Slow, but steady

On a normal Friday, at about 11.45 we experience what I think of as a kind of Jurassic Park effect.  Ripples emanate out from an invisible core in each water jug and the crockery chinks out a rhythm to accompany the jangling cutlery. ‘They are coming’ we mock, but, truly, there’s little we enjoy more.  At 12.00 last Friday, there were precisely 3 customers in the café, two of whom were members Renee’s family.  No offence Louise and Max, we were glad of your company and Sonia too, of course. 

Naturally, I began to panic; it is my default setting in most situations; what if our novelty has worn off?  What if someone had a horrible time during their last visit and now everyone hates us? What if I hurt someone’s feelings?  What if?  What if?  What if? At this point the room did begin to rattle and shake, for me at least, I think it even began to spin a little.  Not that I am extreme or anything!

As it happened, I was probably worrying a little more than was strictly necessary; a steady flow of delightful people joined us over the course of the next 2 hours.  When I settled into it the steady pace was actually quite helpful!  I felt able to be an attentive hostess as well as waitress and I even had lunch.  It was delicious.

Renee was much more stoic about the situation, she usually is.  She correctly commented that the pace of the tortoise is much preferable than that of the hare because it is sustainable; not just in terms of custom, but also wear and tear on the staff.  Indeed, when service finished, we weren’t as exhausted as we have been on the crazier occasions.

The lesson learnt, I think, was that I need to be prepared for the stampedes and the waddly, toddly days.  Both are likely to be part of the lifecycle of the café, as long as people come, it really doesn’t matter.

Speaking of coming, we hope to see y’all on Saturday 17th for the celebration party: 1-3PM @ Terront Road Salvation Army Hall. 

Check out our beautiful website: www.fillingthegapcafe.co.uk

 It’s amazing, thank you Zambezi Digital for your awesomeness and for answering my daft, dumbass question without laughing.

Friday, I'm in love

I can't quite believe that I haven't used that quotation yet!  I am almost disappointed in myself!

Maybe it's the slight groggy haze of minimal sleep from a combination of body clock mix up from 'falling back' and poorly 4 year old, or the fact that I am a little buzzed on brandy fumes from feeding the Christmas cake we made this afternoon, or perhaps it's just the fact that it's half term, so I get lots of lovely boy time; but I am feeling rather warm, fuzzy and blessed.  The people I care about in America have all escaped hurricane Sandy unscathed and I am thinking that I won't complain about the cold snap any more.

Friday was fun.  We had a small but efficient team and were busy but not rushed off our feet.  Perhaps it was  our subconscious awareness of the inset day at our childrens' school, but Renee and I ended up putting together a Sesame Street style alliterative menu!  Pork with provencal potatoes and coffee cake or cookies for dessert.  Big bird and Groover would be proud.  I have always thought of myself as a bit of a muppet!

The day was enjoyable because the steady pace enabled me to reflect on how blessed I am and to be grateful for it.  Of course it's hard work, but isn't everything that's worth doing?  I get to do a job that I care about in my own community with people that I like, that has some family flexibility.  Who knows, I might even get paid one day.  You cannot have it all.  After the craziness of the week before it felt good to gain perspective.  I do not doubt that the craziness will return, I certainly hope it does in terms of custom, I guess that's why it is good to take stock when we can.

I am off to enjoy the week with my gorgeous boys and buy lovely things for the opening event.  No cafe this week, but we'll be back on November 9th.  Happy half term.

Lessons learned and life savers.

‘I can handle it’, ‘No really, I’m ok, honestly’, ‘Don’t worry, thanks, I have it covered’.  Any and all of these phrases are likely to be the reply you receive if you commit the heinous crime of offering me help!  I like to think of it as being hard working and independent, but the truth of it is that I am a stubborn control freak!  But even the extremely uptight must learn their lessons, as I did last Friday.

