Cafe Dharma – Floriana’s Rotunda Cafe in Preston park

The recent Fresh Air Meet-up I went to was a presentation by Charlotte Austin who knows a thing or two about communication skills. She comes from the Dale Carnegie school of ‘How to make friends and influence people’ and she certainly came across as someone who knew what she was talking about. It was a fascinating workshop and gave me plenty to think about into how we can improve our skills of communication in all areas of life. Sitting at a cafe is a great place to ponder on life and what I’d been learning so I cycled over to Preston Park on the other side of town to Floriana’s.

There’s something about cafes in parks that the other cafes just cannot match. Something to do with the space, the greenery and the unhurried, relaxed feel of the park setting. In Preston park Floriana’s Rotunda cafe has been there as long as I can remember sitting at its southern tip. So called because of its circular build. The terrace filled with tables and chairs follows the curve of the building on an elevated position looking over the wonderful rose gardens and pond. On a late August day the rose gardens that front the cafe were in full bloom with the heady perfume to match.

Inside it’s bright and spacious should the weather turn but the reason for visiting this cafe is for settling yourself at one of the outdoor tables on the terrace. Seated away from the hustle and bustle you can hear the rumble of traffic on nearby Preston Road and spot the green Southern trains rumbling high up over the viaduct ahead but all of that is far enough away not to intrude on the calm. Customers gradually began to fill up the terrace as the morning wore on making the most of the early morning sunshine. On offer there’s the usual cafe fare of jacket potatoes, sandwiches and cakes all at reasonable prices, nothing fancy but nothing pretentious either.

Afterwards I had a look around the rose garden. A sign lists the locations of the beds of over a hundred varieties of rose. Try Rosa Mundi, Scarborough Fair, Ipsilante, Sceptr’d Isle, Buff Beauty, Wildeve, Sweet Juliet, Sophie’s Rose, Getrude Jekyll, Camerieux, Amelia, Leander and Teasing Georgia for a few to be getting on with. Then I had a peak at the impressive community allotment site, which is just behind the cafe, with its cornucopia of healthy vegetables coming into season.

So I’d had a dose of Fresh Air with plenty of inspiration and practical ideas for living well the previous evening at the meet up workshop. Followed today by a ponder on what I’d learned in the intoxicating air of the rose garden by the Rotunda cafe.

For more cafes with photos on my blog see http://cafedharma.wordpress.com

For further fresh air meet ups see http://www.meetup.com/freshairbtn/

For more information on Charlotte’s courses see www.charlotteaustin.co.uk