It is warm, balmy even, which means more depressing talk of climate change and prematurely green slopes. However, more sunshine also means that more light is diffused across the electromagnetic field responsible for creating the phenomenon behind the famous Swiss sunset.  

Every day, at dusk, I stare gob smacked at the sky as it metamorphoses into a work of art. At first, it reminds me of Claude Monet - pastel hues of dusty pink, violet, and mauve with gentle brush strokes oozing onto a canvas of amber, sepia, and orange. Then, miraculously, Jackson Pollock springs to mind as a succession of bright gold streaks sear across the blood red canvas. When the sun finally dips below the horizon, I feel the same rousing passion as when I listen to Luciano Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma on my Spotify.

One day last week, as the sun was setting in the distance, I bumped into an old friend. She was clutching a couple of bags of freshly ground coffee from Papy Johns, our local roaster. When I mentioned that their prices had increased lately, she said she had just paid eight francs for each bag, i.e., the usual price. 

How strange, I thought. Then I remembered that the last time I was in there, I asked for a special blend of Ethiopian and Columbian beans. This explains why I paid ten francs instead of the usual eight. 

Buoyed by the news that this precious commodity had thus far escaped the economic ravages of the war in Ukraine, I said goodbye to my friend, and hurried over to Papy Johns before it closed for the evening. 

I ordered 500g of the house blend and watched as they measured out the beans and poured them into the grinder. 

“16.- francs, s’il-vous-plait Madame…”. 

The colour must have drained out of my cheeks because the store owner asked me if I was ok. 

Trying to act normally, I said, “Oui, tout va bien merci,” and handed over twenty francs. 

On my way home, I racked my brains trying figure out what happened, and then it dawned on me. 

Instead of ordering 250g of coffee, I had ordered 500g - double my usual amount! 

I felt so silly.  

Of course, I can laugh about it now. In fact, I like to think that I was so high on sunsets and coffee that my brain simply malfunctioned. 

Do Moodscopers have any funny experiences of a memory blip to share with the rest of the community?  

Cappuccino

A Moodscope member