Hi everyone and welcome to my September journal! There's been lots of things happening since I last posted one of these so try and keep up!

First, my family has returned from Newfoundland with a nice collection of rocks, shells, urchins, and other ocean paraphernalia (I believe my sister intends to boil them and put them in with her fish). I had a fun time here by myself, but as you may have guessed, never did actually draw or write anything as I'd hoped to do... :oops:

Also, while they were away, my younger brother's baby was born! His girlfriend already had a child (3 3/4 boy) from a previous relationship, but I guess I'm now 'technically' an uncle at this point which feels a little weird. Also, I suppose the pressure for a certain kitty to begin potty-training may increase in the near future :hides:

Beyond the news related above, most things are pretty much as usual, I do hope to get some drawing/writing etc. done soon, but at this point am a bit wary of making any kind of promises, knowing how bad I've been about keeping them.

Anyway, thanks for reading! *huggles tight*

And finally, without further ado, I proudly present: Kaffre talks Candy #9!

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Name: Crunchie (UK Version)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 40 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: The UK version of Crunchie looks similar to the Canadian version, but is slightly longer and narrower. The bar is blocky and plain-looking from the outside.
Opinion: This bar is very tasty, but also rather reminiscent of the Canadian version. The chocolate does seem a bit richer and less sweet, however. Also, I found the toffee seemed to break more readily which would make sense given the different dimensions of the British bar. Overall, I liked this bar, but didn't find it distinctive enough from the more accessible Canadian version for me to bother trying to track down the imported British version again.

Name: D 'N' B
Manufacturer: Barr
Size: 330mL can
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: D 'N' B consists of a carbonated beverage, supposedly flavoured to taste like dandelion and burdock.
Opinion: A Scottish import I decided to try on a whim, D 'N' B has an understated flavour that is difficult to describe (my sister commented that the can "[smelled] like cough syrup"). The best description I can give is that the beverage has a vague, but nondescript 'fruity' flavour with a slightly medicinal aftertaste. Overall I found this product a bit off-putting at first, but it grew on me rather quickly. I don't think I'm likely to buy this beverage again, but I said the same thing the first time I tried Brio (a Canadian brand of Chinotto soda) and I've bought it several times since and I liked D 'N' B quite a bit more than I did my first helping of Brio *shrugs*

Name: Galaxy Ripple
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 33 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Galaxy Ripple consists of a slim bar of chocolate that has been folded over itself repeatedly (similar to 'Flake' or 'Twirl' and then coated in a layer of milk chocolate). The one I bought for this review was badly melted (my fault) to the point of being almost unrecognizeable..
Opinion: The chocolate is very rich and creamy, but unfortunately the texture of the bar was more or less destroyed by being first melted and then frozen. It's still not a bad item, but if it had tasted as it did without being melted, I don't think I'd want to purchase the bar again. As it is, I will be purchasing one at the next opportunity so as to get a better impression of what the bar is supposed to be like before issuing a final conclusion.

Name: Spearmint Leaves
Manufacturer: Dare
Size: N/A
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Spearmint Leaves consist of green gummi candies moulded in the shape of spearmint leaves and covered with fine dusting of a white sugar-like powder.
Opinion: Spearmint Leaves are a candy I enjoyed in childhood, but somehow never quite got around to reviewing for this column - until now! The gummi is nice and dense with a nice bite to it, but not overly chewy. Likewise, it features a nice cool, minty flavour without being overly sweet. Overall, Spearmint Leaves are about as good as I remember and a candy I really ought to purchase on a more regular basis.

Name: Time Out
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 32 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Time Out consists of two smaller bars bundled side by side similar to Twix or Twirl. The individual bars are comprised of a chocolate-covered wafer cookies similar to segments of a Kit Kat bars except that the wafers contain a small amount of textured chocolate similar to 'Flake'.
Opinion: Despite a name apparently designed to scare off babyfurs, I recently decided to try this bar. The one I used for review purposes was a tad melted, but I'm not sure whether this affected the taste or not (it can be hard to tell with treats that incorporate textured chocolate). The wafer was softer than Kit Kat, I think, but still nice and crispy. The flaked chocolate didn't seem to add anything, but whether that's due to being melted or trapped within a wafer is still to be determined. Overall a decent bar and one I will definitely purchase at least once more as I want to see what it tastes like un-melted!

