People occasionally roll their eyes when they learn that I get up every day at five o’clock to write, but it’s really very easy.  All you need is a good coffee machine, like this one:

I love my coffee machine.  It is a truly wonderful thing.  It’s made by Nespresso.  I am sure that without it (and its predecessors) I would never have become a writer.  I can also honestly say that I have only very rarely tasted better coffee anywhere.  The reason for this is that the coffee comes in little, air-sealed pods which are only punctured when you pop them in the machine.  As a result, every cup is completely fresh.  There’s always a perfect crema on the top.  Nespresso offers a choice of several varieties of coffee of varying strengths and flavors, but we don’t muck about.  We like Ristretto, which is the strongest one they do.  I have one each morning at 5, which kicks starts the old bean (as Bertie Wooster would say), and then another one at about 6.10, just to maintain adequate levels of caffeination, and on I plod.

A while ago my doctor was concerned about my blood pressure and suggested that I cut down on my coffee intake.  I tried kicking it cold turkey (yeah, me and Miles Davis both) but got such blinding headaches that I could hardly see.  So I began taking my morning dose again, and only cut back later in the day.  I admit that I continue to be a little spooked by what appears to be my clinical addiction to the stuff, but I suppose there are worse things.  You do what you gotta do, right?