Coffee talk

Don’t worry, I’m the one who started the dramatics. 

I’ve got a bit of insight into your life because I’ve got a good friend who’s been a single mom forever and end up helping her out occasionally.  Last week I took them up to  Uni to drop the daughter off and it was something else. 

Last year the daughter also had a massive medical scare and I helped out there as well and it sounded eerily similar.

I suspect most people who have either not been a single parent or known one closely really don't understand just how appreciated the occasional "helping hand" can be.  When you're raising a kid/kids alone, you are "on duty" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.  Good on you for helping your friend out. Seriously, sometimes just having a couple of "I'm Free" hours is such a relief - even though in the back of your head you are never completely disengaged.

And yeah, I bet it was something at the Uni!  When I drove the Daughter to the airport a couple of years ago to fly to Uni in Scotland, we'd never been apart more than a couple of days.  She looked so grown up, and sooooo excited when she waved goodbye at me after she got through security.  I stayed out in the parking lot (couldn't go with her past security) until I saw her plane take off. Then I almost had a wreck going home from turning into the offramp on the freeway (recovered quickly!) and cried like a baby all the way home.

She came back home again, though, and decided she doesn't like living in Uni housing.    I wonder why? Might have been the gaggle of roomates, including the Chinese guy who kept leaving fish guts in the sink and on the counters.... not quite like living at home. (thankfully)

Did you hear Obama talking about dropping his daughter at Uni?  He said the Secret Service Guys pretended not to notice his tears. 

It was always kind of weird trying to help out when those two were so tight and I am married to someone else and have my own kids .  Nonetheless, I still managed to get roped into pregnancy scares and dodgy boyfriend dealing.  Most of the time I just drove in awkward silence!

Yeah, I read that about Obama. Over the years I've watched him when his kids were around and you could see the girls doing that "oh, Daaaad" look when he'd just done something that embarrassed them in front of their friends. The one girl was pretty good at doing the "stoic face" but the other one you just saw what she was thinking. It was hilarious, the poor thing!  And then Michelle would give him the side-eye.

Michelle and he are just so cute together. They like still hold hands when they're in public.  One can hope that he'll consider running for president again and we'd get eight years of sanity. But wouldn't blame him for running like hell from the thought!

Hey, at least you were there - driving in silence is still driving while being there. It matters!

Coffee. Back to coffee.  Anyone know a place in Scotland (I can take the bus for a day out) where I can find a proper coffee emporium - one of those places with bins and bins full of coffee beans - where I can buy the coffee blend of my choice? Or do they not have those here? I've seen tea emporiums, but not coffee, in Glasgow.

Sadly... Obama can't run for president again. You can only be president for 2 terms in your life. You can hold any other office in the White House, but you can't be president again due to the 22nd amendment. 

Sadly... Obama can't run for president again. You can only be president for 2 terms in your life. You can hold any other office in the White House, but you can't be president again due to the 22nd amendment.

Yep, this. I remember so many people posting about how they hoped Michelle would run but I honestly can't see that happening.

I do love them as a couple. They are adorable!

Sadly... Obama can't run for president again. You can only be president for 2 terms in your life. You can hold any other office in the White House, but you can't be president again due to the 22nd amendment.

Ya know, for all these years I thought it was "two consecutive terms".  Sigh.

I would be so sad if Michelle Obama ran.  It’s not supposed to be a hereditary office!  She’s great and probably better than the train wreck we have now, but I’d like a professional politician with proper experience please. 

About coffee, if you really want a place with bins full of blends and flavoured beans, it’s called Whittards down here and it’s popular on the high street.  All the coffee will be bitter and stale and I’ll be crying for you! 

How about ordering something like this?

https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/coffee-subscription


My favourite blend is the Italian Job. 

WHAT'S TAKEN YOU SO LONG?!  I was counting it down since gingerbread flavour left after the winter season! lol

I am counting down the PSL for the Peppermint Mocha season! I know you can technically do them all year, but it is just not the same. You can have ALL the PSL and I will take the Peppermint, thank you!

Also, I suggest you buy a Tassimo for flavored lattes. And I get Coffeemate Vanilla and Hazelnut creamer (the powdered kind) from Amazon.

You can have ALL the PSL and I will take the Peppermint, thank you!

Done deal!! 

hahaha that is fair, I will accept this.

We have Costa in my village, but I'm not a fan. I think it's because I don't think the flavour-syrups are strong enough unless you have a lot put in but then I don't want all the sugar. I'm definitely a Starbucks person but I think that's because ever since high school, my best friend worked at Starbucks so she'd sort me out with free coffee and then it kind of grew on me (I HATED it at first and always went with dunks because it was cheaper but eventually the dunks quality went down and I developed a taste for Starbucks). I think when I moved here, it was juts easier to go to Starbucks because I had a choice of all the coffee shops being in Reading initially, and I knew how to order there and what I was getting and I've just stuck with it ever since. At one point, and I'm not proud to admit this, I had gold status set up for a fair amount of time in future than most people would probably have on average....I went there MANY times a week....I am DEFINITELY a coffee person.

I think it's also that other people don't necessarily get "iced coffee/latte" over here right. Starbucks is the only one I find consistent to what I expect in the US apart from the odd local coffee shop.

I prefer Caffe Nero to both Costa and Starbucks, but there aren't very many around without going into Glasgow city centre.  Certainly not in my neck of the woods.

Coffee. Back to coffee.  Anyone know a place in Scotland (I can take the bus for a day out) where I can find a proper coffee emporium - one of those places with bins and bins full of coffee beans - where I can buy the coffee blend of my choice? Or do they not have those here? I've seen tea emporiums, but not coffee, in Glasgow.

Never seen anything like this here.  You could maybe try Peckhams in Byres Road and in Hyndland Road (and soon to be here in Helensburgh!!), but I'm really not sure.

Do they sell coffee in coffee cans anymore, anywhere?  I was talking to hubby about making ice cream in two different sized coffee cans the other day.  It made me think I never see metal coffee cans anywhere anymore (US, I mean. I've never seen them in the UK?) . I'm not talking about the wee tins like nescafe , I mean like a 1lb and 3lb coffee can.   

My sister in the summer was here and really enjoyed the Nescafe barista instant coffee.  That really surprised her as she didn't think she'd like it. 

Do they sell coffee in coffee cans anymore, anywhere?  I was talking to hubby about making ice cream in two different sized coffee cans the other day.  It made me think I never see metal coffee cans anywhere anymore (US, I mean. I've never seen them in the UK?) . I'm not talking about the wee tins like nescafe , I mean like a 1lb and 3lb coffee can.   

My sister in the summer was here and really enjoyed the Nescafe barista instant coffee.  That really surprised her as she didn't think she'd like it.

I just checked Walmart Groceries, and they seem to have switched away from metal tins to plastic jugs and tubs.  This is the largest I could find, and it's under 3 lbs.:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxwell-House-Original-Medium-Roast-Ground-Coffee-42-5-oz-1204-g/108658675

Illy coffee comes in shiny metal cans.  About 500 grams.  Would be perfect for ice cream if you can find a bigger bucket. 

Too bad you aren’t closer or I would loan you my proper hand crank ice cream churn.  It’s an antique I found on EBay that cost less than £50 shipped.  I bet America is awash with hand crank machines now that people are too damn lazy.  It makes spectacular sorbet.