Firstly, my apologies for leaving that depressing July journal up for so long. I really had meant to change it earlier, but I kept having trouble coming up with any kind of suitable replacement.

As it stands, I'm currently home alone while my family visits NFLD they should be back in about a week or so. It's my step-father's first time there so he'll be busy with my grandfather who's putting the finishing touches on the cabins he's been building out there every summer for the last few years. They say they're having fun, but it's difficult to contact them due to the lack of landlines in the area and poor cell coverage. I had, as usual, hoped that the time alone with lend itself to me getting some art or stories done, but somehow it just hasn't come together yet.

Overall, I think I've doing well. All the animals are well except for the crickets I bought to feed my sister's lizards who're dying at an alarming rate (the crickets, not the lizards), but I've arranged for more to be brought so the lizzies ought to be OK, I think.

Well, I guess that's all I have to say for now, but if you've got any questions I'll gladly just pretend this journal was posted on a Tuesday!

Also, now that I've exhausted my usual shops, I've decided to pare down my Kaffre talks Candy column to a lean five entries which I think will prove more manageable for me in the future. Wish me luck!

*hugs for everyone*

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Kaffre Talks Candy #8

Name: Jelly Babies
Manufacturer: Bassett
Size: 190 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Jelly Babies consist of soft gummy candies that come in a variety of fruit flavours (black currant, lemon, orange, raspberry, and strawberry) each with its own colour and vaguely humanoid shape. They have an opaque skin with squishy translucent insides.
Opinion: A British import I was only vaguely familiar with, but decided to try anyway. Jelly Babies taste quite good and even though I'm not a fan of several of the fruits used I can honestly say I enjoyed the taste of these candies. Unfortunately, I found the texture, particularly the contrast between the chewy skin and squishy insides, to be extremely off-putting and so don't think this will be a product I'll be purchasing again anytime soon.

Name: Kit Kat 70% Cocoa
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Kit Kat consists of four small wafer cookies covered in, and joined by, a layer of dark chocolate. The basic structure is identical to the standard bar.
Opinion: Another Kit Kat variant I don't remember seeing before, but got anyway. In the interest of fairness, I should disclose that while I do like dark chocolate, it's not something I eat with any kind of regularity. As a result, there's not much to say beyond the obvious - that it tastes like a Dark Chocolate version of a Kit Kat with all that that entails. Ultimately, the bar's tasty and the chocolate seems to be of good quality with a rich but not overly bitter aftertaste. Overall, I thought this product was quite good, but found the similarity to the standard Kit Kat prevented me from really being able to like the bar in its own right. As such, I believe I'll stick to the standard Kit Kat Crunchy for now...

Name: Klondike Mint Chocolate-Chip Candy
Manufacturer: Unilever
Size: 39 grams in four pieces.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Klondike Mint Chocolate-Chip Candy consists of blocks of dense green mint-flavoured fondant (with tiny chocolate chips in it) that have been enrobed in a moderately dark chocolate though mint is definitely the dominant taste.
Opinion: A product I've never seen, let alone purchased before (the label says 'NEW'), but purchased on a whim. As I've also never tried the ice cream novelty this candy was based on, I can't speak as to any similarities in taste, but judged on its own merits, I think this item was reasonably tasty having a nice strong mint flavour, but one that didn't completely overpower the chocolate. The chocolate chips also added a nice bit of texture. Overall, an interesting confection that I will probably try again...

Name: Tunnock's Caramel Log
Manufacturer: Thomas Tunnock Limited
Size: 27 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Tunnock's Caramel log consists of a large (supposedly) caramel flavoured water cookie dusted with roasted coconut shavings. In appearance, it is certainly a unique offering though not, perhaps, an especially appetizing one...
Opinion: Another import I've not tried before, this time from Scotland. Unfortunately, this product simply didn't make much of an impression on me. The wafer cookie itself was dense and chewy, but also seemed rather insipid. Likewise, the coconut was reminiscent of actual treebark. Despite a certain level of disappointment, I think I will purchase this product again on the suspicion that this one may have been a tad stale...

