Coffee nation Starbucks in this country can be a scary place. You line up behind a long line of expert coffee ordering Americans, you know the types - "two shot, skinny, latte, no froth, venti." - and one after the other of alien sounding orders, the lady at the cash till finally gets to you. "Er, um, oh just a tea please?"

"With honey?"

"Honey? No just water!"

But nowadays Starbucks feels more welcoming and that is because I have become American!

I used to be a tea man. Morning, noon and night. I rarely drunk coffee, just maybe an espresso after a meal but now I am addicted to the black stuff. On the way to work, in the afternoon and I now have a cool espresso machine at home, so I drink it in the evening and at weekends too.

I haven't yet gone as far as to own one of those ridiculous beaker things that the American's walk around the street with but for someone who liked nothing better than a nice cuppa, it is a worrying development.

It wasn't helping that when I asked for a 'tall Americano' in my local Starbucks in the morning, they never understood me and used to think I said two and not tall, so, well obviously two cups was only fuelling my new found addiction!

Now, I have to go through this ridiculous routine in the morning. "Hello, what can I get you?"

"An Americano please. "

"An Americano, great. Oh, what size?"

"Tall." And that means I only get one cup, and not two. Saving me a fortune it is!

So I'm now a coffee freak but please if you ever hear or see me stand at the milk counter in Starbucks and pour in 4 spoons of sugar, a slug of full fat milk, some nutmeg, a shot of vanilla, a whirl of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon then that is the day you need to tell me to get on the plane home.  ¶ 00:41