February Journal 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #66:

Greetings everyfur and welcome to my February journal!

As it happens though, not really much happened since my previous journal so I'm not really sure what to talk about...

It is now the Year of the Water Tiger - I'm a Metal Rooster myself, but Kaffre feels that tigers are sufficiently tabby-like to make him very excited about the coming year despite some nervousness regarding the 'water' part of the equation..

Hmm not really sure what else to say so I guess we'll just cut this month's journal short. See you all again next month! *lots of hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #66

Name: Guinness Crisps
Manufacturer: Burt's Snacks Limited
Size: 40 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of thick cut kettle chips supposedly flavoured to taste like stout.
Opinion: Another British snack I grabbed on a whim. I don't really drink and thus not terribly sure what stout tastes like, much less Guinness specifically, but these chips are tasty in their own right having a strong malty flavour that fades into a sort of burnt or yeasty taste reminiscent of vegemite. Overall, I thought these chips were pretty good and would definitely consider buying them again

Name: Kit Kat (Sweet Potato)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: Eleven 11.6 gram bars.
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of 'fun-size' Kit Kat, but covered with white chocolate flavoured to taste like a sweet potato.
Opinion: A Japanese product I grabbed on a whim. The bar is very sweet, but vanilla comes through stronger than the carrot-like flavour that I normally associate with sweet potato, but this could have to do with the Japanese sweet potato being different from the variety we usually eat in North America. Questions of authenticity aside, I thought these tasted pretty good and would consider buying them again.

Name: Pepsi Blue
Manufacturer: Pepsi co.
Size: 591 mL bottle
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of a blue carbonated 'berry flavoured' beverage
Opinion: An item I purchased some time ago and promptly forgot in the fridge. This product doesn't specify what type of berry they're supposed to be, but does seem to exhibit a very mild blueberry flavour (others who sampled it with me cite the flavour as 'blue'). Overall, I thought this item was OK, but I don't think I'd buy it again - I'm not the biggest fan of fruit-flavoured soda and this didn't have much fruit flavour anyway.

Name: Twirl (Orange)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 43 grams in two bars.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Twirl consists of two bars of textured orange-flavoured chocolate (not unlike 'Flake') enrobed in Cadbury chocolate and sold bundled together in a single package not unlike Twix.
Opinion: Yet another orange flavoured holiday version of a popular British chocolate bar, this product tastes about how you'd expect and orange flavoured Twirl to taste with a pleasant blending of milk chocolate and orange flavourings with the surface area provided by the flaky texture giving an especially intense hit. I like this item, but it's very subjective depending on your personal feelings regarding orange-flavoured chocolate..

Name: Walkers Fish and Chips Crisps
Manufacturer: Walkers Snack Foods
Size: Five 25 gram bags bundled together.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of fairly ordinary-looking potato chips. According to the packaging, they're flavoured to taste like the signature dish of 'The Wetherby Whaler' a restaurant in Yorkshire.
Opinion: I've a better idea what this is supposed to taste like than other products in the 'local restaurant' line and this about what I expected - a slighly acidic taste that registers somewhere between malt vinegar (chips) and lemon juice (fish) an unusual combination (to me), but quite enjoyable. Overall, I liked these crisps and would probably consider buying them again in future.

New Year 2022 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #65

Greetings loyal journal-readers and welcome to my first journal of 2022!

First I'd like to apologize for not posting a journal since November - I have no idea if anyone actually reads these, but I did promise 1 per month. I was suffering from some mental health issues at the time, but I'm not fully convinced that was a factor - more likely, I was too busy preparing for the holidays and simply forgot.

Regardless, I'm not really sure how much news I have to share so I'll mention them in point form so as to save time:
- My back-ordered items from Rightstuf arrived shortly before Christmas giving me lots of reading material and a nifty Made in Abyss keychain.
- I finally got to try Munchkin: Tails, despite the lack of a feline race, it featured some cute art and reasonably fun (albeit essentially identical to every other version of Munchkin). I also happened to notice that Munchkin Babies is set to drop this month which is certainly tempting, but when paired with 'Tails' almost makes me feel like I'm being spied on...
- A favourite barn cat I hadn't seen in almost a year has returned! Hopefully he will stick around.

I had a few other things I thought about saying, but they proved harder than expected to phrase even in point-form and probably wouldn't be of interest to anyone any way...

Thanks or taking time to read this journal! *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy # 65

Name: Dairy Milk (Pretzel & Peanut Butter)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 100 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a bar of Cadbury milk chocolate in a 3x8 grid of 24 squares. The chocolate contains small fragments of pretzel and some kind of peanut-butter flavouring agent.
Opinion: An item I decided to sample on a whim. Despite some reservations, however, this product was actually quite good - peanut-butter flavour blends nicely with the milk chocolate while the pretzel bits provide a bit of saltiness, but mostly add texture in the form of crunchiness.

Name: Freddo (Dairy Milk)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 18 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a small bar of milk chocolate formed in the shape of a cartoon frog.
Opinion: Another import I decide to sample. This product tastes virtually identical to the standard Dairy Milk though the different shape makes for an interesting experience. Overall, I thought this product was quite nice, but can't really see any reason to choose it over Dairy Milk except, perhaps, that it's quite a bit smaller and thus better suited for children. Even so, I might purchase it again some day...

Name: Hershey's Sugar Cookie Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 43 gram bar
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: consists of a flattish bar of white chocolate embedded with many small green an red fragments of sugar cookie. The bar is divided into twelve segments (three columns of four) allowing it to be readily broken up into bite-sized pieces.
Opinion: A holiday item I grabbed on a whim. Unsurprisingly, this item is very similar to Hershey's standard 'Cookies n' Creme', but not as much as I personally would have expected - the sugar cookies are noticeably sweeter than the standard Oreo and have a slight 'buttery' taste. Overall, I liked this bar and would consider buying it again.

Name: Walkers Thai Green Curry Crisps
Manufacturer: Walkers Snack Foods
Size: Five 25 gram bags bundled together.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of fairly ordinary-looking potato chips with a slight orange cast. According to the packaging, they're flavoured to taste like the signature dish of 'Mantra' a Thai restaurant in Newcastle.
Opinion: I'm not sure what this is *supposed* to taste like, but they have a mild herbal flavour similar to chicken stock with a moderate 'heat' that while an 'aftertaste', is probably the stronger flavour. Overall I liked these chips, but don't know whether I'd buy them again or not as there are quite a few flavours I like better.

Name: Yorkie (Orange)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 46 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Yorkie consists of five rather thick chunks of chocolate molded together so that the individual pieces could be broken off and eaten independently.
Opinion: A limited edition product I decided to grab up. As with the standard Yorkie, the texture was a bit unusual though not unpleasant (this may have something to do with the thickness of the segments), but while Yorkie also had an interesting tasting chocolate, it's completely overpowered by orange in this product. I like this item, but perhaps more than any other 'flavoured' chocolate bar I'd only recommend this to people who enjoy orange-flavoured chocolate.

Big Kitty Again! + Kaffre talks Candy #64

Oops it's really very easy to lose track of time as a lil' newborn kitten, but thankfully I managed to remember to make a new journal and revert back to my normal age again before the end of the month!

My birthday was pretty uneventful due to Covid, but I did acquire a new backpack, a few anime t-shirts (TPN and MiA), and ordered myself Munchkin Tails (the furry version of Munchkin) as well as ordering a pretty tasty family meal from a mid-tier local fast-food place (I got a roasted vegetable sandwich and waffle fries with cheese). It was also my first chance in a while to visit both Midori and the British Isles Shoppe so I'm currently flush with imported snacks and candy from two very different parts of the world though, regrettably, by Rightstuf order is still delayed due to certain items being out of stock.

I guess that's all I really have to say for this month, but thanks for taking the time to read my humble journal *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #64:

Name: Kit Kat Duos (Mocha+Chocolate)
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Neat Things
Description: This item resembles the standard Kit Kat save that the top is coffee-coloured and bottom a very dark brown.
Opinion: Part of my birthday gift from my sister, this bar was an interesting one. The coffee flavouring, while enjoyable, was far less intense than I had expected, but the real surprise (for me at least) was the dark chocolate aftertaste and how well it complimented the coffee. Overall, I enjoyed this item and would definitely consider purchasing it again.

Name: Little Debbie Honey Buns
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 301 gram box (6 pastries)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a circular pastrie somewhat reminiscent of very thin cinnamon buns in terms of shape, but lacking any sort of filling and covered with a sweet translucent glaze. Come individually wrapped in cellophane pouches.
Opinion: A product I've had before a long time ago, but never thought to review. The product has a mind, but pleasant flavour that is indeed reminiscent of honey. While I thought this product was reasonably tasty, its status as a 'breakfast pastrie' leaves me without a useful frame of reference except to say that these are better than I remembered and that I would consider buying them again.

Name: Magikarp Sparkling Water (Litchi)
Manufacturer: QDOL
Size: 330ml can.
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Lychee flavoured sparkling water.
Opinion: An item from China selected by my sister. I'm not sure whether I've tasted anything lychee flavoured before or not, but google describes the fruit as having a tasting like grape, peach, rose, or watermelon and I definitely got hints of both peach and what I'm assuming was rose. The flavour was very mild, however, and while not bad by any means the can is probably the most appealing part at least for Pokemon fans.

Name: Terry's Chocolate Orange (Popping Candy)
Manufacturer: Mondelez (Chocolate Works)
Size: 147 gram sphere
Where Purchased: Walmart
Description: Terry's Chocolate Orange (Popping Candy) consists of 20 wedge-shaped segments of orange-flavoured milk chocolate, with 'popping candy' embedded in them, that have been arranged radially around a central point and fused together.
Opinion: A variation on the classic holiday orange that I hadn't seen before and decided to snap up. On the plus side, it tasted almost exactly like a normal Terry's Chocolate Orange. Unfortunately, however, (for me at least), the popping candy lent a weird - though not unpleasant sensation and little else. It didn't ruin the product for me or anything, but I think I prefer the regular variety and probably would not buy this again.

Name: Walkers Madras Curry Crisps
Manufacturer: Walkers Snack Foods
Size: Five 25 gram bags bundled together.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of fairly ordinary-looking potato chips with a slight orange cast. According to the packaging, they're flavoured to taste like the signature dish of 'The Radhuni' an Indian restaurant in Loanhead Scotland.
Opinion: I'm not sure what this is *supposed* to taste like, but while milder than I was expecting (particularly after Lay's 'Magic Masala') I did find the flavour quite pleasant not really 'hot', but the flavours of tomato, garlic, paprika, and especially coconut milk were all blended nicely. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but will seek out the other 'Local Restaurant' flavours first.

