Pepper Tree Cafe

Ah ha! The whole reason for this blog gets its second entry.

Friday afternoon on a day off is a perfect time to take a book (that is disappointing me, so much so I’m only a hundred or so pages in) and try a new caf?.

Coffee : Latte
Area : 5/5
Caf? Atmosphere : 3/5
Staff : 4/5
Coffee : 4/5
Total 16/20

Take a left out of the Newport rail station, another left at the end of the subway and at the top of the ramp (if you make it) you’ll find a groovy little place – The Peppercorn Caf?. You can sit inside at the bench (that, and this is a major plus, is deep enough to read The Age on) and watch the passing parade of trains and people or you can sit outside on the mandatorily mis-matching retro chairs.

I was reading and didn’t feel like any food so I ordered my latte and chose the red chair outside. The coffee was good, surprisingly so. Good strong body, milk at the perfect temperature and a great chocolate taste. If I wasn’t off shopping I would have had another – and that’s as high a praise as I can give.

I think this is a new place – he had no business cards when I asked – so we’ll need to keep track to ensure standards don’t slip. But with coffee this good and being so close to home that won’t be a chore at all.

Ring Ring

My mate Mark is living in America now. I didn’t realise just how much I am missing him until he called today – yep, a half hour chat from Ashburn VA. Gee it was good to hear from him, especially as work picked up the tab when they forwarded his call.

Another Good Thing

I went to see Trish yesterday and her beautiful new baby, Candice. I could go on and on about how beautiful she is but just look at the picture. Perfect.

Trish and Candice

The Week

It’s been a rough week but this has made me smile.

I first noticed the shoe when it was just in front of the car you can see. In three days it has made its way about fifty metres down the road. There’s been no rain to help it sail down the gutter so I wonder how it made it here – and across the cross road.

The Shoe

I Spy Someone Beginning With Me

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, many things are happening that are taking me away from the computer and in to the real world – and it’s not always a happy place to be.

Today I did reconnect my webcam so if I’m on-line at home you should be able to see a picture of me staring at my PC. Don’t worry, the odds are slim as I’m generally only here for an hour or so each day and most of you are probably asleep at these times.

They Can’t Do This To Me

His covers have changed! It was the first thing I noticed (obviously) when I opened the package – the cover was not the normal striking black and white graphic. Now I discover they have redesigned the cover of every book. How can they do this? Now I have to purchase each one over again.

Why Iain, why?

Ice Time!

Footy has been gone for three weeks so now it’s time to switch to my summer sport – Ice Hockey! I caught the addiction a few years ago when I was in Canada and now my summer months are spent hunched over PC’s listening to my beloved Canucks over the net. Best thing is the games are in the middle of the day here so I can listen at work and on the weekends I pump up the PC speakers at home.

This year Foxtel has picked up ESPN so I can watch games too – hockey heaven. Go Nucks!

Kate Update

Way back when (June 28) my sister Kate lost her job. Well, today she found another one, and it wasn’t stuck behind a cushion or on top of the fridge. Nope, it’s at Furphys – a Shepparton institution and the origin of the slang term ‘furphy‘. 3 hours a day, 5 days a week – just perfect for her. I went to school with Sam Furhpy and a dad of one of my best friends from School worked there too.

Congratulations Kate – Furphy’s is lucky to have you.