Name: Walnut Whip
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 33 grams
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Walnut Whip consists of a vaguely bell shaped milk chocolate shell filled with whipped fondant and topped with a small quantity of walnut.
Opinion: A candy I'd previously avoided due to the prominence of 'nut' in its name, but finally decided to purchase on learning how little it actually contained. As previously mentioned, I don't care for nuts so while I did, in fact, eat them as part of this review, I haven't really anything to say. The chocolate was of good quality a, however, while the whipped fondant had an almost frosting-like texture and was very sweet. Overall, an interesting treat, but one I'm uncertain whether I'd purchase again.

As some of you journal readers probably know, one of our ducklings this year was hatched with two badly curled feet which necessitated physical therapy in the form of crafting celluloid 'shoes' out of an old expired credit card to keep its feet flat.

About a week ago, we decided that its' feet were good enough to be reunited with its mother and siblings so that it could learn the important skills it would need as an adult duck (foraging, swimming, etc). It was all going well until Saturday evening when it was brought inside by my sister, having been found lying in the grass struggling to get up and died in our arms. Having ruled out heat-stroke, we currently believe that it may have been stepped on by a larger animal such as a dog or perhaps a calf.

Also, on Sunday a drowned starling was found in the water bucket. Apparently this is the time of year when baby birds are starting to become independent from their mommies....

Anyway, I don't normally talk too much about RL stuff here, but I've been feeling rather depressed since Ducky's passing and everything seems to remind me of it - the cardboard box where it lived the majority of its short life, the sunbeam where it preened its down, the frogs it loved to chase, the pool we set up for it to splash in... *sigh* Anyway, I'm really sorry for dropping this on you all and am only doing so in the hope that writing about it will help me better deal with the grief.

The odd thing is, I've lost a few favoured chickens and ducks over the last year and none have really hit me like this. The only real difference I can think of is that all those animals either died after a prolonged period of illness or were missing for a day or more before we discovered their remains, unlike Ducky's sudden departure...

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading and I promise to replace this with a more cheerful-type journal soon!

*hugs for everyone*

Well, it has been a while since my last journal so I'm just turning up to let everyone know I'm alright and still lurking about unseen. This has actually been a pretty busy month for me - I managed to get our garden planted full to the brim with potatoes and despite some problems with her nest, our duck continues to brood so we haven't lost hope of getting some babies in the near future!

Unfortunately, I never did get any playtest feedback yet for Babyfur RPG so I don't really have any concrete updates to discuss at this time continue to quietly tinker with the rules on my own - Do try and let me know your thoughts, however.

With this installment of Kaffre talks Candy, I have officially exhausted the imports aisle at my local Bulk Barn, but have also managed to locate a convenience store that stocks a variety of Asian candies that should extend the life of this particular journal feature. Or I could decide to take Zee-Zee's advice and start reviewing other kinds of things (I've already cheated somewhat by including cookies in #6).

Finally, I know I say this every journal, but I really hope to get some pictures or story updates to post later this month to share with everyone. *crosses claws*

Well, I guess that's it for this month's update so without further ado...

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Name: Invite
Manufacturer: Solen
Size: 58 grams in two bars.
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Invite consists of two small bars bundled together in the same wrapper. The individual bars are comprised of a crunchie cookie-biscuit topped with a small quantity of caramel and then enrobed in a layer of chocolate.
Opinion: A product I've never heard of, but based on the picture appears to be a Turkish version of Twix. The bars themselves appear broader and flatter than Mars' Twix, however (more than my sitting on them slightly should account for). It also seemed chewier and less sweet than that product. Judged purely on its own merits, Invite is a decent enough bar and one I'd probably buy again, but given the circumstances involved, I think I'll probably stick to Twix.