*Is enveloped in a cloud of pink talc-scented smoke and transformed into a tiny and very cute newborn kitten all the better to receive the hugs and pettings I'm due on such a momentous occasion*

October 2021 Pre-Birthday Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #63

Hello everyfur and welcome to my October Journal for 2021!

October has been pretty ordinary so there's not much to say - we didn't really do anything for Thanksgiving and as it happens both Gem Storm and Poutine Fest were cancelled - I mentioned the latter in my previous journal, but to my embarrassment, it turns out misread 2022 as 2021 on *both* websites. This is almost certainly for the best as Covid continues to remain a threat and vaine passports still aren't readily available, but for the latter event, at least, their was some talk of a 'Take-Out Edition' that would, in theory at least, reduce the need for social distancing so I held out hope that it might still be occurring in some form.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that my Birthday is coming up soon and, as per recent tradition, I will be regressing back into a tiny and cute newborn kitten from October 29 until my subsequent journal so keep an eye out as I'll be expecting lots of hugging and snuggles to be sent my way!

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading everyone! *hugs*

And now, I proudly present...

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Kaffre talks Candy #63

Name: Barq's Cherry Bite
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 500mL bottle
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a dark coloured carbonated beverage
Opinion: A product I'd not heard of before deciding to snap up. Supposedly sporting a 'spicy cherry' flavour, I was expecting something in a 'hot' vein such as ginger ale or the like, but instead it's something more like... cinnamon maybe? I'm not the biggest fan of cherry flavoured stuff (it always reminds me of medicine), but I think it works well here - it's neither too tart nor sweet and while I personally don't think I'll ever buy it again it's definitely the best cherry flavoured pop I've sampled.

Name: Chips Ahoy! (Cadbury Mini-Eggs)
Manufacturer: Mondolez
Size: 400 gram package
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart.
Description: Consists of standard-looking chocolate chip cookies except that some of the chocolate chips were replaced with slivers of Cadbury mini-eggs.
Opinion: A product selected by my sister, I liked this product, but while I did find these quite tasty and certainly would consider buying them again, I also didn't think they were distinct enough from the standard variety for me to really be able to recommend them. The candy-coating on some pieces enhances the texture and there *might* be marginally more chocolate, but for the most part I can't really say that I prefer this.

Name: Fox's Glacier Dark
Manufacturer: Fox's Confectionery
Size: 130 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of liquorice & aniseed flavoured hard candies with a roughly ice cube shape and individually packaged in bowtie wrappers. Glossy black and with a pleasant anise smell.
Opinion: An intriguing sounding snack I'd been looking for since first reviewing glacier mints. The licorice taste is, perhaps, a bit milder than I prefer, but this also makes the flavour last longer (and if desired, you can crush the candy in your teeth for a quick boost). The candy also had an unusual, though not at all unpleasant 'floral' aftertaste. Overall, I enjoyed this product and will consider purchasing again when/if I see them at my local import shop...

Name: Lays White Cheddar Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 156 gram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Marthe
Description: This product consists of plain-looking potato chips flavoured to taste like 'smartfood' brand popcorn.
Opinion: A limited time item I picked up. While I'm normally very partial to cheese-flavoured potato chips, there's something about this particular product that I found off-putting and almost buttery taste that I just couldn't get used to. They're not 'bad' by any means, but I didn't really care for them and would not purchase again.

Name: Lemon, Honey & Chamomile Drops
Manufacturer: Simpkins
Size: 200 gram tin
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consist of yellow hard candies approximately 3cm in diameter and having a shape reminiscent of red blood cells.
Opinion: A British product I decided to sample thinking they might be good for a sore throat. They have a lemony flavour albeit mellowed by the honey - it's been too long since I drank chamomile tea to remember what it tastes like, but it may be included as a 'medicinal' ingredient. Overall, I thought these tasted quite nice and would definitely consider buying them again.

September Journal 2021 + Kaffre talks Candy # 62

I'd like to start this journal by apologizing for being so late with my September journal and, of course, for missing August's in its entirety. The simple truth is that I wasn't in a very good place psychologically for a very long time and it really came to a head in August. I'll spare you the details of what happened, but I think I've passed the nadir and hopefully my mental health will be better from here. I've come to realize that my tendency toward postponing or neglecting my needs is badly exacerbated by my lack of awareness of those same needs and will be endeavouring to take better care of myself physically and mentally in the coming weeks and months.

Continuing from last month's journal, I have, of course, finished 'The Promised Neverland' S2 and while I agree that the ending was supremely disappointing, I still enjoyed the series as a whole and to this end have decided to order the manga, but it is, unfortunately on back-order at the moment. I have not yet caught up on 'Owl House' or 'The Simpsons', but have been Watching 'The Great Jahy will not be Discouraged' as the episodes come out. I think I'll probably put 'Owl House' on the back-burner for now as it will be quicker to catch up on 1/2 season of the Simpsons than 'Owl House' (I forget where I left off and will need to rewatch the whole thing).

As it happens, brother didn't have his son on his Birthday so our plans for that had to be cancelled, we'll give him his present when we next see him - probably sometime in October - which of course also features my Birthday and 'Gemstorm'. 'PoutineFest' was apparently cancelled this year (there has been no update the organizer's website), but we are considering compensating for that with a trip to either 'Smokes' or 'New York Fries' this year when we go in for GemStorm.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Apologies once again for the delay in posting. October, of course, usually includes a bonus journal for my Birthday, so maybe that will help make up the balance. Anyway, thanks for reading and now - without further ado, I proudly present: Kaffre talks Candy!

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Kaffre talks Candy #62

Name: Chips Ahoy Chewy, Caramilk
Manufacturer: Christie.
Size: 453 gram package
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a four compartments of ten cookies each housed with a plastic tray. The cookies themselves are small soft-baked chocolate chip cookies except that some of the chocolate chips seem to have been replaced with bits of caramilk bar.
Opinion: A product I recently decided to sample. As expected, they're pretty much identical to regular Chips Ahoy Chewie apart from the caramel flavour which long-time readers will know I'm not crazy about. Overall the cookies are indeed chewy and pretty tasty (though they do have an unusual, but not unpleasant aftertaste). I'm not sure I'd choose these over the regular variety, but might be worthwhile for caramel fans.

Name: Crispers, Ketchup
Manufacturer: Christie Brown & Co.
Size: 145 gram bag.
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Cheddar Crispers consist of thin, flat, crackers with a wavy, but rectangular shape that have been flavoured to taste like ketchup.
Opinion: A 'New' variety of Crispers (a brand of Canadian cracker/chips) I decided to sample. I don't care for ketchup as a condiment, but the chips are OK and fortunately this product takes more after the latter offering a sweet, but acidic tang that's quite different from the other available flavours. Overall, I did like this product and will probably buy it again, but I still think Salt & Vinegar or Dill Pickle are my favourite.

Name: Giant Parma Violet
Manufacturer: Swizzles Matlow Limited
Size: 40 gram roll
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of white tablets with the approximate diameter of a dime, but perhaps three-times as thick.
Opinion: A larger iteration of a treat included in #57. The flavour was pretty much identical, but due to the larger size and greater proportional surface area, each tablet delivers a very pleasing amount of violet flavour with less chewing and the taste persists longer thus alleviating most of my issues with the other variety. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider purchasing it again!

Name: Hershey's Cookies n' Mint Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 39 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a slender bar of green 'white' chocolate with cookie-like 'bits'.. The bar is vaguely divided up into five vaguely ice-cream cone shaped sections.
Opinion: A product I'd occasionally seen targeted ads for and decided to sample. First things first, this bar is very sweet (though not sickeningly so), but manages to retain a pleasantly minty flavour. The cookie bits were smaller than I would have liked, but do provide some measure of texture. Overall, I though this bar was decent enough, but have a hard time not compare it to Cadbury's Mint Crisp, but even so this bar is cheaper and more readily available (at least in North America) so I do recommend it.

Name: Wagon Wheels
Manufacturer: Dare Foods Limited
Size: 315 gram box (9 cakes)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a quantity of marshmallow fluff sandwiched between two Marie biscuits and enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: A common snack throughout the Commonwealth and one that I remember from my childhood. Normally, I'm not a big fan of marshmallow, but the dry crumbly nature of the biscuits helps mitigate the sticky sweetness as well as lending an unusual, but not unpleasant flavour. Overall, I thought these were pretty good and will probably buy them again some day.

July Journal, 2021 + Kaffre talks Candy # 61:

Hello again, journal readers! Apologies for my tardiness with this month's journal...

Let's see, nothing really has happened through the last month or so - I did finish up 'Tenchi Souzou Design Bu' AKA 'Heaven's Design Team'. It wasn't quite as funny as I had hoped, but was educational and cute so gets my recommendation - though it may not be appropriate for very small children as there are occasional references to reproductive organs and acts. I also just started S2 of 'Promised Neverland' and as of episode 3 it seems decent enough from the perspective of someone ignorant of the manga (which I understand to be very different). I'll probably weigh in when my August Journal rolls around.

Aside from watching anime, the other big event since my previous journal was my sister's birthday on June 28. Unfortunately, with Ontario still (mostly) under lockdown, the events were pretty subdued we visited our brother for the weekend, did a bit of shopping (mostly for groceries, which were running low), and ordered a fairly tasty Birthday Dinner from Osmow's. Sadly, the nephews were not there so some of our other plans had to be postponed though hopefully we can follow through on at least some of them when the younger boy's birthday rolls around in August.

Speaking of birthday's Tacki celebrated his earlier this month as well and as a gift of sorts, I briefly scribbled him up as a character in my intermittently developing Babyfur RPG. While I hope he enjoyed it, I had an interior motive in that I find that writing up characters will help me better immerse myself in both the setting and mechanics. I had though about using Kaffre, but unfortunate my fursona (at least in his default personality), simply isn't cut from a heroic cloth and while the serf is the backbone of any fantasy setting, it doesn't make for a compelling archetype. If anyfur wants to be written up in this way, please post a description of your character's species and desired class (at this point, that can be virtually anything as the system is, basically, freeform at this stage).

Well, I guess that's it for now, thanks again for taking time to read my journal *hugs* See you next month!

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Kaffre talks Candy #61

Name: Hershey's Strawberries n' Creme Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 39 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a slender bar of pink 'white'chocolate with cookie-like 'bits'.. The bar is vaguely divided up into five vaguely ice-cream cone shaped sections.
Opinion: A product I'd occasionally seen targeted ads for and decided to sample. The bar has a strong strawberry flavour flavour which would normally put me off, but I actually didn't mind it here either as I think the creaminess of the white chocolate helped mitigate the fruitiness. Overall, I liked this bar and would consider buying it again, but it's definitely my least favourite of the three 'ice cream' inspired bars - would recommend to strawberry fans though!

