy-free Chai latte, except in autumn when my PSL obsession runs wild– and have a seat at my table!
Lockdown life
Of course, like everyone else, I have been in lockdown mode for quite some time. My approach has mostly been to keep busy, and to use this time to work on things I don’t normally have the time for.
I think the first few weeks saw me living a bit wild, eating a lot of chocolate and watching a lot of Disney Plus, but now things have settled a bit. Now that I’m not worrying as much about where my next bit of toilet paper will come from, I am able to inject some structure into my days, which is how I prefer it.
I have my weekly planner, which sits open next to me all day. I make a concentrated effort to sit at the kitchen table and work for at least a few hours daily. And, overall, this works for me. I’m not saying I don’t have days that go off the rails – these are stressful times! But lockdown agrees with me as someone who genuinely enjoys staying in.
My WTIO bucket list
I saw this making the rounds on Instagram and I believe it came from this blog post by the Manifestation Collective. A WTIO Bucket List is a list of things you want to do When This Is Over. I thought I’d jot a few of my own plans down:
Go (back) to Italy.
I’ve been to Rome twice and loved it both times. On the last trip, I went with my partner, and we also visited Pompeii. Now we both adore Italy. We were trying to swing a trip to Florence in November but decided to be responsible and save the money instead. What a mistake!
We’re desperate to go as soon as we’re able, and I’m sure the Italian tourist economy will appreciate all the money we want to spend on amazing (gluten free) food and pretty accommodation. At this point we’re thinking perhaps a full-blown Italian tour so we can see all the sights. Nothing like a travel ban to give you the travel bug!
Spend all day working in a cute café
I’m no stranger to working in a coffee shop (hello, that’s where the inspiration for the title of this blog post came from!). But I do tend to stick to the dreaded chains. I love a Starbucks, and in recent months you could find me most weekend mornings in the Goring-by-Sea Costa.
My rationale for this has always been that these establishments can afford for me to sit in one spot, soaking up their electricity and WiFi, while I shamelessly sip a cup of green tea for 3 hours.
After this, I intend to find a cute indie café that will be cool with me sitting in for a few hours, and you better believe that I will be paying my way. Bring me a slice of gluten free cake, and keep the chai lattes coming!
Go to Brighton and London
Since I’ve lived and/or worked in Brighton for the last 7 years, I never dreamed that I would one day be desperate to visit, even though I’m currently only a half hour down the road. I can’t wait to stroll through North Laine on a sunny day.
Likewise, I miss London so badly. Luckily, I had just been up to the city the weekend before things started to get pretty serious, so my withdrawal isn’t as bad as it could be. But I cannot wait to be on a slow train to Victoria, crammed in a tube car to Oxford Street, and then similarly crammed into the Food Hall at Selfridges.
Until next time…
My goals between now and my next rambling update are:
- Post at least weekly on this blog.
- Start using Pinterest consistently (let’s say, 2-3 times per week).
- At least 15 new posts on my Instagram account!
I’ll let you know how I get on. Tell me if you have any lockdown goals or bucket list items for when this is all over!