I woke feeling groggy, so I quickly put the kettle on and filled my small Moka pot with one spoon of coffee. Heavy-headedly, I sat down to browse my blog feed, knowing that the 'elixir of life' would soon clear my brain fog and fuel my energy.
Struggling to focus, my ears tuned in to the silence in the room. My kettle had not whistled, nor was the water simmering.
Upon inspection, it turned out that my cooking gas had run out, so I turned the knob off and checked the gauge on the cylinder.
Two bloody cylinders were empty.
I felt my eyes pulsing rapidly as my brain sensed the despair of two empty gas cylinders, a kettle of cold water, and a Moka pot filled with coffee waiting to be brewed.
Trying to think on my feet, I regretted that my wood burner was not lit, and it would take ages before I got the kettle going had I decided to start a fire. Plus, it was too warm on the boat for a fire anyway, so I went to the cooking gas storage on the marina.
Further disappointment sank in when I noticed that all the cylinders in reserve were 13 kg, and there were no 6 kg cylinders in stock. So I popped into the office, and the clerk promised to arrange with the gas company for an urgent delivery.
There was no approximate time for the delivery, but it didn't matter because, without coffee, nothing is soon enough.
Then came a downpour of rain, so I returned to my boat.
There's no conversation before coffee in my mornings.
I felt agitated and ravenous, like a hungry wolf needing coffee, but I couldn't push myself to knock on my neighbour's door to beg for hot water, because that would require "good morning" and a little chatter, which was just too much.
Incapable of thinking straight, with my system on the verge of collapse, I crawled back to bed to save mankind.
The office called at 4 p.m. with the good news that the gas company had delivered my gas, so I hurried to collect the full cylinders.
I then started my day with a cup of black coffee and a late breakfast as dinner. My demeanour changed with coffee in my system, and I smiled and waved at neighbours and passersby in a friendly, civil manner.
I'm a lover of great bread, but my newest obsession is having tortilla wraps for breakfast. I've been experimenting with various fillings and mixing things up daily, all of which have been healthy, fresh, and finger-licking-good.
What's inside?
Tomatoes, beetroot, onions, rocket, baby spinach, eggs, and mature cheddar cheese.
I alternate the kind of cheese, and sometimes I use feta or blue cheese, which gives it a nice bite.
I added these blood oranges with banana slices, which kicked off my day at 5 p.m.
All this, along with the strong black coffee at the odd hour of the evening, had me awake until 3 a.m. However, I've been back on a regular sleeping and eating schedule, and I've started a log for my cooking gas.
Now that I know just how small the cylinders are, I'll do the responsible thing of replacing the empty one immediately.
Have you had a coffee-lacking-horror recently that you care to share?
All the images were taken by me.
My blog frequently features my minimalist lifestyle and adventures while living on my narrowboat.”
Irie love,
Milly