Name: Kit Kat Chunky, Pop Corn
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 48 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consist of a standard Kit-Kat chunky wafer topped with a layer... stuff with a texture and flavour reminiscent of popcorn before being enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: An limited edition product I decided to grab up. I'm not really a big fan of popcorn and seldom eat it, but this Kit-Kat does offer a buttery-salty coupled with a crispy texture. I thought the bar was OK, but probably won't buy it again though I will certainly recommend it to those who enjoy popcorn more than I.

Name: Lays Sweet Chili Heat Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 156 gram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Marthe
Description: This product consists of plain-looking potato chips with a deep red-orange cast due to the flavourings used. Supposed to taste like 'Sweet Chili' Doritos.
Opinion: A limited time item I picked up, despite the oddness of potato chips flavoured like another type of chip. My first impression was that these were very reminiscent of 'All-Dressed' chips (though that's probably not helpful to non-Canadian readers), but they're a bit sweeter and hotter than that. Overall, I thought these chips were pretty good, but I really think the flavour works better with tortilla chips.

Name: Pringles, Honey Mustard
Manufacturer: Pringles Manufacturing Company
Size: 156 gram tube
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Pringles consist of special potato chips made from a potato-based flour and baked in a very specific and consistent shape that lends itself well to 'stacking'.
Opinion: A 'limited' flavour that I (somewhat reluctantly) decided to sample. As predicted, the flavour was very strange at first, but the combination of understated sweetness with a savoury sort of aftertaste grew on me quite quickly. Overall, I thought these chips were pretty good and would consider buying them again, but there are still other Pringles varieties that I enjoy more.

Name: Tim Horton's Coffee Bar (Double Double)
Manufacturer: The Whole Coffee Company LCC
Size: 38 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a bar of caffeinated chocolate divided into three sections each adorned with a relief of a coffee bean. contains 30 milligrams of caffeine.
Opinion: Another coffee bar I decided to try this one flavoured 'double double (two sugar, two cream). As that is not how I take my own coffee on those occasions in which I partake, I cannot vouch for authenticity, but the bar does have a pleasing coffee flavour though quite a bit sweeter than I had expected. Overall, I liked this bar quite a bit more than I thought I would and will definitely consider buying it again though I do prefer the French Vanilla.

June 2021 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #60

Welcome back, loyal journal-readers to my (somewhat delayed) June Journal!

As it happens though, there really isn't much to talk about - I finished Season 1 of the excellent 'Promised Neverland' near the start of the month (surprised to discover that it's considered a Shonen series) and have just started 'Heaven's Design Bureau' which doesn't exactly have a 'plot' per se, but the first few episodes were, as predicted, cute and pretty funny. In other anime/manga related news, the official release for the 2nd 'Made in Abyss' Anthology: A Dangerous Hole' releases tomorrow so I'll probably be ordering it soon along with Volume 9 which I was unable to purchase locally due to being under lockdown the last few months.

Another thing I wanted to talk about is that, between receiving my final KS reward for 'Golden Sky Stories' and backing 'Magical Kitties Save the Day', I've also been thinking about my long neglected Babyfur RPG once again. As I've noted in the past, one of my obstacles is that I have a very narrow 'sweet spot' when it comes to 'crunch' in my RPGs - my favourites tend to be those games whose rules are sophisticated enough to represent the situations in which characters find themselves with a degree of detail that I find enjoyable (arbitrary as that maybe) while still giving the GM and players latitude in how the situations are represented and resolved - 'tightly designed' systems like D&D 4e or PF2 feel more like a straightjacket and not in a good way! That said, I think I'm at the limit of what I can do just by thinking about mechanics and will be trying to put out another simple playtest soon so that I can get a feel for what works and doesn't work in practice.

Anyway, I guess that about covers this month's journal thanks for taking the time to read it over and comment *hugs* and now, without further ado, I proudly present: Kaffre talks Candy

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Kaffre talks Candy #60

Name: Clove Chewing Gum
Manufacturer: Gerrit J Verburg Co.
Size: 12.5 gram pack
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Descriptions: Consists of 5 sticks of white chewing them that are individually wrapped.
Opinion: A vintage gum I learned about while researching Beeman's and Black Jack. The gum was quite brittle and smelled strongly of cloves. The flavour was very pleasant, but subtle and not particularly long-lasting. Overall, I thought this gum was quite good and would definitely consider purchasing it again in the future.

Name: Coffee Crisp, Double-Double
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a single large coffee-flavoured wafer cookie coated in chocolate. The bar itself is blocky and plain-looking from the outside. This one was slightly melted.
Opinion: An item I saw and decided to sample. This featured a sweet and pleasantly crispy coffee-flavoured wafer paired with sweet milk chocolate, but while it did a good job reminding me how much I love Coffee Crisp, I can't really say it tasted any different to me than the regular variety - that's not to say it's a bad product, but I can't say I'd go out of my way to choose this over the standard bar.

Name: Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 39 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a slender bar of white chocolate with sprinkles embedded in it. The bar is vaguely divided up into five vaguely ice-cream cone shaped sections.
Opinion: A product I'd occasionally seen targeted ads for and decided to sample. The bar has a strong vanilla flavour that is indeed reminiscent of cake frosting (though based on the marketing, it sounds like the bar was inspired by an ice cream flavour inspired by cake) and the sprinkles do lend a bit of texture, but a bit sweeter than I would have preferred. Overall, I liked this bar and would definitely consider buying it again.

Name: Lays Magic Masala Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 165 gram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: This product consists of ridged potato chips with a deep red-orange cast due to the flavourings used. Indian inspired, but 'masala' apparently just refers to any spice blend and isn't helpful.
Opinion: A 'New' product, I decided to sample. The chips' most prominent feature is 'heat' but it's rather different from 'barbecue' or 'jalapeno' in that it has a savouriness as well a slight bitterness and something I can't quite identify (possibly mango powder). Overall, I thought this was an interesting flavour, I found the lingering heat just a bit too much for me and I am unlikely to purchase them again.

Name: Tim Horton's Coffee Bar (Dark Roast)
Manufacturer: The Whole Coffee Company LCC
Size: 38 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a bar of caffeinated chocolate divided into three sections each adorned with a relief of a coffee bean. contains 36 milligrams of caffeine.
Opinion: Another coffee bar I decided to try this one Dark Roast flavoured. While I expected this bar to be less sweet than the other varieties I sampled, it was a bit of a surprise that it wasn't really bitter either. It had a coffee flavour to be sure, but overall was the least interesting of the three flavours though I should qualify this by stating that I am in no way a coffee connoisseur and there may well be nuances I was unable to appreciate or even detect. Even so, not a bad product and I would consider it again should I require a caffeinated chocolate.

May Journal 2021 + Kaffre talks Candy #59:

Well, nothing has really changed much since my last journal entry. I did manage to get through all of the (animated) 'Non Non Biyori' stuff. Overall it was an entertaining blend of cute and funny. I think Renge and Komari were my favourites which is hardly surprising as they are the most popular, but I also identify with them the most closely - this makes some sense though as Renge potentially being autistic seems to be a popular fan theory and, in the case of Komari, who hasn't felt like the universe's punching bag from time to time? I definitely recommend it you enjoy slice-of-life stories if only to break up more overtly melodramatic stuff. Even so, I think I'll be taking a week or so off before delving into 'Promised Neverland' S1.

My brother's birthday is on the 19th, but as the Province's 'Stay at Home' order remains in effect until at least the end of the month, I probably won't be seeing him in person for a while - though I do have a Doctor's appointment near his home a few days later so I might be able to drop off his card and gift then. That being said, I do hope things are lax enough for me to visit for my nephew's birthday in August.

Finally, I've been trying to get back into working on my Babyfur TTRPG. I feel I've more or less settled on the tone I want - which may or may not require rewrites. Specifically, I've explicitly decided to make the setting 'real' and fairly lighthearted in that the default configuration will be that characters cannot die - rather most monsters and hazards will inflict status ailments - 'wet', 'messy', 'sleepy', 'pacified', 'mittens', etc that can be remedied by use of items or spells and those that do inflict physical harm will leave the affected character temporarily incapacitated by 'crying'. While I think this is a pretty decent skeleton to construct the eventual mechanics around - I'm not quite sure how to manage elements like Classes or Species (or Characteristics, skills, or spells) and as this project isn't one that lends itself to asking randos I'm hoping tap into the creativity of our community by asking you to write up (in system agnostic terms, obviously) the sorts of characters you think you'd want to play so that I can try to find some way to implement them into the game.'

Anyway, that's about it for this month, thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs* Now, I proudly present...

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Kaffre talks Candy #59

Name: Black Jack Chewing Gum
Manufacturer: Gerrit J Verburg Co.
Size: 12.5 gram pack
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Descriptions: Consists of 5 sticks of gray chewing them that are individually wrapped.
Opinion: Another product I grabbed to sample. The gum in the pack I bought was pretty brittle, but exuded a very strong liquorice smell. In contrast to the powerful aroma, it took quite a bit of chewing to release its flavour which I found pleasant if a bit mild. Overall, this was an interesting product that I will consider purchasing again in future.

Name: M&Ms, Fudge Brownie
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 185 gram bag
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Consists of chocolate-flavoured candy with a colourful candy coating. Larger and rounder than 'standard' M&Ms, but still bearing the iconic 'm'.
Opinion: A product I decided to sample on a whim. M&Ms normally being chocolate flavoured makes it a bit difficult to evaluate the authenticity of the flavour, but I do feel that these are chewier, richer, and seemingly less sweet and as such does constitute a decent stab at 'brownie'. Overall, I thought these candies were good and would definitely consider buying them again, but am uncertain as to whether they're distinct enough from normal M&Ms to really stand out.

Name: Rose Delight Flavour Chocolate Centred Drops
Manufacturer: A L Simpkin & Co.
Size: 175 gram tin
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consist of pink lozenge shaped hard candies filled with dark chocolate.
Opinion: A British import I decided to sample, I must admit I'm not sure what 'rose' is supposed to taste like.That being said, the flavour is pleasing, but somewhat difficult to describe having subtle, but definable 'floral' taste. The chocolate centre is similarly hard to rate - the packaging touts 'premium dark chocolate' and it certainly has a nice texture, but it's pretty much impossible to distinguish much nuance against the background flavour of the candy. Overall, I thought these were an interesting product and would definitely consider purchasing them again though probably in circulation with similar hard candies.

