What season is it?

This happened 15 minute ago ...

*phone rings*

Me: Hi

Himself: Hey, are you free to come outside for a second?

Me: Sure, yeah - everything okay?

Himself: Yeah, do you have a Euro by any chance?

Me: Haha, okay. I'll be down in a second.

*goes outside*

*Himself hands me the cup pictured below*

Earlier in the day I mentioned how I was sleepy. He needed a Euro for bus fare because while he had got a student travel card he had to top it up and spent his change on the above coffee. It's a gingerbread latte, in a red cup, and I heard my first Christmas song on the radio. Not far off a month away now ...

... I guess it might be time to start getting into this whole Christmas thing (says she with half her presents bought already)

Why I love coffee shops...

Today I killed time before work exchanging my loyalty card for the promised free coffee.

Warm air greets me as I skip up the steps and through the door. Business people and hipsters alike are deep in conversation and thought pouring over notes, newspapers, notebooks - some distinctively cool music is floating in the air along with the telling scent of coffee.

It's always warm in my coffee shop, never too warm, but warm enough that you can through off your coat and scarf and sit by the windows or read one of the FREE books. Yes, free - it's a communal library set up at the back. The windows have a grey-green muslin-like curtain at the lower half and look out to a one of the few tree-lined streets in the area; giving lovely mottled light come spring and summer. Oh an autumn, it's just so lovely in autumn!

The staff remember you in here, the manager smiles at you. There's porridge for breakfast, salads, ciabatta sandwiches, scones, croissants and so many cakes.

Today a Canadian woman took my order. The Australian barrista wasn't working today, but the German guy with perfect English was. In the que I stood in front of a women I happen to know was a man a few years ago.

It's for reasons like all these and more that I love coffee shops.