Name: Kit Kat Chunk Double Caramel
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat Chunky consists of a single large wafer cookie (about half the height of a standard Kit Kat Chunky), but the indentation in the centre of the bar is more pronounced. This is because one half of the bar is covered with a thin layer of caramel before being enrobed in chocolate while the other half appears to be topped with a sort of crumbly caramel flavoured substance that I can't readily identify.
Opinion: A product I don't think I've even seen before, but decided to try anyway, this bar wasn't as bad as I feared as the taste was mainly that of a standard kit kat with rather nice overtones of caramel flavour. nevertheless, I found the two-part construction of this bar a little off-putting and as a result of that, feel that I'll probably stick to the regular Chunky for the mostpart though I shan't be too averse to trying this item again.

Name: Mars
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 52 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Mars bar consists of a nougat base covered with caramel with the whole thing being enrobed in chocolate. The bar I bought melted somewhat in transit, but the bar typically has a blocky, but polished appearance.
Opinion: To be completely honest, I can't remember whether I've tried this product before or not. Fortunately, despite my general indifference to caramel-flavoured sweets this product was surprisingly good - I think the nougat had a mellowing effect on the taste of the caramel. Overall a decent enough candy. I don't think it's likely to find a regular place on my shopping list anytime soon, but I'll probably eat one again at some point.

Name: Panda Soft Licorice (Original)
Manufacturer: Panda
Size: 32 gram stick
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Panda Soft Licorice consists of a thickish bar of licorice about twice as wide as it is high. This outside is black while the inside is a rather unappetizing greenish brown.
Opinion: This product is one that I've had before and always enjoyed. An import from Finland, it has a strong licorice flavour combined with an unusual texture and flavour which I suspect derive from the molasses used. I don't normally distinguish between liquorice and anise flavours in candy as I, personally, enjoy both flavours and hence don't much care one way or the other, but due to the relatively short ingredient list for this product (five items), the presence of anise seed oil was quite obvious so some licorice fans may decide to steer clear. Overall, I appreciate the depth of flavour this candy offers and while it's not something I buy with great frequency, I feel it's an item that will continue to find its way into my shopping basket for the foreseeable future.

Name: Pocky, Green Tea
Manufacturer: Thai Glico
Size: 40 gram box
Where Purchased: Beaver Variety and Takeout.
Description: Pocky consists of thin biscuit-sticks that have been lightly dipped in a flavoured compound of some kind. In this case, a sickly-green coating.
Opinion: I'd had the ubiquitous chocolate Pocky once or twice before, but hadn't even see this variety before. The cookie portion was tasty, if a bit plain. The green stuff, on the other paw was a matter of some contention with me positing that it taste like white-chocolate with a very slight tea flavour to it, but those I shared them with disagreed, finding the tea taste to be overwhelming. In any case, while I found this product to be an interesting one, it held no special appeal for me and I feel I'm unlikely to purchase it again.

Name: Pontefract Cakes
Manufacturer: Haribo
Size: 160 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Pontefract Cakes consist of a flat, vaguely circular, pieces of liquorice-flavoured candy that have been embossed in the style of a coin (in this case, with the words "HARIBO ORIGINAL" and a picture of what I presume is meant to be Pontefract Castle).
Opinion: While I have, in fact, tried these candies before, I wanted to give them another try before scribbling up a review. The candy has a nice, but somewhat subtle, licorice taste that's not too sweet and in fact has a bit of saltiness to it as well as another flavour I'm having trouble identifying. The downside, for me, is the texture which has an odd chewiness to it that's reminiscent of a gummy. Overall, I found these candies to be fairly tasty, but I don't think I'm likely to buy them again as there are no shortage of other licorice-type candies that I like better and lack the unusual texture of this product.

Name: Sherbet Fountain
Manufacturer: Tangerine Confectionery
Size: 25 gram tube
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Sherbet Foutain consists of a plastic tube with a plastic tub with a removable plastic top. The tube contains a white powdery candy and a piece of licorice for use as a dipper.
Opinion: Sherbet Foutain is a product I've seen many times, but always avoided to the rather intimidating-looking packaging (it resembles some kind of spray cannister). Fortunately, the product is fairly simple. Sadly, the licorice piece was stale to the point of being brittle and tasteless and I had to throw it away. The powder candy, however, was interesting - I've never been a fan of most powdered candies, finding them either too strongly flavoured, but this product has a relatively mild lemon flavour that I rather like. I'm still unlikely to puchase the stuff again because I find powder candies in general to be messy and inconvenient, but happily recommend it to others.