Name: Rough Cuts Chargrilled Steak Crisps
Manufacturer: Tayto Group Limited
Size: 47.5 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of 'ruffled' potato chips with a brownish colour.
Opinion: North Irish product I decided to sample. These chips have a dry savoury, almost smokey flavour, but lack the sweetness of something like 'barbecue' or 'smokey bacon'. Onion powder is one of the first ingredients listed and you can definitely taste it, but it seems appropriate somehow. Overall, I thought these chips were pretty good and might consider purchasing them again, but there are other flavours I prefer.

Name: Tim Horton's Coffee Bar (French Vanilla)
Manufacturer: The Whole Coffee Company LCC
Size: 38 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a bar of caffeinated chocolate divided into three sections each adorned with a relief of a coffee bean. contains 22 milligrams of caffeine.
Opinion: I saw this item on the shelf and decided to sample it. To my surprise, the flavour is in fact almost identical to the titular coffee from that franchise, having a pleasant hit of sweet vanilla that nicely complimented the bitterness of the coffee. The only real complaints I have is the fact that it's caffeinated which means I have to be careful when I enjoy it and is potentially a factor in the bar's price. Overall, I enjoy this product and will purchase it again in future.

Studema Katido + Kaffre Talks Candy #58

It has been a few months since my last journal entry so I felt obligated to provide an update of some kind. Firstly, yesterday marked my one year anniversary of starting to learn Esperanto - I was working very slowly and have been messing about with other languages at the same time, but even so it has been an interesting process: being so regular it really does make it easier to understand how other, more complicated, languages are structured while being fully functional in itself which is really neat to me.

I've also been watching a lot more anime, right now I'm slowly making my way through 'Non Non Biyori' which is quite cute and relaxing, but I should maybe follow up with something more dramatic and have selected 'Promised Neverland' as I have heard very good things about it's first season from the 'Made in Abyss' fandom.

Anyway, the primary reason for this journal is to clear some of my Candy review backlog that's been building up for a while now so without further ado, I proudly present...

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Kaffre Talks Candy #58

Name: Beeman's Chewing Gum
Manufacturer: Gerrit J Verburg Co.
Size: 12.5 gram pack
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Descriptions: Consists of 5 sticks of white chewing them that are individually wrapped.
Opinion: A familiar sounding snack. The pieces in the pack I bought were somewhat brittle, but still chewable and delivered a mild, but very pleasant wintergreen flavour which it retained pretty well despite my characteristically vigorous chewing. Overall, I though this was a pretty tasty gum and would consider purchasing it again, but I'm pretty sure there are other gums I like better.

Name: Hershey's Candy Cane Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 43 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a bar of mint-flavoured white chocolate with bits of candy cane embedded in it. The bar is segmented into 9 pieces albeit in a very unorthodox pattern.
Opinion: An interesting seasonal item I chose to sample. The white chocolate feels somewhat cheap and 'plastic-like, but between the minty taste and the crushed candy cane texture it's really not particularly detrimental. Overall, I liked this bar and would purchase it again though I do suspect the novelty is a big part of its appeal.

Name: Hot Tomales Soft & Chewy Bites
Manufacturer: Kenny's Candy & Confections
Size: 113 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of vaguely cylindrical pieces of red candy that look a bit like short pieces of 'soft licorice'.
Opinion: An interesting product, these do bring a pleasant cinnamon flavour, but to my disappointment were substantially milder than the standard 'hot tomales'. I probably won't get them again, but they might be worthwhile if you prefer a less 'spicy' candy or are really into the 'chewy' aspect.

Name: M&Ms, Hazelnut Spread
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 185 gram bag
Where Purchased: Unknown (gift)
Description: Consists of hazelnut flavoured chocolate in a colourful candy coating. Larger and less regularly shaped than 'standard' M&Ms, but still emblazoned with an 'm'.
Opinion: I didn't really like this product at first - the hazelnut flavouring somehow made the chocolate taste 'cheap' (it probably was) and the candy coating didn't seem to work with the hazelnut very well. They grew on me very quickly, however, and after a few handfuls it no longer bothered me. Overall, I'd probably buy these again, but am unsure whether I'd select them over regular M&Ms.

Name: Pocky, Sakura
Manufacturer: Thai-Glico
Size: 80.4 gram box
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of thin pretzel-sticks one end of which has been lightly dipped in a pink white-chocolate that has been infused with the essence of the sakura (Japanese Cherry Blossom) and lightly dusted with salt.
Opinion: A Japanese import that I haven't seen until now. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the flavour has fruity overtones, but is subtler and more aromatic than most cherry flavoured items the salt is a nice touch too! Overall, I liked this product - the flavour is a bit more subtle than is usual for Pocky, but I think it works well...

Holiday Journal 2020 + Kaffre talks Candy #57

Well, it's now officially winter so it seems as good a time as any to post my December journal. I don't really have anything new to say, but am looking forward to the days getting longer again from here on!

While the holidays haven't exactly been bad for me - introverted as I am IRL, nothing has really changed except that my gift shopping has been somewhat delayed by the imposition of social distancing measures, but to be honest, I'm not particularly worried as I probably won't be seeing most of the people I buy for until well after New Year's anyway so I may have time to grab something after the holiday season...

I really feel like I should say more, but I'm still trying to get back into the habit of writing journal on a monthly basis. I hope everyfur is able to enjoy this impending holiday season. I look forward to interacting with everyfur in even more journals in the coming year! *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #57

Name: Crispers, Cheddar
Manufacturer: Christie Brown & Co.
Size: 175 gram bag.
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Cheddar Crispers consist of thin, flat, crackers with a wavy, but rectangular shape that have been flavoured to taste of cheddar cheese.
Opinion: A 'New' variety of Crispers (a brand of Canadian cracker/chips) I decided to sample. The flavour, as with most Crispers, is relatively mild which I normally don't mind in a cracker, but as with 'ranch' the cheese just doesn't stand out enough for me to really enjoy them, I might buy them again, but there are other flavours I prefer.

Name: Curry Chips
Manufacturer: Tayto Group Limited
Size: 35 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of vaguely french fry shaped sticks of extruded corn flavoured to taste like 'curry'.
Opinion: A north Irish product I decided to sample. 'Curry' is a tricky flavour to judge both because I'm largely unfamiliar with it and because it tends to be localized to fit local palates. That said, these feature a pleasant flavour reminiscent of paprika and turmeric - savoury, but with an almost sweet aftertaste. Overall, I thought this product was interesting and would probably consider buying it again if it were more regularly available.

Name: Parma Violets
Manufacturer: Swizzels Matlow Limited
Size: 108 gram tube.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a tablet candy similar to the 'rockets' (confusingly 'smarties' in the US) except that they're all the same colour (off-white). Tube contains 16 individual rolls of candy.
Opinion: A British product I've always been curious about and finally got a chance to try! As promised, the flavour (derived from violets) was interesting having a subtle floral flavour that was vaguely reminiscent of the Thrills gum but more subtle and while thrills tends to lose its flavour very quickly, Parma Violet are very bland at first with the perfume-y kick only coming later. Overall, I enjoyed these candies and while the flavour was far more subtle than I was lead to expect, I do think I would consider purchasing them again in future - if the importer kept them stocked anyway...

Name: Penguin Biscuits (Original)
Manufacturer: McVitie's
Size: 196.8 grams in eight cookies
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of two chocolate biscuits with chocolate creme sandwiched between them and enrobed in milk chocolate. Come individually wrapped in packages of eight.
Opinion: While it certainly sounds like a lot chocolate, I did not find these to be overly rich, but rather similar to Timtams though these had a rather distinctive (though not unpleasant) aftertaste that I found difficult to identify. Overall, I thought these were pretty tasty and would consider purchasing them again. As for the jokes/riddled on the wrappers, they're pretty obvious puns, but I suspect they're aimed at fairly young children anyway.

Name: Pocky, Chocolate Choco-Mint
Manufacturer: Thai-Glico
Size: 81.6 gram box
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of thin chocolate biscuit-sticks one end of which has been lightly dipped in a sea-green, mint-flavoured compound. The sticks appear a bit shorter and thicker than usual.
Opinion: A Japanese import that I hadn't seen until now. The flavour was pleasant and seemed slightly more intense than most Pocky I've tried and nicely complimented the crispy chocolate biscuit. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely purchase it again in preference to other varieties.

Post-Birthday Journal 2020 + Kaffre Talks Candy #56

Hello, everyfur!

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for being so aloof during the pandemic. Being a pretty extreme introvert, nothing has really changed that much for me personally, but the having lost access to my computer for a time, I did struggle to get back into posting regularly - something I hope to rectify in the coming year!

As you can probably tell by my being ble to talk again, I'm back to my usual age of 3. I would, however, like to thank everyfur for the celebratory hugging and petties on my birthday, they were much appreciated! As for my birthday itself, it was pretty usual for me, I went on brief outing to Kingston where I purchased a 'mystery bag' of stationary from Midori along with some other items and then ordered lunch from Osmow's.

One thing I've been really secretive about for some reason is that, on October 26, I was helping to move hay when I slipped off the tailgate of the truck face-first. I broke my nose and needed some stitches (as well as injuring my arm and neck). I feel fine now most of the time so please don't worry I just felt guilty about keeping the accident a secret from all of you...

Finally, we'll be bringing back my snack/candy reviews - I've decided to put the older limited edition items in this installment - lot of them *probably* aren't available anymore, but who knows they might be brought back in the future so the reviews of them aren't completely useless.

Well, I guess that's it for now thanks for taking the time to read my journal! *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy 56:

Name: Aero Gold
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: As standard Aero except filled with aerated caramel-flavoured while chocolate (similar to the British Caramac) instead of the usual milk chocolate.
Opinion: A limited time release I spied at my local Dollar Store. While not the biggest fan of caramel, I nevertheless decided to give the product a try. I was pleasantly surprised, the aerated texture provided a high surface area and correspondingly intense flavour that, to me at least, was more reminiscent of coffee than caramel, a fact which, when combined with the absence of a caramel texture made it a winner for me, but at the same time makes me reluctant to recommend it to fans of caramel products.

Name: Kit-Kat Gold
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: As a standard Kit-Kat save that the usual chocolate were formed from a caramel-flavoured white chocolate (similar to the British Caramac) instead.
Opinion: Another limited edition item I grabbed up. Unfortunately, there's really not much to say, it's possible I got a 'bad' one, but the bar I got was so mildly flavoured that it may as well have been one of the 'white chocolate' kit-kats. This doesn't make the item 'bad' per se - it's still a Kit-Kat, but at the same time, I don't really feel I can recommend the item either as it doesn't offer much in the way of novelty.

