COFFEE AT HOWIE'S

First of all - a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who commented, left a star and/or heart for my 11th Blipversary yesterday - I was thrilled to be at the top of the Popular Page again, so soon after my 4,000th Blip - it's a bit like buses and also Christmas and my Birthday - you don't see or have one and then two come along at once!  I am so grateful to be part of this wonderful, caring community and you have all been so good "bearing with me" in the aftermath of my back surgery and the tiredness that seems to hit me at some point most days.  

However, I am determined to "DO MORE IN '24" but that's when I have eaten more of my chocolates and drunk the champagne on New Year's Eve!  

A few weeks ago, I met a friend who took me for a coffee at Howie's Bakehouse and Bar;  I met Howard who was working at the Swindon 105.5 Radio Station when I was on Girls About Town, so remembered him well.

Today, I met Debbie - who blips now under the name of "DJsDailyDose", you can find her HERE, and we had a lovely catch-up.  We worked out that we hadn't seen one another for about a year, so we had a LOT to catch up on.  

Izzy, the young waitress who served us, was a delight -  and when I said that my cappuccino wasn't very hot, she immediately offered to make me another - and apologised - and also smiled - so good to have this sort of service without someone being surly.

I did take a few shots of Debbie, thinking that she could be my Blip for today, but then Howie himself came to chat, as he did to all his customers.  I told him that Izzy was a lovely waitress and deserved a rise and when he looked heavenwards, I asked if I could take a photograph of the three of them - and he was happy for me to do that.  I especially liked the writing on his tee shirt, but I'm sure he's not really like that - next time I'm in there, I must ask Izzy!

I did tell Howie that I had a shot of him taken sometime ago, when he looked, shall I say, "rather fetching" but he said it couldn't possibly be him!  I then found the photograph and you can see one of the shots HERE because I obviously used it as an extra in my Blip back on 18th December 2019.  In fact, I found another good one of him and have put that as an extra today as I still have lots left to use and I think you will agree with my comment.  

Debbie was waiting for her 15 year old daughter to finish at the hairdresser's and had a text from her at about 3.45 - so we had to part, but promised that we wouldn't leave it so long before we had another coffee.  We also agreed that we would support one another in our new eating regime in the New Year - however, I balked at doing body building exercises at the gym - but promised that I would try and walk more and keep doing this.  

SO THANKS to Debbie, Howie and Izzy - you made my afternoon - and I'm sure that Mr. HCB and I will be visiting Howie's again before too long!  M xx