The First Coffee Outside
One cup, one usable chair and a few minutes in the first mild light.
Set at The Morning Room
At a Glance
- Make a small place ready
- Stay for the drink
- Finish when you are ready
Choose a morning or afternoon when being outside sounds pleasant. Take your normal coffee, tea or other drink to the balcony, doorstep or garden. Set it on a steady surface and sit down before deciding that the whole space needs attention.
What You’ll Need
- a drink
- a stable seat
- a layer if it is cool
Make a small place ready
Wipe the chair if it needs it. Bring a cushion you can carry back in and choose the sheltered side of the space. Put your drink where you can reach it without balancing the cup on your knee.
Stay for the drink
Look at what has changed since winter: the shape of the light, a new leaf, the neighbour's open window. You don't have to identify the bird or make a plan for the garden.
If someone joins you, let it become a conversation. If you are alone, enjoy having the chair to yourself.
Finish when you are ready
Go indoors when the drink is finished or you become cold. Bring the cushion with you. Leave the chair easy to use next time.
Pair It With
No outdoor space? Sit beside a bright window instead. Open it a little only when the conditions suit; the light can be the part of spring you enjoy today.
In Willowmere, the yellow chair outside The Morning Room has more than one interested occupant. Meet them in The Chair in the Sun, or return to the village.
For a pause you can use in any season, try The Afternoon Coffee Ritual.
Enjoyed this?
The Seasonal Letter brings more stories, recipes and rituals like this one - a few times a season, never more.
Written by Esther
Esther is a photographer and storyteller, and the founder of Essy's Essentials - a seasonal home for stories, rituals, recipes and everyday luxuries.
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