Longing for Timmy's

Priscilla and Dominic warned us, but we didn't heed ... this is the tale of our search for the morning coffee. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a 5 cup a day coffee drinker - I like about 1 and a half cups in the morning to kick start my day and to clear the cobwebs out of my head. Dan is a devotee to the "double double" from Tim Horton's.

When we arrived in Australia, we quickly deduced that they are a nation of instant coffee drinkers OR cappucino lovers. Dan refused to pay over $4.00 for a "coffee" at a bistro or cappucino shop and at our cottage in Karuah, we had small packets of instant and a kettle. We made due but found it a bit weak and lacking the full bodied flavour of brewed coffee but didn't worry too much thinking that once we got to Narrandera, things would improve.

The Quest for a Coffee Maker: Priscilla told us that they did not have a coffee maker before we came but we did not realize that aquiring one would be like the quest for the Holy Grail! Our first trip to Coles, the local grocery store confirmed that this would not be an easy task. We noticed that ground coffee was sold in small bags and instant coffee was sold in the jumbo 1kg tins. Dan bought a bag of coffee and a bodum or coffee press. We giggled and thought back to our university days when we had a bodum. I liken a bodum to having "campfire coffee"- strong and gritty BUT I was having trouble coming out of the caffiene withdrawl fog and wanted a kick so we gave it a go. We put in the grains, boiled the water and poured it into the press. We grinned at one other as we hovered, waiting for it to turn strong and black. Then, p-r-e-s-s, we plunged and it didn't go down. We plunged again, and it didn't go down. So we just poured it into cups and drank the strong coffee, grounds and all.

We tried shopping for a coffee maker and found that they are scarce. We went to Target and Kmart and Big W looking and we either found a small 2 cup coffee maker or an adequate coffee maker that was VERY overpriced by our standards. So we weren't ready to commit to a new one yet and decided keep searching. To illustrate that coffee makers are not in demand here, for every one small coffee maker we found, there were 8 to 10 cappucino makers.

EBay: We went on, we searched and we found! People would have coffee makers for sale for $4.00 but they would have to be picked up. You could not get it shipped to you. This was quickly ruled out as an option because the 4 hour drive and gas use would quickly outweigh the $4.00 cost to get the coffee maker.

Dan began to talk about giving up coffee all together - I knew that he was becoming delirious and a resolution had to be found - and fast!

Salvation!

There is a Salvation Army in town and as we were driving home one evening, I suggested that perhaps we stop there. I went to the door and Dan and the boys waited in the car. DRAT - locked! We went home and resolved to go back in the next day. Dan and Jacob were up at the crack of dawn and took a walk up to the Sally Ann. When they returned they had a barely used coffee maker AND a pack of filters - for $2.00! We quickly cued it up and it wasn't long before the wonderful smell of brewing coffee filled the house. Dan and I actually hovered over it and inhaled deeply as the aroma filled our senses. For the first time since our arrival, the full bodied flavour of brewed coffee cleared the cobwebs and sharpened our senses! Now, it is starting to feel like home. Next quest: Coffee cream!

Happily enjoying a cuppa Joe