Name: Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes (Chocolate)
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 294 gram box (6 cakes)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of Christmas-tree shaped pieces of chocolate cake with chocolate cream sandwiched between them that are then coated in chocolate and decorated with white frosting stripes and red and green sprinkles.
Opinion: While the texture of the cake is pleasant enough and the chocolate cream prevents it from getting too dry, the chocolate coating itself is rather cheap tasting and the decorative elements are somewhat insipid. Truthfully, it's a cute and fairly tasty holiday snack, but the vanilla type are much higher for me. Will probably buy again at some point, but I'm in no great rush for next Christmas to grab a batch.

Name: Parmesan & Black Pepper Chips
Manufacturer: Old Dutch
Size: 240 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of fairly standard-looking ripple-cut potato chips covered with white powder and blackish specks on the surface due to the flavourings used.
Opinion: A product I've never seen, but apparently a 'celebration flavour' in honour of the company's 65th anniversary. I was expecting something fairly subdued, but these chips actually have a pretty intense flavour - the Parmesan dominates with a salty cheesiness at first with the pepper coming in later to give a pleasant heat. Overall, I liked these chips and will definitely consider purchasing them again if they stick around.

Name: Twix Cookies & Creme
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 77 grams (4 bars)
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: Consists of standard Twix except that cookie bit is like an Oreo and caramel is replaced with vanilla creme.
Opinion: Similar to standard Twix in most respects, but the main difference - vanilla cream in place of caramel was slightly underwhelming being too mild not bad, but ultimately not different enough from standard to really be worth grabbing

*poofs into soft and cuddly newborn kitten*

It's October 29 again so as per tradition, I'll be regressing into into a newborn for the next few days! This makes me the perfect size for hugging, but try to ensure any gifts are appropriate for my normal age of three!

Also, I wanted to finally ditch that awful February journal as I've quite obviously had a computer for many months...

I would also like to apologize for my lax attendance here these last few months, I shall endeavour to be more active in the future...

Dear friends,

On February 1, I dropped my Laptop and broke the charging jack. Apparently it's a very strange one and I've had no luck finding a replacement. Therefore, I shall remain out-of-contract for the foreseeable future.

Apologies for taking so long to inform you of this, I do hope I didn't worry anyone unduly.

Sincerely,
Kaffre Kitten

Greetings everyfur, I was away from home for New Year's and had no internet access. I'm back now though! *New Year hugs for all*

My resolutions for this year are two-fold.

First, I'm going to endeavour to be more active and friendly with everyfur here. As part of this I'm rethinking my approach to journals - while I'm proud that I was able to post them monthly for as long as I was, they stopped being fun to write some time ago and judging my the number of replies I was getting, I'm guessing they weren't much fun to read either so those will be on hiatus for a bit.

Second, I'm going to put more emphasis on improving my health by seeing a physician as it really has been far too long. Specifically, my blood pressure is really low and it's starting to cause me problems.

Finally, as always, I hope to churn out more art and stories too, but I have no idea how that will work out . Wish me luck!

I guess that's it for this month. Thanks for reading!

Well, the past month was extremely uneventful even by my standards - well, the weather in SE Ontario was pretty weird, but with climate change apace that's about on par I should think.

Anyway, being regressed for a month was quite relaxing, but now I'm ready for play! Anyfur wanna help me try out all the birthday toys I was too little to play with until now? I think that's all of them except for this cool bracelet/rattle *shakes*

*poofs into a tiny and very huggable newborn kitty via Birthday magic*

Spooky October Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #55

Welcome to yet another exciting kitty journal. Thanks for coming! *hugs* The latter part of September and early October are always busy times of year for me and it 2019 was no exception!

Our original plans for Poutine Feast 2019 fell through, but my sister and I were able to make it on the final day of the event anyway (Sept 29). As predicted, the new location wasn't nearly as scenic as the previous year's event in the city park, but made up for this somewhat by superior accessibility in terms of public transportation or parking and physically maneuvering between the assembled food-trucks. I decided to get one featuring sauteed zucchini, bell pepper, mushroom, carrot, onion, and tomato while my sister opted for one with bacon, chicken, and Alabama white sauce'. Overall, the food was a bit pricey, but we enjoyed the event and have agreed to attend again next year if it's held again.

Gem Storm 2019. The 50th anniversary of our local lapidary convention went pretty well too, I think. We missed the first day and most of the vendors were, annoyingly, cash only, but I was OK despite the crowds and purchased: a calcite cube, a fluorite octahedron, and a piece of aqua aura quartz (metal coated crystal) while my sister bought a piece of malachite. I'm especially happy with the calcite as I've always wanted some after learning about its very unusual property of birefringence (double-refraction) many years ago. I'm hoping to attend this even next year as well, but may consider bringing my nephews too next time as children can attend free and it seems like a fun educational experience for them.

Apart from all of that, I found a newborn kitten lying alone in our yard. It doesn't seem to be from any of our Queens, but one of them did adopt him when we put him in with her (much older) kittens and it has been suggested that I ought to keep him to fill the hole left in the wake of Parker's passing. I was originally intending to take a break from pet ownership, but after ruminating on the proposition, I probably will keep the little fellow after all. Of course, he's only a few weeks old and currently lacks much in the way of personality, but I'll keep you updated as my attempts to bond with him continue.

Finally, speaking of adorable newborn kittens, as per tradition, I will be regressed at midnight on October 29 and remain in my extra-fluffy and huggable baby form until such a time as I post my 'November' journal. So be ready to shower me with huggles and petties when the time comes! If your choice of birthday gift is not appropriate for a newborn, please withhold it until I'm big enough to use it properly (also try to prevent me from eating too much wrapping paper this year).

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs*. I look forward to hearing from all of you on my Birthday Journal or, failing that, my November journal in a month's time...

And now, I proudly present, Kaffre talks Candy #55

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Kaffre talks Candy #55

Name: Airwaves (Blackcurrant)
Manufacturer: Wrigley
Size: 14 gram package (10 pieces)
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of pink sticks of chicle style gum.
Opinion: Evidently more cough drop than gum, these had a strong menthol and eucalyptus flavour that almost completely overwhelmed any traces of blackcurrent. The initial burst of flavour is quite intense, but fades fairly quickly leaving the remaining gum a bit insipid. Overall, the taste wasn't bad per se, but I don't really think these work as a candy but I might consider giving them a shot as a cough remedy at some point.

Name: Bubble Gum Fries
Manufacturer: Exclusive Brands
Size: 60 grams (12 pieces)
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of flexible sticks of yellow bubble gum that vaguely resemble french fries.
Opinion: An item I picked up at my sister's recommendation. The gum was stiff, but chewable so I think it was the almost cylindrical cross-section at work as opposed to being stale. The gum itself was 'fruit' flavoured, but seemed to be mostly banana which was fine for me, but be off-putting to some. Overall, I thought this product was pretty good, but don't think I'm likely to buy it again (for myself) in the near future.

Name: Hello Kitty Sweet Speckled Candy Eggs
Manufacturer: Boston America Corp
Size: 34 gram tin
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of egg-shaped mannitol candies in both green and blue with a speckled pattern. Comes in a metal tin featuring the titular feline wearing a bunny-ears headband.
Opinion: A product I decided to grab on a whim. The candies are pretty bland until you bite them open and are too hard for this to be done easily, but do have a pleasant, if somewhat forgettable, taste. Overall, I thought these candies reasonably tasty, but I don't know if I'd buy them again. At least the tin was cute.

Name: Little Debbie Bat Brownies
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 288 grams (6 brownies)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of chocolate brownies baked in a shape that resembles a bat (or possibly a bow tie) with marks in the frosting to suggest a body and fingers. Brownies are individually wrapped in cellophane pouches.
Opinion: A Halloween-themed product I'd never seen before. While this item appears to be a pretty standard brownie apart from its unconventional shape, they did seem to have a fresher and more chocolatey flavour than most though it may be that I got an unusually good batch. In any case, I thought this product was quite good and will certainly consider purchasing them again despite their being slightly smaller than the company's standard 'Cosmic Brownie' as even if the freshness is a fluke, they're still cute!

Name: Maltesers Teasers
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 35 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a bar of milk chocolate with granules of malted milk biscuit embedded throughout. The bar is arranged much like Aero with two columns of five hemispherical bubbles. The columns on this bar are less distinct, however, and appear almost buttock-like.
Opinion: A bar I've seen a few times, but never sampled until now. The chocolate is decent enough and the malted milk bits lend the bar a bit of texture as well as a fairly unique taste (albeit possibly an acquired one). Fortunately, I like the taste of malted milk and, correspondingly, this bar. Overall, I thought this product was pretty tasty and will likely purchase it again as a change of pace from time to time, but there are other candy bars I like better.

Autumnal Equinox Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #54

Hello again journal readers and welcome to my very first autumn journal of 2019! *waves banner*

As usual, I've not really done much this month - the Garlic Festival was fun, but not having much cash on hand (an embarrassing oversight) to purchase anything from the small local vendors all I managed to get was a tub of smoked garlic spread. Thus far, I've only tried it on garlic bread, but it was quite tasty once you get used to the smokiness.

Should all go according to plan, I'll be attending a Poutine Fest in a few days as well. It'll be at the fair grounds this year rather than the more scenic city park which is unfortunate as I really liked the previous venue, but at least this way the vendors won't have to maneuver their chip-trucks through downtown Kingston. The festival lasts from the 26-29th, but I'm trying to arrange to go with as my siblings and possibly some cousins so not sure which day yet.

Come October, 'Gemstorm', a local rock-collectors convention will be celebrating its 50 year anniversary so I'll be trying to attend that as well on October 18-19. My personal rock collection is small and currently uncatalogued, but it seems like another good way to get outside and do things as well as potentially educational. There's also Thanksgiving on the 14th, but I'm still not 100% sure what we're doing about that this year.

Well, that about covers what I did in September and hope to accomplish in early October. Insofar as Kaffre himself, I'm nearly at 15000 page-views here on FA which I think is quite impressive given how inactive I usually am so thanks everyfur! As per usual, I've been rather lax in terms of art and stories despite getting short-lived urges to scribble something up pictures or short vignettes so I shall be making a concerted effort to get something created and posted before the end of the year so as to get 2020 started on a productive note wish me luck!

I guess that's everything I wanted to say - thanks for reading! *omni-hugs* Now without further ado...

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Kaffre talks Candy #54

Name: Hostess Cupcakes
Manufacturer: Vachon
Size: 80 gram package of two
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consist of chocolate cupcakes with a vanilla creme filling and a chocolate glazed top decorated with swirls of white icing.
Opinion: A product I'd eaten occasionally as a child, but not seen in a few years. These cakes are interesting the chocolatey flavour of the cake and glaze nicely compliments the vanilla creme filling which lends some sweetness and texture. Overall, I thought these were very tasty albeit a bit too rich for me to have them with any regularity. They might make for a nice treat from time to time though.