To put my level of neurosis into perspective, a very dear friend of mine, Chris, who did teacher training with me, used to call me Ally McBeal and it certainly wasn’t due to my waist size.  Having been my friend and worked with me for a while now, Renee knows that there is little point trying to convince me to accept help when I have set my mind to an independent, crazy crusade.  Such was the case on Friday morning.  Jenai’s lovely littlun was poorly, so she was unable to join us.  The week before having been quiet, I decided that one person in the dining room was ample.  Oh how wrong I was!

The lure of delicious steak or halloumi fajitas in a cosy neighbourhood café on a chilly day brought us a wonderful crowd of lovely customers.  Opps.  No amount of stubborn independence was going to get everyone served in way they each deserved.  I began to feel regret and nausea crashing in tsunami sized waves in my stomach.  Renee and I have put so much into Filling the Gap N15 and here was I about to ruin us by being too pig-headed to accept help.  We have both always been desperate for everyone to leave the café feeling that they have had positive, enjoyable experience.  My choice put this in danger; a long wait with a hungry child isn’t anyone’s idea of fun.  Fortunately, Renee’s superwoman powers never take a day off.  Unbeknownst to be she had lined her fabulous mum and sister, Josie and Louise, to help out in the dining room.  They more than stepped up and saved that day.  Renee’s is truly a family full of wonder women and I am eternally grateful to them all; for patience, planning and provision.

So, like a child given just enough rope to begin panicking, but saved from disaster by those who are wiser, more mature and not necessarily older, I have learned my lesson.  It was a successful service and we completely sold out of food. 

We will have to make more of whatever is on the menu this week, will let you know when we hear what wonders Fareshare have in store for us.

On Friday November 2^nd, Filling the Gap N15 will be closed for half term hols.  We’ll be back the following Friday and gearing up for the opening party.

'You ain't seen me, right?'

I wouldn't say this was a direct quote from Malcolm, but that was the gist.  Of course, once someone says 'don't look at the camera, just act like I'm not here', look at the camera is all you can do.

Over the last 2 weeks, marvellous Malcolm Hadley has been lending us his significant talents once again, but this time in the area of moving and still images.  Asking no more than a free lunch and to be utterly ignored, he has taken some amazing stills and film for us.  Thank you Malcolm.  The pics are amazing and I will include a couple in a moment.  I cannot blame Malcolm for the fact that my chins seem to have multiplied in a number of the images, or the fact that I am whiter than a snowstorm in the Canadian rockies. My genes, rather than Malcolm's amazing talents are to blame.  I will also never tie my apron above my non-existent waist again.  As I said, love the photos, especially the ones I am not in.  I do not wish to sound ungrateful in any way.  Malcolm, we love you.  Thank you.

I can't wait to see the moving images.  In addition to all the exciting media production, we also served some rather lovely food.  Embracing the onslaught of October, we served up warming autumn ministone soup and warm roasted tomato and potato salad.  In honour of national chocolate week, like a need an excuse, dessert was a choice of either brownies or choc chip shortbread.  Ironically, the sun shone, but everyone loved the seasonal fare anyway.  Roll on the cold weather, I think!

All hands on deck

Friday was certainly no maritime disaster, I am just referring to the sudden tide of volunteers.

Natalie joined us for the first time on Friday, having only met us the day before.  We also met several other volunteers and are starting to be able to out together that rota I have been dreaming about.  It is colour coded and everything.  Natalie proved herself to be competent, helpful and flexible and she can't have found the experience too distressing as she is coming back this week.  Yay.

This is only a brief post, as Renee and I are burying ourselves in celebration party planning and spending the grant money that just landed. Thank you very much Big Lottery.  Much care is being taken and much research is being done to ensure that we spend it well.  Our first purchase was the delightful fridge that you can, hopefully, see if I uploaded the picture correctly.  See our smiling faces? Who would have thought that chilling equipment could bring so much joy?!

Here comes a regular

Perhaps this song reference is a little to sombre for the energetic, jovial occasion that was Friday’s reopening.  It is, however, a fantastic song and we did have a number of our fabulous regulars in attendance, so I am going to go with it.  I bet ‘The Replacements’ never dreamed they would be referenced in this context, it’s not very rock, roll maybe though! (Roll, sandwiches, get it?!)

