Coffee = Therapy....I have a place to fix that!

Once upon a time, to release the weeks stresses of life in the events world I would cruise to a cool bar for a drink....or dance my worries away at some fabulous place decorating Sydneys nightclub circuit....once upon a time...that was what you did when you were free as a bird...with a semi-disposable income....

Those days have changed.

These days my therapy is coffee....whilst I do like to brew my own at home, for that intrevenous lifeline...holding the moment to breathe...in the aroma of freshly grounded beans and sit and breathe out the moment to survive the next minute....but sometimes home isn't enough, and I have to get out....

So those days of desperation, I have a place where the Barista brews a latte "true to the bean" ...and named appropriately so. A neat little establishment with a bar where I drape my sorry self, to talk away my worries...and drown my sorrows in a perfect brew. Lisa and Craig, the owners are friends of ours...as are all her family and so, this has become an institution where my children are welcome and we have found recluse since the first week they were born (sometimes I am lucky enough to have my hands freed, whilst the children are nursed by one of the family who dwell there). The place is True to the bean Katoomba...you must visit when your in town.

I also have a place...which takes me back...to those days of a Darlinghurst cafe strip culture...where I used to tap up the sidewalk in my heels and buy a minutes peace from the desk of the corporate event queen. A place which I dare not visit with the children....and probably will not frequent even with friends. Its a place where usually its only the owner who knows me, so I am left bliss out with a nice strong espresso, listen to the beats and remember a day when it was only me. The place is Nikita Bar, Leura....you must visit....but only if you promise to pretend not to know me.

And then there is the place...where we go for a bite and let the children run crazy in the gardens, around the ponds. Its a place where I visit with our favourite play date mates. Where theres lots on offer for my non-wheat eating days....where we sit outdoors, even when the sun is shining....a place where the children feel at home. The place is Lilys Pad Cafe Leura....Take the kids when you visit....They will love it...and so will you.

So! When your visiting the Blue Mountains...these are the haunts....make sure you say hi...enjoy the warmth of those who own these fabulous establishments for they are all very special people in my life - they provide me with sanity and a home away from home....I like to call them Therapy...in more ways than one!

A gift of random kindness from a local of land of the lovely

I call our town 'land of the lovely people'...it sounds corny, but after moving from the big smoke over four years ago, I am forever grateful we have found a place where lovely, thoughtful, giving people live.

1000 metres above sea-level, 90 minutes from Sydney a little place called Katoomba...until last year we had only two supermarkets and a kmart. It gets cold, really cold for Australia - there are lots of trees....and breath taking canyons...but this is not what this blog is about.

I went for coffee today at my usual place. The girl who owns the shop (also a dear friend) walked out with the cutest ever little hat for miss 12 week-old....handmade of course! "For Miss 12 week-old!" she said with a smile.

"Thank you for the lovely gift" I responded.

"Well actually, said Ms Coffee shop, Ms Lovely gave it to me! I saw her at the markets the other day and she asked if I knew someone who had a little baby that it would fit, and I thought of Miss 12 week-old" my girlfriend said.

I had met Ms Lovely a few times via another local lovely. She shares a market stall at a local market, selling her handmade creations. Instead of putting the hat on the stall to sell, she thoughtfully gave it away...This is the type of person who I share a community with! A reason to be grateful today!

The hat is beautifully made with the sweetest fabric - I love it...Thank you Ms Lovely and Ms coffee shop for your random thoughtful act and reminding me of what a great place I live.

Finally, this brings me to the story of a guy who I read about a few years back. He started the "Karma Army" a group of people who commit random acts of kindness towards others, preferably complete strangers....I have followed this prophecy loosely, there is so much satisfaction in giving random acts of kindness, actually it can also be rather amusing - with some people really not sure how to react....I must flag to share some of these stories someday but in the meantime, make sure you read about Danny Wallace and his journey (albeit almost an accidental journey) to make the world a better place. I guarantee you, its not what you would expect to read, but certainly a story that will make you grin non-the-less. http://www.join-me.co.uk/about/