TimTam Slam!

Have you ever eaten the Australian chocolate biscuit cookies called TimTams? Over the years, various people in the office in which I worked would go to Australia to study, travel, attend conferences, even work there for awhile. Our office had one unbreakable rule though  -- You Must Return Bearing TimTams! 

This rule lasted until 2008 when, at long last, TimTams began to be available in Canadian grocery stores.

Recently, blogging buddy Jackie of Junk Boat Travels had a post (click here) about eating TimTams for the first time. She also posted a video about how to do something called a TimTam Slam and said her husband will be trying it out.

Well! In the interest of scientific inquiry, I decided to take the TimTam Slam Challenge myself and try to suck up coffee through a TimTam "straw."

So off I went to Save-On Foods to buy me a package of TimTam Originals. After brewing a cuppa joe in my trusty Keurig coffee machine, I immediately and meticulously followed the video's instructions to a tee.

NOTHING.

COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE.

So I tried again, using a variety of different bite patterns on the cookie and [I shudder to even type this] different sucking techniques. Four cookies. Four attempts. I even brewed a new hot cup of coffee halfway through.

NOTHING.

COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE.

This experiment leaves me with three hypotheses --

(1) Maybe a TimTam Slam only works if you're drinking instant coffee made with BOILING HOT WATER or something. Maybe coffee from a coffeemaker is just not hot enough. Yet the guy in the video was simply using coffeemaker coffee. Plus he yakked on and on and on and on first before doing it.

(2) Isn't Australia, like, 40-50℃ ALL THE TIME? Maybe it's just too cold in Canada to keep the creme centres of TimTams soft enough for this to work.

(3) This is all a BIG HOAX by our Australian friends to take the mickey out of us poor ignorant furriners. You know, the way some cultures send the innocent and the naive off on fake snipe-hunting expeditions and such.

SO OKAY, MY AUSTRALIAN READERS, WHAT'S THE TRUTH? 

A Reminder From HRH The Cat

An Annoying Know-It-All? MOI?

Remembrance Day

A World War I memorial

by Böjte Horváth István

in Vácrátót, Hungary --

 

The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak 

by poet Archibald MacLeish --

The Act of Remembrance from

For the Fallen by poet Laurence Binyon --

NOIRVEMBER -- Spider-Noir (2026)

This 8-episode series is a GREAT way to celebrate Noirvember!

It was released six months ago on Prime Video and

I highly recommend it both to Film Noir fans and

Spider-Man fans alike!

It's based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir,

who made his first film appearance in the animated movie

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) about

several Spider-Man variants from different parts of

the multiverse who must collaborate to save the day.

Nicholas Cage voiced the animated character

and I guess that's why he was picked to play the

live-action role as well. He's not my favourite actor

and, quite frankly, he's a bit long in the tooth for the role, but

he does a credible job, ably assisted by stuntmen and all that CGI.

The Spider-Noir series is a wonderful homage to Film Noir and

has all the beloved classic tropes -- the black & white aesthetic,

the hard-boiled seedy detective, the fedora and trench coat,

powerful and ruthless enemies, a gritty 1930s urban jungle,

a potentially untrustworthy femme fatale from the demi-monde, 

snappy repartee from all concerned, and lots of light and shadow.

As a nod to younger audiences who are not

used to watching black & white TV/movies, the series

is also available in "True-Hue Full Color."

Of course, as a purist, I chose to watch it in its

"Authentic Black & White" version, and that's

what I've chosen in posting the trailer too --

Monday Murals -- Poppies

I'm taking part today in 

Monday Murals hosted by Sami.

On Wednesday it is Remembrance Day in Canada,

during which we honour our war dead and veterans.

The poppy is the official symbol of Remembrance Day because of

the famous poem In Flanders Fields, written during

World War I by Canadian doctor, soldier, and poet,

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae (who also died in that war).

This poppy-adorned utility box is located in St. Albert,

a suburban city located about 15 minutes north of Edmonton.

It is found in the parking lot of St. Albert's

branch of the Royal Canadian Legion,

a national, not-for-profit veterans' organization

founded over a century ago in 1925.

[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026]

Some Cool Crafts I Found Online

[A link party about art issues hosted by

Nicole of DVArtist, Art, Food and Everyday Things]

"Luna the Crow Sewing Case" by TheWishingShed

This is so darn cute it makes me want to take up sewing!

Want to crochet that cool coaster for yourself?

There's a one-hour YouTube tutorial here.

I don't know who made this awesome

Nazur Amulet hooked rug to ward off the Evil Eye,

but doesn't every home need one?

Fingerless Gloves by WoodlandFairyElk.

So classy! Your favourite Victorian lady would love these!

[Turtle Quilt by Laurraine Yuyama]

Isn't this stunning? Look at

the beadwork and embroidery too!

And now I'm going to pad out this post

with three craft-related LOLs -- enjoy!