Claude

I walked into Portchester Castle at about 7am this morning. The sea mist had lifted and the sun was already shining off the chert walls of the Roman fortress.

Looking across at the Anglo Saxon church, tucked away, in the SW corner of the castles bailey……. It’s a beautiful reminder of things long gone… it also reminds me that I have to get ‘Claude’ ready for our guests.

In a couple of hours the castles great gates will open and visitors will wander through them in anticipation of the splendid history to be found here….. Claude ( my coffee van) and I will tempt them to buy fresh espresso and doughnuts, perhaps a shortcake biscuit or two, before they climb to the top of the medieval keep…. Yes! …a medieval keep inside a Roman fortress!…………

I’ve just turned on the espresso machine and the sound reverberates around the fortress interior…. A seagull is disturbed and takes off for the estuary beyond.

I have time for one more cuppa before I must open Claude up and put out the tables for our guests….

And so another day begins.

I wonder if the Roman engineers, 1800 years ago would have delighted in strong Italian espresso the same way that my guests will. ( of course the simple answer to that is ‘no’).

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We visited Portchester castle today…enjoyed the view, the history and the coffee….provided by the owners of Claude…. You can see it in the photos. We then headed over to Winchester and it’s cathedral. Jane Austen said ‘hello’.

It was a good day