Name: Lay's Onion Ring Chips
Manufacturer: Lay's
Size: 240 gram bag
Where Purchased: Walmart
Description: Consists of standard-looking potato chips with a brown cast to them from the flavourings used.
Opinion: A limited release product that I decided to sample on a whim. At first, they seemed very reminscent of Sour Cream n' onion which was disappointing for someone who loves onion rings, but isn't a fan of sour cream. Munching through the bag, however, a few differences became apparent. The onion flavour is more intense and less sweet with an aftertaste that's somewhat difficult to describe. Overall, I liked these chips and while undecided on how faithfully they replicate the flavour of onion rings, I do think I'd probably try them again if they were available year round.

Name: Nutella & Go! (Breadsticks)
Manufacturer: Ferrero
Size: 52 grams (39 grams nutella, 13 grams breadsticks)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a plastic container with two compartments one containing fourteen breadsticks and one containing Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut spread).
Opinion: While familiar with both products separately, I haven't tried them together until now. The breadsticks were dry and flavourless, but not actually bad. It's been a while since I tried Nutella, but it tastes pretty much as I remember having a rich and creamy hazelnut flavour that doesn't quite hide the chocolate taste, but takes the edge off of it. Overall, I thought this product was pretty good and will probably buy it again as, while Nutella has a (deserved) reputation for being unhealthy, it seems a better choice than actual candy.

Name: School Chalk Licorice
Manufacturer: Europe's Finest
Size: 100 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of licorice pieces coated in a white candy shell such that they (vaguely) resemble 5cm long sticks of chalk.
Opinion: A Dutch product I'd never seen, but decided to sample as it was on sale. This was an interesting product being superficially larger versions of Goodies (or Good n' Plenty), but it is different in some key ways - the licorice is of better quality which affects both the texture and the intensity of the flavour and by extension the extent to which they contrast with the candy coating which is quite crunchy and has a 'clean' taste (probably vanilla or mint). Overall, I found this candy very weird at first, but it has grown on me quickly and I would definitely consider buying it again.

Name: Starbucks Frappuccino (Vanilla)
Manufacturer: Starbucks
Size: 405 mL bottle
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino consists of an opaque coffee-coloured beverage.
Opinion: While I've seen this product before, Dollarama only ever had the Mocha variety before. This version is somewhat similar having a sweet and tasty coffee/cappuccino flavour, but I couldn't really detect much in the way of Vanilla. This wasn't really a problem for me as I enjoyed the product anyway and would possibly purchase it again, but can't really say whether I'd go for vanilla again or sample one of the other flavours instead...

Another August Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #53

Welcome once again fur-iends to a special august journal - to this end, I've set out pipes and bubble-fluid, chilled juice-boxes, and freshly-baked cookies (under a fancy cloche for some extra augustness). Also, you all need to wear these *passes out monocles and top hats* Now that's out of the way, let's get back to journalling!

This last month was pretty uneventful even by my standards apart from my backing of Atlas Games' Kickstarter for "Magical Kitties save the Day" - my Grandmother spent her birthday on her vacation in Newfoundland while my nephew's went quite well though I did wind up changing my choice of gift to a new PS3 controller at the last minutes after he broke his - it put me a bit over-budget, but as I was short the previous year (I was supposed to bring a cake too, but was unable to do so) I don't really mind too much.

One sad thing that may have happened some time ago, but I completely failed to notice until recently which is that the entire backlog of several thousand pieces of art in my submission box that i had yet to back-up have vanished. This is unfortunate, but not insurmountable and I mention in mostly as an object lesson against procrastinating to the extent that I have these past few years.

Beyond that, I've been reorganizing my collection of RPG pdfs and rereading some old favourites in the process, but there's been no real progress on Babyfur or any drawings and stories - which is pretty much what most of you were expecting by the this point *sigh* My PS4 remains broken, but I will probably try to get it repaired at some point in the coming month or two if possible otherwise I'll try to replace it in 2020.

Well, that's about it for the August. I will be attending a local Garlic Festival on the 31st, but you'll need to wait until September to hear if anything interesting happens there (it probably won't). Thanks for taking the time to read my lil' journal. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to talk about next month - or October which is always exciting as I get to shrink down into a super tiny kitten! ^^

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Kaffre talks Candy #53

Name: Hostess Twinkies
Manufacturer: Vachon
Size: 113 gram package of three
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of sticks of 'golden sponge cake' with vanilla cream filling.
Opinion: A product I'd heard of often, but never ventured to try. The cake is a tad bland, but better tasting than I had expected - the cream keeps it from being too dry or too dense as well as adding some texture and added flavour. Overall, these were pretty tasty and I may purchase them again at some point, but there are other varieties of snack cake that I like better.

Name: Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread Chips
Manufacturer: Lay's
Size: 240 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of standard-looking potato chips with a slight yellow/orange cast to them from the flavouring used.
Opinion: A limited edition flavour I snapped up on a whim. These chips do a surprisingly good job at replicating the taste of garlic bread having a subtle buttery garlic flavour combined with a tasty, but somewhat nondescript 'cheesy' taste which, according to the bag, comes from a blend of cheddar, monterey jack, and Swiss which seems like a strange combo, but was quite enjoyable. Overall, I enjoyed these chips and would likely buy them again if they were available. As it stands, however, I'll just have to keep my eyes out for periodic re-releases and occasionally nom real garlic bread.

Description: Pepsi (Vanilla)
Manufacturer: Pepsico
Size: 355mL can
Where Purchased: Walmart
Description: Consists of a dark coloured carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like kola and vanilla.
Opinion: A limited release product I've never sampled before. The product has a fairly intense vanilla flavour that at times overwhelms the kola flavour - something I didn't mind, but might be an issue for others. Overall, I found this product quite pleasant and would probably purchase it again from time to time. I am, admittedly, normally more of a Coke fan, but I think perhaps the sweeter and more mildly flavoured Pepsi may work better with vanilla than the vanilla Coke I've reviewed in the past.

Description: Starbucks Frappuccino (Caramel)
Manufacturer: Starbucks
Size: 405 mL bottle
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino consists of an opaque coffee-coloured beverage.
Opinion: While I've seen this product before, Dollarama only ever had the Mocha variety in the past. In this variant, the coffee flavour seems substantially less overpowering that the mocha or vanilla flavours, but that could just be because I don't really like caramel very much most of the time. Overall, I'd probably pass this over for one of the other flavours, but might recommend it to someone who does like caramel flavoured ice-coffee.

Name: Tic Tac Mixers (Pina Colada)
Manufacturer: Ferrero
Size: 49 gram box
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of small white candies flavoured with pineapple and coconut.
Opinion: I've never tried anything pina-colada flavoured before and so cannot really comment on authenticity, but despite sounding strange, the two flavours actually do taste pretty good together though there does seem to be something else - mint perhaps? I also noticed that these seem to be a bit softer than your average tic tacs, but it's been so long since I last ate any that it's possible I'm remembering wrong. Overall, I enjoyed the taste a lot more than I expected and may consider trying them again some day.

Post-Parker Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #52

Greetings once again loyal journal-readers and welcome to my July Journal!

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their kind words in the wake of Parker's passing last month. I am gradually coming to terms with her loss, but still miss her dearly and frequently forget that she's gone. In happier news, I got to see plenty of wild animals this month including bunnies, turkeys, chipmunks, vultures, osprey, and deer as well as the usual snakes and frogs which was a nice, if temporary, distraction from losing my kitty friend.

July was actually a pretty quiet month in which nothing really happened. I did attend my sister's birthday (actually June 28) and a family get together on Canada Day (July 1), but neither was really that different from any other day and correspondingly I don't really have much to say about either event. I mean, we had fun with family and enjoyed nice meals on both occasions, but beyond that they went by without incident.

I don't normally like to advertise products here, but as this product is probably of interest to at least some of my watchers, I would like to draw attention to Atlas Games' current kickstarter for Magical Kitties Save the Day. Obviously all sorts of unexpected calamities could occur, but I've worked with Atlas before and can vouch that they are experienced industry professionals who have delivered previous KS projects without incident so if you're interested in the project. Here's a link to the project for any of you who might be interested: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....s-save-the-day

As with last month, I struggled to come up with a Topic of Discussion. I briefly considered revisiting 'Pets' as an homage of sorts to Parker, but it feels as though I've already said everything I have to say on the topic and would just be retreading old territory. Therefore, that feature of my journals will be suspended until such a time as I can come up with a suitable topic - I am accepting recommendations.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read this journal. Sorry for more depressing kitty stuff rather than the fun journal I promised. With any luck, August will be more cheerful! *omnihugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #52

Name: Fruit Punch Drink
Manufacturer: Grace
Size: 355mL bottle
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of a deep red carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like fruit punch.
Opinion: A variety of island soda I'd not sampled before. This beverage has a rich fruit punch flavour similar to Tahiti Treat, but not quite so sweet. It also seemed a tad more dry, but that could be due to how hot and thirsty I was at the time. Overall, I enjoyed this product a lot and would definitely consider buying it again.

Name: Hello Kitty Lil' Devil Cinnamon Hots
Manufacturer: Boston America Corp
Size: 28.3 gram tin
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of red spherical candies of non-uniform size. Comes in a metal tin shaped like the titular feline, but dressed up as a cartoon devil.
Opinion: This candy is extremely reminiscent of the popular 'cinnamon hearts' that are so ubiquitous around St. Valentine's Day. The only difference I could note were the shape and being slightly softer. Overall, I thought these candies were quite tasty, but naturally this will depend on how you feel about 'hot' candies such as these. I'm not sure I'd buy them again as cinnamon hearts and hot tomales are both cheaper and more readily available, but the tin is cute if nothing else.

Name: Little Debbie Swiss Rolls
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 378 gram box of twelve snack cakes
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a thin sheet of chocolate sponge cake that had been coated in vanilla creme, rolled up into a cylinder and then enrobed in a thin layer of milk chocolate. The rolls are then bundled together into six packs of two.
Opinion: A product I've eaten many times, but never considered reviewing before. The cakes are very sweet and while cake seems cheap, the cream filling keeps it moist and soft. There isn't a lot in the way of chocolate flavour either, but it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the item. Overall, I've bought these before and will probably do so again from time to time, but they also likely won't become a regular purchase either.

Name: Ramune, Grape
Manufacturer: Japan Sangaraia Beverage Company
Size: 200mL bottle
Where Purchased: Midori
Description: Consists of a clear carbonated beverage sold in an unusual Codd-neck bottle.
Opinion: A Japanese import I decided to sample on a whim. As with the lemon and orange varieties, this product seemed more intensely carbonated than our North American softdrinks and has a less distinct, but nonetheless very pleasant flavour albeit with a slight aftertaste I can't quite place. Overall, there are other flavours I prefer, but this was an enjoyable product and would consider purchasing it again.

