8:20
Just one cup of coffee at the desk. It’s grey and windy outside and I open all windows, waiting for my room and my coffee to cool down a little bit. I do some bits and bobs while I drink and let myself wake up properly.
9:30
A bowl of Bircher Müsli. It’s so cold from the fridge that it's difficult to taste much at all. I’ve added some room temp raisins on too and they seem too sweet compared to the rest.
14:50
I come home from a swim and a coffee. At the pool, I've learned a new detail about the underground well: Because the reservoir sits so deep beneath the surface it would be the only safe water (in the area?) to drink after a nuclear catastrophe. After the swim I go for a coffee. I have a noisette, similar to a cortado, and it gets served in a thick small espresso cup. It’s not a speciality café so the taste of it is sharp and dry. I’m glad they serve a large glass of water on the side.
When I get back home I find a note that a parcel has arrived. It’s from my mum and contains a few little treats from Germany. It’s become almost impossible to send parcels between Germany and the UK without getting them stuck in customs, especially if there’s anything edible in them, so, lucky me, being on the continent has increased parcel frequency considerably. This time, I'm especially excited about a small bag of dried lemon verbena that my mum has grown in the garden. The grassy green scent is irresistible and I make an infusion straight away. The leaves uncurl in the hot water, slowly sink from the surface to the bottom of the jug and create an underwater garden.
17:50
Two Kinder choc bars and a couple of Schtroumpfs to make up for the fact that I’m unable to fall asleep for a much needed nap. I infuse the verbena leaves for a second time, not sure if they have any good stuff left in them, but it works, the tea is now more subtle but sweeter.
19:50
A big salad of blanched runner beans and cucumber in a peppery yuzu and olive oil dressing, topped with toasted almonds and Grana Padano. I’ve bought the tiny bottle of yuzu juice in a Japanese supermarket the other week and it sits in my fridge door, giving me a wink every time I open it, well aware that it could turn any boring drink or meal into something amazing. It certainly isn’t disappointing in my dressing today. Can’t wait to try it in a Whisky Sour. The fridge door (capers, yuzu, Haribo, chocolate, special drinks) and my coffee shelf are definitely the most exciting sections in my kitchen.
The salad portion is a bit too big for me, I finish it very slowly. I drink the now cold second verbena tea and realise it’s really nice to drink something cool, still, with flavour. The weather over the next few days looks hot again, so I decide to make some cold brew coffee for the weekend. It needs to sit for 24 hours, so I’ll filter it tomorrow evening but probably not drink it until I’ve wrapped up my gazette writing. Another Kinder choc bar, just because. Finally a package where the chocolate hasn’t gone weirdly white.
20:45
I've already taken my magnesium and I’m about to head off for some drinks at the Seine. I’ll bring a cider and a beer, and probably my new bottle opener just in case.
01:15
Someone at the party talked about yuzu!
Eleni Wittbrodt (she/her) is a German visual artist based in Glasgow. @wttbrdt