Ek sit vanoggend in Cherry Lane met ‘n swaar gemoed en ‘n hart wat bietjie seer is. Ek moes ‘n besluit neem oor my werksituasie, en die vryheid wat ek geniet het – soos om op ‘n weeksoggend in ‘n koffiewinkel te sit en werk – het nou tot ‘n einde gekom. Vanaf die einde van die maand gaan ek voltyds in ‘n kantoor werk.
Laat ek by die begin begin.
Hoe het my Donderdagoggend-Cherry Lane-dae begin?
Ek het in 2023 van die huis af begin werk. Dit was lieflik, maar ek is ‘n mense-mens en die alleenheid vang jou bietjie. Ek het allerhande planne probeer maak – dalk om ‘n spasie te kry wat ek een of twee keer ‘n week kon huur om van daar af te werk. Ek het selfs probeer om die leë spasie by Etienne se werk te gebruik (hulle wou nie daarvoor val nie). Ek het ook gekyk na die “pods” wat mens by inkopiesentrums kry, maar dit is bietjie duur.
Ek het toe een oggend besluit om my rekenaar op te pak en sommer net by ‘n koffiewinkel in die dorp te gaan sit en werk vir ‘n rukkie. My gunsteling was nog altyd Cherry Lane, so dit was vanselfsprekend my eerste keuse. Dáár het my “seisoen” begin.
Woensdae is vir braai so Donderdae was vir koffiewinkels.
En so het ek elke Donderdagoggend hier kom sit. Later het dit so bekend geraak dat, wanneer ek instap en kom sit, my cappuccino mét room sommer vanself op my tafel verskyn het. Dit het my huis van die huis af geword.
So op my eie het ek dan sit en werk en baie gedoen gekry. Ek was tussen mense, lekker musiek en my tweede familie (so voel dit vir my).
Cherry Lane is my ‘backdrop’ vir van my sosiale media videos ook. Jy kan gaan kyk hier, hier en hier. Ek het ook ‘n hele ‘highlight‘ op Instagram vir my koffie liefdesverhouding en meeste is Cherry Lane.
Vanoggend toe ek hierheen ry was ek so bewoë want dis die laaste Donerdag. Ek stap in en waai vir almal en kry net smiles en ek vertel toe dat dit my laaste Donderdag is, maar ek verseker almal dat ek sal terug wees op ‘n ander dag wanneer ek myself ingesettle het by die nuwe werk. Gelukkig is dit op die dorp en net om die draai. Al weet ek dit is nie die einde-einde nie is dit maar nogsteeds ‘n ‘ek gaan julle mis’ -oomblik.
Wat ek vanoggend wil sê is, dankie julletjies dat ek altyd welkom voel wanneer ek hier instap. Dat my koffie warm en vol room net verskyn op my tafel. Dat ek hier kan sit so lank ek wil en net kan wees. Die koffie het altyd hope liefde in (behalwe vir die room) en die kos is altyd met liefde gemaak.
Ek sien julle verseker weer oor naweke tot ek daai ‘ander dag’ vasgestel het.
This is not the end! I will be back.
E xx
This morning I’m sitting in Cherry Lane with a heavy heart and a little ache in my chest. I had to make a decision about my work situation, and the freedom I’ve enjoyed – like being able to sit and work in a coffee shop on a weekday morning – has now come to an end. From the end of this month, I’ll be working full-time in an office.
Let me start at the beginning.
How did my Thursday morning Cherry Lane days begin?
In 2023, I started working from home. It was lovely, but I’m a people-person, and the loneliness started to get to me a bit. I tried all sorts of ideas – maybe finding a space I could rent once or twice a week to work from. I even tried to use the empty space at Etienne’s office (they weren’t keen), and I looked at those “pods” you get in shopping centres, but they were a bit expensive.
One morning, I decided to pack up my laptop and simply go sit at a coffee shop in town to work for a while. My favourite has always been Cherry Lane, so of course, that was my first choice. That’s where my “season” began.
Wednesdays were for braais, so Thursdays were for coffee shops.
And so, every Thursday morning, I came here to sit. Eventually, it became so familiar that when I walked in and sat down, my cappuccino – with cream – would just appear at my table. It became my home away from home.
I would sit and work on my own, and got so much done. I was surrounded by people, good music, and my second family (that’s honestly how it felt).
Cherry Lane was also the backdrop for many of my social media videos. You can go look here, here, and here. I even have a whole Instagram highlight for my coffee love affair – and most of it is Cherry Lane.
This morning, driving here, I felt emotional – because it’s the last Thursday. I walked in, waved at everyone, got big smiles, and then I told them it was my last Thursday. But I assured everyone I’ll be back on another day once I’ve settled into the new job. Thankfully, it’s still in town – just around the corner. And even though I know this isn’t the final goodbye, it’s still one of those “I’m going to miss you” moments.
What I want to say this morning is: thank you, you lovely bunch, for always making me feel welcome when I walk in. For letting my warm, creamy coffee magically appear at my table. For allowing me to sit here as long as I want and just be. The coffee always has heaps of love in it (besides the cream), and the food is always made with heart.
I’ll definitely see you over weekends – until I’ve figured out what that “other day” will be.
This is not the end! I will be back.
E xx
The Travellingmind 