Name: Taveners Liquorice Drops
Manufacturer: Tangerine Confectionery
Size: 200 gram can
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of greenish-grey pieces of hard candy with a shape that can best of described as square, but with rounded corners.
Opinion: A British product I hadn't purchased until now. The candies have a rich licorice flavour with a nice balance of bitter, salty, and metallic, and they retain their flavour very well making them an ideal choice for long walks, car trips, etc. Overall, I enjoyed this candy and will definitely consider purchasing it again though it is a bit hard to find/expensive in North America.

Gloomy-June-y Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #51

Greeting journal-reading friends, I regret to inform you that this month's journal will not be a happy one so perhaps you may wish to skip this installment or at least jump ahead to the candy reviews...

Regrettably this month was defined by two deaths of my step-fathers dog and my cat. While I loved Tye, he was very old and his health had been declining for some time to the point that we were starting to seriously euthanasia when he quietly passed away. It was very sad, but at the same time, there was a sense of relief that he wouldn't suffer further as his mobility issues continued to worsen.

Parker, by contrast, was only 6 and came to us under inauspicious circumstances - my late mother responded to a classified ad looked for people with nursing queens and the next day two women showed up with a box of orphaned kittens who were put with our cat, Bella who raised them. As the kittens grew, however, it quickly became apparent that the kittens weren't quite normal. All three suffered from cerebral hypoplasia a congenital disorder that affect coordination - the other two had relatively minor symptoms and were able to be re-homed, but Parker was noticeably worse and so I adopted her as my own pet. Like most cats with CH she became extremely attached to people and loved nothing more than to clumsily scramble up onto my bed for snuggling and petting. Late Friday evening, however, I found her lying in the litter-box and booked a vet appointment for the following day - she didn't make it through the night, however. Shortly before 1am she scrambled out of the box I'd placed her in, collapsed on my bed and stopped breathing. Perhaps because she was so young and there was no protracted illness, I'm taking her loss much worse than I have most of my other pets as everything reminds me of her - the spot on my bed where she slept, her food dish, even the catnip plants in the yard...

I'm sure I'll be OK in time, but I'm just not in the right frame of mind to write up a topic of discussion this month. Fortunately, I have a backlog of candy reviews so even though it feels a bit weird given the circumstances, I will be posting those as per usual this month.

Anyway, thanks for listening. I promise that next month I'll post a much happier journal! *kitty hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #51

Name: Coca-Cola Lime
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 500mL bottle
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a dark coloured carbonated beverage flavoured with kola and lime juice.
Opinion: A product I haven't seen in a while. The flavour is about what you'd expect with the lime juice lending this product a refreshing citrus flavour that I quite enjoyed. Overall, I enjoyed this product and will definitely consider purchasing it again soon. That said, while I'm normally more of a coke fan, I do feel that for whatever reason the lime taste seems to go better with pepsi - though the competing product doesn't seem to be around right now...

Name: Dairy Milk (Peanut Butter Cookie)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 100 gram bar
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of a bar of milk chocolate with 24 sections of arranged in a 3x8 grid. The raised sections are smaller than usual due to a thicker base. The chocolate has bits of crumbled cookie and peanut-butter chips embedded in it.
Opinion: A new product I decided to sample. The milk chocolate is of the same high quality we've some to expect from Cadbury and the cookie bits offer a nice crunchy texture as well as a pleasant hit of peanut-butter flavour that I thought was quite enjoyable. Overall, I enjoyed this product and will definitely consider purchasing it again, but due to its size (and lack of resealable wrapper), that will probably only be when there's someone to share with.

Name: Lay's Cheese & Onion
Manufacturer: Lay's
Size: 170 gram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of standard looking potao chips with a slight orange colour from the flavouring used.
Opinion: A limited edition product - though with the frequency Lay's releases some variation on this theme, it's a wonder they just don't make it a staple. The chips are a bit stronger than I remember, but both the cheese and onion are in balance and complement each other very well, I think. Overall, I liked these chips and will purchase them again, were they to be made a regular flavour they'd probably join Salt n' Vinegar and Dill Pickle as my go to flavours...

Name: Lay's Spicy Cheddar Chips
Manufacturer: Lay's
Size: 170 gram bag
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of standard looking potao chips with an orange colour from the flavouring used.
Opinion: A limited edition product I decided to sample. The chips are interesting in that the heat and cheesiness seem 'dissociated' in the sense that it is more reminiscent of an artisanal cheese incorporating hot peppers than, for example, a nacho cheese/queso flavour. Overall, I enjoyed this product and would consider purchasing it again where it to remain available, but there are still other flavours I like better.

Name: Simpkins Mixed Mint Travel Sweets
Manufacturer: Simpkins
Size: 200 gram tin
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consist of hard candies approximately 3cm in diameter and having a shape reminiscent of red blood cells. There are four colours: white, yellow, green, and brown each of which corresponds with a flavour: buttermint, peppermint, spearmint, and treaclemint (I was unable to tell which was which, however).
Opinion: A British product I decided to grab up while doing some Fathers' Day shopping. The candies are very pleasant though somewhat milder than I would have expected though they do last a long time so long as you don't chew them which compensates somewhat. Overall, I enjoyed this product and while I do generally prefer stronger flavoured mint candies, I would certainly consider purchasing these again in the future.

May - I post a new journal + Kaffre talks Candy #50

Welcome once again loyal journal-readers and welcome to my fancy new May journal! Unfortunately, May hasn't been a particularly eventful one for me as I didn't really get out much. That said, I did find two batches of kittens in our barn and we should be receiving a shipment of baby chickens soon! My brother's birthday was this month as well, but due to falling the Sunday just before Victoria Day all of his plans sort of fell through and we just stayed home which was still very enjoyable!

As for Victoria Day itself, it was celebrated as per tradition - sleeping in and doing absolutely nothing of consequence - it did, however, interfere with my brother getting Internet hooked up and kept me offline from Saturday evening until Wednesday night - I apologize for any inconveniences resulting from my absence.

While I managed to be quite thrifty through April - mainly by virtue of not going anywhere or doing anything - that didn't really prove feasible in May as I needed to pick up various supplies I had ignored last month and consequently overspent a bit (though taken as a whole, the two months were still a net-gain). That said, there are at least two family members with birthdays in the near future so saving up for gifts and festivities are important heading into the summer!

Both escalators at my local mall were broken during my visit which got me thinking about exactly how un-tailfriendly such contraptions are and while I've devoted a previous Topic-of-the-month to discussing how furries might alter their living spaces to accommodate their unique body types, I barely touched upon public spaces which I hope to rectify with this installment.

As noted, escalators seem like a potential risk to tails (and fur) of every shape and size, but elevators are equally problematic for furs with large tails or antlers/horns and even stairs seem like they could pose a trip hazard to species with hooves or flippers so what would furries use to transition to different levels of buildings?

Furries with the power of flight could, of course, use simply fly up to their destination and species gifted with great agility could jump, climb or otherwise navigate their way up using parkour-like techniques possibly with the aid of equipment. For other furries, ramps seem ideal as they can be used by furs of vastly different sizes and if made slip-resistant would be safe for hooves, flippers and so on.

Of course, all of the ideas I mentioned so far would benefit from an open-concept design which would also be useful for furries anyway - the larger varieties for the space itself and the smaller species to avoid being stepped on by their larger compatriots. Another issue that might some up relates to windows. I like the idea that furries would favour large skylights over normal windows which avians might possibly mistake for aerial doors with the accompanying injuries - precautions could be made to prevent this - providing perches near doors, but not windows for example, or giving them different shapes.

Well, I guess that's about it for this month. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs* I look forward to hearing everyfur's thoughts concerning the topic of the month!

And now without further ado, my 50th installment of Kaffre talks Candy! *cues balloons and confetti*

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Kaffe talks Candy #50:

Name: Airheads Bites (White Mystery Flavour)
Manufacturer: Perfetti Van Melle
Size: 57 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consists of flattened balls of chewy white material.
Opinion: A product I'd seen years ago, but never got a chance to try. The candy is pleasantly chewy and much easier to manage than the standard airheads which I always found too big for a single sitting. I can't quite identify the 'mystery flavour', but it does remind me very much of 'skittles'. Overall, I enjoyed this candy, but I'm not sure whether I'll be purchasing it again as there are a lot of other candies that I like more.

Name: Cadbury Creme Egg Biscuits
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 104 grams in six cookies
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consists of crunchy chocolatey cookies with an indent in the top that was filled with soft fondant (coloured to resemble the yolk and white of an egg) before being enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: A limited edition British import I grabbed up despite not really caring for the 'real' creme eggs. The cookie portion was delicious as I've come to expect from Cadbury's biscuit line, but I can't really say I enjoyed the filling which was too gooey and too sweet for my liking - having had a nasty allergy to eggs as a child probably didn't help either. That being said, the people I shared the pack with all spoke highly of them. Overall, I didn't care for this product for reasons that are, perhaps, specific to me, but would urge fans of creme eggs to give them a try.

Name: Kit Kat Ruby
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 41.5 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a wafer cookies arranged side by side and coated in milk chocolate as in the standard Kit-Kat. Where this variety differs is that being made from 'ruby cocoa' which gives it a pink colour.
Opinion: A product I've not seen before. The texture was pretty much indistinguishable from the standard kit-kat, but featuring an unusual almost fruity aftertaste that while grew on me pretty quickly. Overall, I was pretty happy with this item and will definitely consider purchasing it again

Name: Little Debbie Easter Cakes (Chocolate)
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 340 grams box (10 cakes)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of hexagonal pieces of chocolate cake with cream filling sandwiched between them. The cakes are then enrobed in chocolate and decorated with yellow, pink, and green sprinkles and bundled together in packs of two.
Opinion: Another seasonal product I grabbed for Easter. The cakes itself was decent enough - it was a tad dry, but the cream filling helped with that. The milk chocolate coating was less tasty than the white chocolate on the vanilla flavoured cakes, but the chocolate version was also less overpoweringly sweet. Overall, I thought this product was pretty good and would consider buying it again next Easter, but prefer the vanilla myself.

Name: Little Debbie Easter Cakes (Vanilla)
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 362 grams box (10 cakes)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of hexagonal pieces of vanilla cake with cream filling sandwiched between them. The cakes are then enrobed in white chocolate and decorated with yellow, pink, and green sprinkles and bundled together in packs of two.
Opinion: Another seasonal product. These cakes themselves were reasonably tasty and the cream filling helped to mitigate the slight dryness. The sprinkles added some colour and sweetness, but not much in the way of texture for some reason. Overall, these were tasty, if somewhat overly sweet snacks that I will probably buy again next Easter, but don't feel I'll be especially looking forward to either.

