It's nice to do nice things
I wake up suddenly to my alarm. It’s 7:25am and my room is still dark and I am at that level of comfort you are at when you know you have to get out of bed. That supreme comfort. Sitting up on my bed while the fog clears in my head. I say fog clears but it’s more a case of the world comes flooding back into my head. It’s Wednesday and that means it’s coffee outside day. Coffee outside is a small gathering of people who meet at the union canal at 8:15am and have coffee...outside. It is fairly self explanatory but the obvious question I imagine you are asking is, why? Well because it’s nice and since it is usually attended by bicycle aficionados, mechanics and fanatics; we just like being outside riding our bikes and drinking coffee. It’s 7:30 now and I take a quick look outside to see what the weather is like. This could provide me with the excuse to not leave the warmth of my flat and have a coffee in my comfortable chair while reading. The weather is dreich. That’s the Scottish word for cold, damp and miserable weather. So normal winter weather around these parts and not really an excuse to stay at home. I get dressed and gather my camping gear so I can brew a cup of coffee outside.
Once the decision is made to leave then it’s all systems go. The hardest part is over and now the cyclist mind sets in because soon I'm going to be riding my bike and that is, contrary to what my brain was telling me earlier, fun. I remember that I haven’t charged my from light so that will most likely not last long in the gloomy weather but that's fine as its February and the mornings are getting lighter sooner. This provides some small amount of comfort as traffic may be able to see me better as a navigate rush hour. I check that I have everything and head outside to the shed to get my bike. It’s not as cold as it looks but it is damp. I cycle along the pavement because my road is a busy through route and I need to get in the groove. Crossing at a busy intersection I get on to a quieter road which is heading up towards the main road into town.
Now I have to be keep my eyes open as I join the traffic and start to race towards Arthurs seat. That’s the main hill in Edinburgh and a major tourist attraction. If I am lucky I can catch most of the lights green and get a good pace going but today I am caught by a traffic light. I use the time to catch my breath and count my luck that it’s not raining right at this moment. Traffic is really bad today so I can’t wait to get out of it. Green light and I’m off. Weaving around buses I take a left towards Arthurs seat where there is a separate cycle lane and I can then take it easy and enjoy the view. This cycle path offers a view of the city and you can get a brief glimpse of the skyline. As much as I talk shit about Edinburgh, I have lived here for almost 16 years so I know the issues it has, it is still a beautiful city. I cruise along the craggs and past Rockstar North offices keeping an eye on the traffic because I need to cross the busy road and cut through town towards the rendezvous. Once across the road its up a steep hill and a meander through streets until a leisurely ride through the meadows. Finally a few more busy streets to navigate and I am at the canal.
There are already a few folks here setting up their own camp stoves and getting there coffee making setup ready. Mocha pots and the ever trustworthy aeropress are the go to methods of brewing. People are chatty and the conversations often revolve around bikes and the goings on in local bike shops. Sometimes they can get into technical specs which I know nothing about. I am like the Windows user amongst the hardcore linux users at this gathering. One of the guys makes what he calls a Cuban coffee. He adds brown sugar and I don’t mean heroin to the coffee before brewing it. It’s a fantastic coffee that is both sweet and highly caffinating. Another person has brought a small grinder and is grinding the beans fresh. They also have a proper coffee kettle that has a thermometer and skinny spout for pour over coffee. I think that’s what it’s for. Tea is also welcome here but with the obligatory jokes that will accompany bringing tea to a coffee meeting. The act of being social with like minded people manages to wash away the weeks worries if only for an hour. It’s cold and rainy people but people are still in good spirits. Turns out that it’s not so much about the coffee outside but also about the socialising outside.
Slowly people peel away as they head to work or off on a longer ride or like my just back home to get on with whatever it is that needs getting on. The ride back is always a little easier even in the rain. Caffeine coursing through the system fresh air and a desire to get some breakfast in I am racing home. It was another successful trip into town and some much needed social interaction with nice people. It’s a small thing but damn if it isn’t a special thing. I can only recommend doing something like this.