Down the memory lane

LMSC

I’m sure all of us would have a lot of nostalgic life experiences/memories, which we may still be fondly recollecting. These are the memories, which we will never forget. It can be related to coffee, social, personal or family. Why not share them here?

I have quite a few and the one I am going to share here is definitely related to coffee. These date back to 1970-1982! I was 8 - 20 at that time! 😊

Threads like buying coffee roasting machines always take me down the memory lane.

I still remember my mum and then one of my elder brothers roasting 1 KG coffee beans at a time on an Aluminium Pan like the image below.

This job was handed over to me in addition to managing managing home affairs when I was barely 13. I was glad I got these responsibilities as I wasn’t good in schools.

She initially roasted the beans on a coal fire, kerosene and then on a Gas Stove. We were living in a Government house, as my dad was a senior chief officer managing one of the Indian railway goods transport junctions.

The smoke and the chaff would cover the whole house, but the aroma of the freshly roasting beans is something to be experienced not heard.

No sooner she finished roasting beans, the neighbours would bring fresh milk and sugar for her to make fresh coffee. They would take away some roasted beans and leave sugar, milk and lentils as a barter trade.

We had a big hand grinder made of a cast iron. I still vividly remember grinding the coffee beans and use an Indian immersion filter to make fresh coffee in the morning. I don’t remember how we stored the beans. We always had air-tight stainless steel containers to store the beans.

There were no fridge, freezer and a one-way valve at the time. I don’t think we also rested the coffee beans for 2 weeks!

As far as the beans are concerned, we always purchased Plantation A and Pea Berry from the wholesale market and store them.

I think life was simple and easy during those years.

What do you guys think ?

Edit: The tag is probably wrong.

-Mac

Some off the top of my head:

Playing a marimba solo at the Royal Albert Hall during the National Marching Band Championships in 1987 (aged 15). We won the best Keyboards section trophy.

Getting fan mail (twice) for video games I’ve designed (PlayStation 1 and Atari Jaguar).

Directing Sean Bean for a game voice over/video narration.

2500+ miles road trips around:
Florida and the Keys
Vegas, Grand/Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, South California
New York (4 times) and New England
Michigan and Grand Rapids (‘Beer City USA’).

Getting an official Mensa genius-level score on their test (aged 17).

My first tube ride (and lots after - body boarding)/riding a 12ft wave, while living in Newquay.

Coming 7th in the 2005 British Pipe Smoking Championships on my first (and only) attempt.

Meeting Jimmy Cricket, Fred Feast (from Coronation Street), Brian Jacks, Neil Adams (judo), Leighton Rees (pro darts player), Peter Osgood (former England footie star), Chris Walker (motorbike racer), David Moorcroft (olympic distance runner), at separate times.

Passing both car and motorbike IAM Advanced tests and eventually becoming the Chief Observer for Severn Advanced Motorcyclists.

Getting my vehicles (don’t still have all of them):
Highly modded Nissan 300ZX twin turbo
Honda VFR750F-S
Yamaha Fazer FZS 1000
BMW R1200RT
Ducati Multistrada MTS1200. It caught fire so they replaced it with the following years’ Skyhook suspension model for free.
KTM 1290 Super Adventure
KTM 1290 Super Duke GT

2 motorbike track days at Cadwell Park/1 at Mallory.

Gloucester to Land’s End to John O’Groats to Gloucester in 5 days (via the western edges of Scotland) on the Ducati.

Honeymoon in Tobago and Barbados with a flight over Angel Falls/Canaima National Park.

Trying (and failing) to move to Spain (due to Covid/Brexit). Will try again as soon as it’s practical again.

Seeing Jean Michel Jarre in concert at the Docklands in 1988 and at the NEC in 1998.

Being made redundant four times (due to poor company strategies).

Paying off my mortgage aged 46.

Doing a week’s residential management training at General Electric’s ‘university’ in Crotonville, NY.

Winning the Gloucestershire indoor archery (recurve) county championship 2 years running (2000/1).

LMSC

-Mac Paying off my mortgage aged 46.

The best, IMO. Good for you.

Redundancy is ok. we have all been there. After the first time, it’s just a number. When it happened for the first time in 2005, I actually felt so liberated. It was like letting go! 😄

LMSC

Some unforgettable vacations with families are 😀

10 days in Rome in 2015
2000 miles road trip to Highlands and especially the North Coast 500
2 weeks Whistle Stop trip to India in 2018

Agra to see Taj Mahal

Udaipur

Jaipur

Delhi

Amritsar - Golden Temple

Mysore

Madurai - To see a historic temple