There’s something old, but new, at the little place I get my coffee from on Sundays down at The Queen’s Park Farmer’s Market.  It too, just like Eddie’s Coffee Cart in Paddington, is something of a guilty pleasure – except it’s when, at every other weekend and following a hard week’s work and consideration of another one ahead, I feel I need some counsel or philosophy and a rye “human eye” to help me feel OK about what I’ve done and look forward to where I am going to.

It’s the “chat with Chad”, the barista at this stall which calls itself “Brinkworth’s Coffee Stop”, which provides that for me.  Chad’s just great with his quick observation of how it seems you are this particular week, whether it’s healthier or happier – or not, as the case may be. He also has a unique ability to celebrate or commiserate with you.

Of course, if you are open enough to return the favour by checking out how Chad looks, and asking how things are with him, then you will equally get an insight into a world well away from the city – and one which appears driven (with luck) by happy cows and their caresses, but also loaded with equal stresses of the English countryside when they’re not (and especially when bad weather comes into play, as it has done with the floods around the UK this year).

I find this exchange provides quite a down-to-earth contrast to the ones I am more used to having with my fellow office-bound city dwellers during the week.  Indeed, I can’t help but feel sometimes though, in the chats with my fellow folk from the city, that I am just one of the cows in the equation – and just wish I had more of a farmer like Chad to be there to observe how I am, and move me to a better, grassier paddock when I look like I’m not happy and not ready to chew the cud which will provide the product to help him make the cheese.

This, of course, is probably just one of many fables from the Farmer’s Market which could be told and sold on any given Sunday.  I think it is worthy of investigation, and hope to have an insight direct from our farmer-cum-barista in an upcoming blog post – and a few photos of Chad, the Queen’s Park Farmer’s Market stall and even some of his cows too, of course….

PostScript

For now, however, I need to get in “the moo-ed” for work in another paddock with another city “people farmer” somewhere else in this coming week – as unfortunately I did not have a farmer like Chad to realise I could be good for many more hours of milking with one “funny farm” I have been working on for the past month, and so have been put out to pasture without even getting a chance to show the many possible ways to move the cheese like I know I am good at doing when not writing posts on blogs like this at the weekend.  So if you know someone seeking a supply chain architecture consultant, who is happy to help create or improve ways to make as well as “move the cheese”, then please leave a comment below and I will contact you privately to discuss.  Say, maybe you might even know one which will involve me working out the best way to combine (and perhaps even blend) good milk with great coffee (and perhaps cake) along with the places which provide all the friends you can make….