Shop shelf latte

I got one of these cold Starbucks lattes from Sainsbury’s and once again my attention to detail failed me. As I ripped off the lid, peeled off the foil and unpeeled the straw, I realised that at the end of the straw there was a sharp end meant for poking through the lid and the foil. Oh well, it just wobbled a little in its nice packaging until it was fully consumed. I was curious to taste this and compare it to the real thing you get in store and also to the famous Canadian Iced Capp from Tim Hortons. It was very nice indeed and has just the right amount of sugar. I think they need to create a soya version of this or a lactose free version (maybe they should team up with Lactofree!) but it was a nice treat on a sunny afternoon!


Thanks Starbucks for being there for those important times in life when a little pick me up via caffeine is needed. I had to share the rest with my favourite bear James but he was happy to sip up the rest; another problem is that my eyes are always bigger than my stomach!

$1 cookie for charity
I love this idea as it is simple and attracts all audiences in Timmies target market. It increases brand awareness of Tim Hortons being socially responsible and having a philanthropic side and it is easy for those latte activists who want to do good and donate to charity but don't actively seek out the donation of money. Therefore, buying a cookie is an easy way to get pleasure from the chocolatey goodness while doing good at the same time. Much better than a fatty boom boom doughnut.

The only downside is it is run for a short time -6 days which is a little burst of goodness. It should've been a month or at least two weeks as am sure all the prep, collateral print and logistics of this might have costed a lot for such a short campaign. In short, I think it is a great campaign for Tim Hortons, who have also in the last few weeks re-located their head office back to Canada. They went to the US for tax breaks but are now back (what is the Canadian government doing to businesses if they have to move to the US for tax breaks?!)

Anyhow, v. simple: customers buying their daily coffee pick up a coffee and a cookie (for a dollar) you can't buy much for a dollar these days unless you go to these crazy places like Dollarama and then you can buy a tea set from China for $1 (?!), and proceeds go to the local charity. When I purchased my cookie the local children's hospital in Hamilton would benefit, I wonder what the proceeds per cookie actually are?

The munchkins loved the Smile cookie, I felt better for it, it averted a doughnut purchase (which I think is fattier) and all were pleased. And who doesn't love a soft and chocolatey cookie? Job done!

The 'roll up' craze

You can buy turkey with ranch dressing roll ups at Tim Hortons, you can buy pre-made cream cheese roll ups at the grocery store and you see roll up ads on TV. Not a new concept but I guess some marketing peeps are breathing new life into the craze of a a few years ago wraps (!) or pita or crepe concept. In keeping with the theme of the month, I made fajita and Nutella roll ups for my nephews. I think we can call the fajita ones 'soft tacos' but let's stick to roll-ups as there is a theme here going people.

So JJ and PM enjoyed their roll ups immensely. JJ played with his in his mouth til his gobber rolled down the middle of the roll up, 'awwh how cute' you are saying; well everything is cute to me except the gobber! And notice the glam Mardi Gras beads he sports with every outfit. He has them in several colors but some days he accessorizes with one strand and other days he is more Coco Chanel and wears several strands together, oh so fashionable at such a young age, must take after his devil wearing Prada Aunty.

Back to the RUs - heat your pita or fajita in the microwave for 10seconds and the wrap becomes nice and warm so the chocolate melts a little, yum. That might be my breakfast for today if I can source some fajitas at the Tesco in the petrol station??!

Excuse me sir, there is a worm in my goulashIt was Czech equivalent of the the Tim Horton's bread bowl! Except this one had a teeny tomato in it with a hole and mysterious black stuff inside. Either the worm escaped and left some baggage or it died in there and it got cooked up in Palmer's goulash dinner - same venue as Wendel's fried cheese.
Need to get the name of the place, as all Czech words are incomprehensible to me. I could not tell you where we ate or drank except for when I was at our hotel which was easy enough; the Four Seasons dahhling...no it wasn't that nice, but my boss stayed there while we stayed near the lovely castle.
Mmm...worm-y soup! This was washed down with some lollipop infused beer.