Month: April 2006

Newborn baby induced sleep deprivation brings a new found appreciation for the glorious powers of coffee. I've always loved coffee but our life-long romance is finding new depths in these sleepless days.

Over the years I've tried more than my fair share of coffee from all over the world. Costa, Starbucks, Neros… of course. Blends from Whittard, Nespresso, supermarkets and small shops. I've tasted espressos in Rome, Toronto, Paris, Montreal and Havana. Drinking Jamaican Blue Mountain beans I'd actually bought in Jamaica was a particular highlight – wonderful beans which are absurdly expensive in the UK. I mourn the old Seattle Coffee Company that thinly veiled Startbucks investment vehicle which they then acquired to officially enter the UK market after Seattle had proved the market's viability. Their Sugar Daddy Americano was quite gorgeous. I'm not the only one who misses them it seems.

But all that doesn't matter as a about six months ago I discovered, without doubt, the greatest coffee in the whole wide world. I was at Clapham Junction station, on my way to see a client. It was cold and I needed a pick-me-up so I stopped at a tiny coffee kiosk on one of the platforms. Covered in orange panels it proclaimed to sell fairtrade organic coffee. I'd passed the kiosk thousands of times without trying it, today was the day.

I ordered a latte and the friendly staff encased in their tiny box of a kiosk began their ministrations on the steaming monster of a coffee machine.

When I received my drink and tried it, I couldn't believe the taste. Rich, earthy, deep and slightly sweet. I looked inside, yes it was coffee – amazing! It was reminiscent of that Ally McBeal coffee tasting scene with Georgia…

Anyway I asked them where they got their coffee from and it's from a fine company called Union Coffee Roasters. They have a incredible selection of roasts and blends which you can buy from their site. I started off with their Espresso Collection to help me sample their roasts – they were all wonderful. But for me the winner was and still is the blend I first tried that cold day in Clapham. The divine Organic and Fairtrade Natural Spirit Blend.

Enjoy. I do, a cup at a time!

At 1.03am on Sunday 19th March our little baby girl, Ella Izabela Kitcat, was born. We'd planned a home birth but we ended up in the hospital. It wasn't the cosy experience we wanted but mum is totally ok and we now have a beautiful, big healthy girl.

First up, it's true true true, sleep does seem like a very distant memory. But the joy and laughter she brings is just boundless – the effort that goes into caring for Ella diminishes into nothingness with every grin, gurgle and squeak. She's just so adorable.

Some tips for others about to embark on their journey into baby life. You get inundated with so many product samples, brochures and coupons around this time it can get overwhelming. Here are three pointers:

Mea culpa I thought baby wipes were a dumb marketing ploy to squeeze more cash out of parents. But I take it all back – baby wipes save the day with every nappy change. We use the wonderful unscented bio wipes from Nature boy & girl which are sold in Boots.

What I was right on with was that Dr Harvey Karp's Baby Bliss: Your One-Stop Guide for the First Three Months and Beyond was a life-saver for us. It's simple, easy-to-follow advice based on what cultures around the world have been doing for hundreds of years. If you have a baby under 6 months check it out now, it all works.

Finally we tried the whole gamut of nappies for newborns. The big brands didn't really work that well for Ella. Also we weren't happy with the bleach, perfumes and other chemicals in those brands. As I expected, we ended up with an ecological, biodegradable brand, the Moltex Oko. It peforms better than the other brands, is bleach and other chemicals free and really good value when bought online.

That's it for now. I promise not to bombard people with kiddie stuff… Instead for more great parenting advice visit Netmums