Crowded Grounds

We had to put in our espresso machine for a service today. That necessitating driving over an hour, all the way to Rosebery. we decided to add a little something to the trip by wandering about and lunching at a place we’d just learned of: The Grounds. It looked super-cool, with heaps to look around, and a few cool-sounding places to eat.

Well...

Apparently eleventy-million other folks had decided the same.

It was pretty and very cool, no doubt there. But oh. My. God. The crowds. Mrs tsuken and I really struggle with the press of humanity these days.

So while I am blipping this - one of the cool-looking places to eat (had there been a places left to sit, that is...) - we did not remain. We got out of there as quick as we could, and came home.

Where, having had lunch, I spent the best part of an hour getting our backup espresso machine working and clear. As it reached temperature steam started spilling out everywhere with an awful hissing. I threw in some machine cleaner/descaler, and started flushing it through.

Result!

Then a looooooong period of flushing the chemicals through so our insides didn’t also get descaled. xP The steam arm took a particularly long time, but eventually I got my coffee. 8)