Month of Bunnies & Bonnets + Kaffre talks Candy #49

Welcome to my fancy new April-themed journal. Since my last journal, I've seen the Dentist for the final time this year (barring any emergencies) and celebrated the birthday of my late mother (4/20), but Easter was pretty uneventful as per usual - though as you'll see below, I did have the opportunity to sample a number of holiday-themed goodies. Unfortunately, I completely flaked on my taxes and so will probably have to do them in May instead. Despite my natural talent for being foolish, nothing interesting happened that day either.

I've also spent a bit of time learning how to use Twitter @ KaffieKitty. I'm still getting the hang of posting and responding, but I also feel like my account could do with some sprucing up, but am not yet sure what sort of art or decorations to incorporate and as such am seeking suggestions from my talented journal-readers. I have been blesed with some truly lovely piece of gift art and can't decide which, if any, to use as my icon. I suppose I could just cycle through a selection of them as I do here on FA, but I still need to pick one to start with...

I also played Sunnypaws Daycare again and managed to beat it (on Easy). I think, technically, mine was supposed to be the 'Bad End', but that's very much a POV thing where that game is concerned. It did get me thinking about my long-neglected Babyfur RPG project, however, particularly where the enemies you face are concerned - many of their attacks either don't inflict physical harm or else they also have other ways of incapacitating the PC as well - while most RPGs using 'Bonk' systems tend to be lighthearted and cartoon-y (Toon, Meido, TFOS), something like that could be a good way of handling combat and other sources of danger without necessarily having to do something super detailed. My only real qualm is that I feel some way to distinguish between different sources of 'Bonk' is called for though as I'm still struggling with questions of theme and setting, I can't yet say what this might be or even whether it's an appropriate system anyway. Thoughts?

For this month's topic of conversation, I've decided to expound upon one that was touched upon frequently when I was examining different historical epochs through a furry lens - since animals are, as a group, far more diverse than people in terms of diet, habitat, etc it often seemed to me that, while not isolationist per se, furries of different species would often have little reason to interact with each other as either friends or enemies since their interests frequently wouldn't intersect. There are two counter-arguments that can be made to this position that I have identified. I'll be using cats in my examples as that's the species of my primary fursona, but hopefully the principles I intend to illustrate can be easily extrapolated upon.

The first is that furry civilizations would not segregated by species and would consist of all animals indigenous to a given area - actual national boundaries would possibly be different, but generally species would inhabit the same lands they did historically. Sure cats probably wouldn't be interested in fighting rats over the best farmland in a region, but rival parties of rats in two nations might and would possibly make extensive use of feline soldiers during the conflict. Actually, as I type this, it occurs to me that this very diversity could give furry civilization a huge advantage over humanity when it comes to division of labour as the difference in skills between species could naturally encourage specialization.

The second relates to strategic considerations as they pertain to military, government, and commerce. Reusing the example above, the cats might not want arable land for their own use, but might be willing to fight to keep their enemies from having it or, for example, to establish economic control over a valuable resource even if it's not one they can make much use of themselves. This seems like at least one way that single-species furry civilizations might be compelled to interact with each other, but ultimately I prefer the first possibility though there's really no reason both can't be true.

Well, I guess that about covers this month's journal. Thanks for taking the time to read *hugs* I'm very interested to hear your thoughts on this month's topic and/or on which picture(s) I ought to use as decorations on twitter! Please stay tuned for this month's installment of Kaffre talks Candy!

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Kaffre talks Candy #49

Name: Dairy Milk Oreo
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 38 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a bar of milk chocolate with six dome-like sections filled with vanilla cream and bits of Oreo cookie. Outwardly resembles a standard Dairy Milk
Opinion: A new product I snapped up on a whim. Unfortunately, there's not really much to say the bar combines the classic flavour of Cadbury milk chocolate with the sweet creamy taste of Oreo cream while the plentiful cookie bits provide a pleasant crunchiness. Overall, I liked this product and will probably buy it again if it remains available - I don't think it would ever completely replace the standard Dairy Milk, but I'd probably cycle it in from time to time to change things up.

Name: Dubble Bubble Cotton Tails
Manufacturer: Tootsie Roll of Canada ULC
Size: 99 gram package
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of large white cotton-candy flavoured gumballs with a rough bumpy texture that vaguely resembles a bunny's tail.
Opinion: A product I don't remember seeing before, but is apparently fondly remembered by many. The texture was a bit weird at first, but I became acclimated relatively quickly and the the flavour was pleasantly reminiscent of cotton candy, but I did find that the flavour faded a bit more quickly than I would have liked - this is mitigated somewhat, however, by the fact that I tend to chew gum a bit more vigorously than most. Overall, I thought this was pretty good and I'll likely pick them up again next Easter, but I'll hardly be counting the days until they reappear on store shelves.

Name: Hershey's Eggies (Cookies n' Creme)
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of ovate pieces of white chocolate with cookie bit embedded in it and surrounded by a pastel-coloured candy-coating.
Opinion: Another Easter-themed item, these candies taste very similar to the standard Hershey Cookies and Creme bar which is a good thing, but I'm a little ambivalent about the candy coating. I realize it's as much to prevent the product from melting as anything else, but it doesn't really add much flavour and the cookie bits mean the eggies already have plenty of crunch. Overall these aren't bad, but outside of Easter I don't see any reason to choose them over the standard bar.

Name: Kit Kat Chunky, Salted Caramel Fudge
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consist of a standard Kit-Kat chunky wafer topped with a layer of salted caramel fudge before being enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: An limited edition product I'd not seen before. The one I got was slightly melted after I left it sitting in a sunbeam, but even so it was quite good. The bar was a bit softer than the standard Kit-Kat Chunky and tasted very similar, but with the added salty sweet caramel flavour. Overall, I liked this bar and would definitely purchase it again if it were available, but suspect it's probably best as a limited edition as it seems like it could also get old relatively fast...

Name: Little Debbie Easter Brownies
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 261 gram box of six brownies
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of chocolate brownies shaped like elongated hexagons to approximate an 'egg' shape. They are covered in yellow frosting and decorated with pink and blue stripes.
Opinion: This product, which I grabbed on a whim, was a little disappointing. It was tasty enough to be sure, but despite the bright colours and cute design, the taste was pretty much indistinguishable from your typical individually wrapped snack brownie. Overall, I thought these were OK and would certainly buy them again, but I also see no particular reason to seek them out.

March-ing into Spring Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #48

Greetings and welcome to my fancy new March Journal! March was a pretty uneventful month for me, but I did manage to convince the Twitter people that I am, in fact, real (sort of) and they reactivated my account! KaffieKitty for those interested though be forewarned that I haven't actually posted anything there as yet. I have spent more time than I have in a very long time thinking about my participation in the fandom through art, stories, my RPG and so on than I have in a very long time which I hope is a good sign that my long-time creative block will soon be over so please wish me luck!

I was going to write-up a Topic of the Month regarding the Furry Industrial Revolution, but decided to give up on that particular line as it seems like most technologies of this time-frame either would be identical to what we've seen in the human world, or simply wouldn't happen at all. And while a wide variety of sizes and body types could delay some mass-produced personal goods from being adopted quite as early, I just can't find any way to make it interesting to talk about.

Sorry for posting such a short journal, but if anyone has any ideas for next month's Topic of Discussion, I'm very interested in hearing!

As always, thanks for taking the time to read my journal! *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #48

Name: Marshmallow Rabbits
Manufacturer: Dare
Size: 200 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of piece of marshmallow that are shaped vaguely like an anthropomorphic rabbit.
Opinion: This Easter-themed treat is an interesting having a stiff chewy texture similar to nougat or the bits found in 'Lucky Charms' cereal and while each colour is clearly tied to a different fruit flavour, most pieces are multicoloured making them difficult to identify. Overall, I thought this was very tasty, but that it didn't take much of it to give me a stomach ache (marshmallow tends to have this effect on me) so while I'll probably buy it again from time to time, I will have either share or ration it.

Name: Old Dutch Au Gratin Chips
Manufacturer: Old Dutch
Size: 255 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of thick-cut, ripple style potato chips flavoured to tastle like au gratin potatoes (a dish made primarily from potatoes, onions, cheese and sometimes breadcrumbs). They have an orange colour.
Opinion: A snack I used to enjoy with some frequency, but hadn't eaten in several years. The chips themselves are pleasantly crunchy and the ripples increase the surface area which enhances the flavour noticeably. The flavour is, unsurprisingly, similar to the staple UK flavour 'Cheese & Onion' though these are saltier. Overall, I enjoyed these chips and nostalgia aside I will probably buy them again soon though they are a little rich to be part of my regular snack rotation.

Name: Oreos, Carrot Cake
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 303 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of fairly standard 'oreo' sandwich cookies except that cookie portion is carrot cake flavoured and the centre is flavoured to taste like cream cheese.
Opinion: Tangentially related to Easter via the association between bunnies and carrots, I grabbed these up at the grocery store. To my surprise, the cookies actually do manage an impressive replication of carrot cake and while the crunchiness of the cookie portion was a bit weird at first, it grew on me rather quickly. While I did enjoy this snack a lot, it did pose an interesting question - why not just grab carrot cake instead as it would be immeasurably healthier and for that reason I'm not really sure whether I'd buy this product again or not...

Name: Pepsi Cola
Manufacturer: Pepsico
Size: 1L bottle
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a dark coloured carbonated beverage supposedly flavoured like Kola nut.
Opinion: A popular soft drink that I've often enjoyed despite my own parents being Coke aficionados. Pepsi is smoother and sweeter than Coca Cola, however, it also has an aftertaste that, while not entirely unpleasant, I've never personally cared for. Overall, I actually quite like Pepsi (as I do most colas) and while I do admit to favouring coke most of the time, I do feel Pepsi seems less 'sticky' when one's mouth and throat are very dry and will probably continue buying it intermittently in the future.

Name: Stick n' Go
Manufacturer: Niederegger GmbH
Size: 40 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consists of a slim bar of milk chocolate filled with Marzipan. Grooves divide the bar into six sections.
Opinion: A German import I'd never seen before, but decided to sample. I've never knowingly consumed Marzipan before and so cannot comment upon the quality used, but the filling had a nutty flavour reminiscent of almonds or coconut a slightly grainy texture, but was otherwise similar to the chocolate coating in terms of consistency and the whole thing had a very sweet aftertaste. Overall, I found this product to be an interesting one and while I can't say I'm a huge fan of marzipan, I can definitely see how it could grown on you am interested to sample it it again in the future.