Friday was great.  As I said, many of our delightfully regular friends (not a toilet reference) were in attendance and we had the pleasure of some new faces too.  Our leaflets and little red riding hood act worked also, and we sold some take away. Hooray!

Our lovely Jenai was ill, poor thing.  I had a colossal panic at 7am when I received this news, Jenai is more than friend and volunteer, she is my security blanket. Bless her for letting me know so early.  However, everything fell into place, as Giuliana, Grace and Loi, our newest volunteers, thank you Havco,HhH stepped up and filled the gap.  I am full of cheesy puns today, aren’t I?! They more than filled a gap, all three were wonderful in their own right and we could not have functioned without them. 

Renee and I feel truly blessed by the volunteering support we have received and since we have asked for it, it has kept on coming. It was a concern at first, but the trickle of interest has recently become a torrent. We are meeting 3 more willing and lovely people this week and have been offered some surplus veg from a neighbouring grower’s back garden – you don’t get much more local than that.  Like the pieces of a giant jigsaw it is all beginning to fit together.  I am thinking of creating a volunteer rota, which excites me more than it should, I do love a list. 

Looking forward to this Friday.  I wonder what goodies we will get from Fareshare this week?  It certainly keeps us creative and on our toes. I can confirm that dessert will be a retro themed, but still delicious, pineapple upside-down cake with custard.  Perfect for the chilly change in weather (cue heat wave for Friday.) 

Get well soon, Jenai because we love you, not just so you can come back to work!  She will not be pleased with me for doing this, but it does not feel right to blog today without wishing Renee a fabulous birthday.  Hope you day got more glamorous after the school run this morning.

Our life is not a movie, or maybe

In the future, when some cool indie company decide to make a film about the early days of Filling the Gap N15, the scenes depicting this week will definitely be a high speed montage.  It will show Renee and I looking tired, but determined as we leaflet, bake, promote, email, blog, cook some more, do PR , recover from the Harvest Festival and juggle family, life and general autumn coldiness to an upbeat guitar-based rock song which conveys that we are exhausted, but understand that there is merit to our grafting.  I am thinking something along the lines of ‘Times Like These’ by the Foo Fighters or ‘Hold On’ by Alabama Shakes to keep it contemporary!  I wonder if Kristen Stewart will be prepared to go blonde to play me?  Even her recent cheating nastiness hasn’t quite spoilt my giant girl crush on her, or on Bella anyway!  Maybe Emilie de Ravin? Am sure she could handle my accent!  Ellen Page would be a perfect Renee; petit, pretty and sarcastic. This is not a cuss, I adore sarcasm.  Delivering 500 leaflets has given me a little bit of time to daydream, can you tell?

The City Harvest Festival was a fantastic experience.  It must have been the official last day of summer; he sun shone, the people were friendly and the animals were beautiful.  We sold out of everything! 100 sausages in wraps, 122 portions of cake and innumerable teas, coffees and cups of juice!  It was fabulous; exhausting but fabulous.  Now that it is done, we are focusing all of our thoughts on Friday and the re-opening.  Party plans are still very much in the pipeline for when funding is secured, but for now it is full steam ahead with the help of the wonderful Fareshare. 

If felt like Christmas morning last Wednesday afternoon as Renee and I unloaded the crates of goodies.  We both found it hard to believe that any supermarket in its right mind would reject any of the perfectly lovely produce that we now have squirreled away for Friday.  Based on this delivery, we are pleased to announce that Friday’s menu will be:

Main: Sausage, chorizo and bean stew with flatbread and couscous.

Dessert: Sweetshop cake or butternut squash muffins.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get.  I cannot wait to get the tablecloths out, don my apron and throw open the doors.  There has been so much necessary pen pushing and hoop jumping, that it will be great to get my hands dirty again.  Serving food and creating a community space is what we set out to do, after all.  We hope you will be able to join us.  Future box office smash or not, this is what I want to do.