There are certain mornings at Wickwood Cottage when even the most enthusiastic of us need a little encouragement.
October mornings are particularly good at this.
The light arrives later. The leaves gather themselves into unruly little heaps outside the door. The Cottage creaks and settles as though it too would rather stay tucked beneath the blankets for another half an hour.
And The Wax Maker, it must be said, is not at his conversational best.
There is, however, a remedy.
Coffee.
Strong, warm, gloriously fragrant coffee.
Which is rather convenient, because the 1st of October is International Coffee Day — and we could hardly allow such an important occasion to pass unnoticed at Wickwood Cottage.
A Morning at the Cottage
The first sign that the day has properly begun is usually the kettle.
Then comes the clink of mugs, the opening of cupboards and, eventually, that unmistakable smell drifting through the Cottage.
Fresh coffee.
It winds its way between shelves, curls around half-finished sketches and somehow always seems to find its way towards the Wax Maker's Workshop.
This is not necessarily because the Wax Maker has an unusually sensitive nose.
It may simply be because he is hoping somebody has made him one.
Lady Dinkles has learned not to ask.
There are some mysteries in Wickwood best left alone.
But one particularly chilly morning, with rain tapping against the windows and Floki Joe having already decided that the sensible place to spend October was curled somewhere warm, the Wax Maker appeared carrying something rather interesting.
Not a mug.
A tiny wax coffee bean.
Then another.
And another.
Lady Dinkles looked at them.
The Wax Maker looked at Lady Dinkles.
And somewhere nearby, an actual cup of coffee was quietly forgotten.
Coffee Had Arrived
The little beans smelled rich, warm and deliciously familiar - like opening the door of a tiny coffee shop on a cold autumn morning.
No grand adventure.
No ancient Wickwood legend.
No mysterious creature emerging from the Whispering Woods.
Just one of those wonderfully ordinary pleasures that makes an autumn day feel better.
A warm room.
A favourite mug.
A little time to yourself.
And the smell of coffee drifting through the Cottage.
And perhaps that is why Coffee belongs here after all.
Because not everything in the World of Wickwood needs to be magical.
Sometimes the magick is already sitting beside you in a slightly chipped mug.
October's Fun Fragrance
So, in honour of International Coffee Day on the 1st October, the Wax Maker's latest Fun Fragrance is Coffee, little coffee bean wax melts created for slow mornings, cosy afternoons and those moments when autumn practically demands that the kettle goes on.
They'll be taking up residence in their own little corner of Wickwood Cottage throughout the rest of 2026.
Or at least until the next idea finds its way into the Wax Maker's Workshop.
And knowing him...
we probably shouldn't leave him unsupervised for too long.
Come and join us for Coffee.
Until next time…