Name: Toblerone (Honey and Almond Nougat)
Manufacturer: Mondelez
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Toblerone consists of eleven small triangular segments connected at the bottom. The chocolate constains small crunchy flecks of what I presume is almond nougat.
Opinion: I've had this product in the past, but didn't remember much about it. The chocolate is smooth and sweet and the slivers of nougat do add an interesting texture while the segmentation allow the bar to be readily broken up into conveniently bite-sized pieces. Overall, I thought this item was quite tasty and can't really remember why I buy them so infrequently, but while this item won't be joining my regular candy list just yet, I probably will grab it a bit more often in future.

Name: Tunnock's Caramel Wafer
Manufacturer: Thomas Tunnock Limited
Size: 30 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Tunnock's Caramel Wafers consist of a large caramel-flavoured wafer cookie coated in a layer of milk chocolate. In appearance, it resembles a slightly shorter version of Nestle's Coffee Crisp bar in its plainness.
Opinion: A product I've not seen before, but decided to review on a whim. First, the four thin layers of caramel lent the bar an interesting chewiness as opposed the crispiness of most wafer-type bars while at the same time delivering a surprising amount of caramel-flavour without much in the way of stickiness. Overall, a quality item, but one that I'm not sure I'll be trying again (due to my general ambivalence toward caramel).

Name: Wine Gums
Manufacturer: Waterbridge
Size: N/A (200 gram bags)
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Wine Gums consist of stiff, gummy-like candies that come in a variety of colours and flavours (raspberry, lemon, lime, orange, and blackcurrant), and are formed into a a variety of shapes (circle, ovate, kite, and rod) which have been stamped with the names of different beverages (chablis, claret, gin, hock, port, and rioja).
Opinion: A British import I've frequently enjoyed, but was hesitant to review as I wasn't sure of the manufacturer until recently (many companies manufacture the candy and I generally buy it loose). In any case, the candies have a nice stiff texture that I appreciate in a gum candy and taste that's somewhat difficult to describe. The fruit flavour comes through well but is neither too sweet nor too tart and has a distinctive but pleasant aftertaste (perhaps the spinach/nettle extract or beeswax). In any case, I find this product to be quite tasty and will continue to purchase them on a semi-regular basis for the foreseeable future.

Well, I've nothing else to do today and it is a Tuesday... Anyone got questions? ^^

Oops I quite nearly forgot to submit my journal for this month!

I don't really have much to say as thing have been relatively quiet and I've not had an opportunity to review any new candies or other snacks for my Kaffre Candy feature.

Fortunately, the playtest that put my Babyfur RPG on hiatus has been completed, leaving me free to work on that game once more. As mentioned in my previous journal, my own work suggests we may need to revise the combat system so that Skill factors into Defence (which will also necessitate more definition of said Skills). I suspect we may also have to modify the margins of the different wound categories - Both Deadlands and Ars Magica use an effective size of '3' to babyfur sized creatures, but the majority of characters are 6 and 5 respectively and I fear the current margin may make the characters too vulnerable to damage.

I also feel we may need to add some additional stats to the character blocks. Most notably Perception/Alertness and Energy/Vigor. I'm currently thinking of ways to try and integrate the 'Job' system of the type Yosh-E suggests, but am unsure yet how to proceed.

In addition to commentary on the above, I'd also like to ask everyone to consider submitting example characters for consideration (I want to see what sort of Skills and Gifts/Faults need to be included).

Well, I guess that's it for this month, I promise to try and be more punctual in May! Now everyfur lineup for your complementary post-journal hugs!

Well, it's been over a month since my last journal so I suppose it's about time I issued an update to those of you who take their time to read these journals.

I'm doing well and while I haven't completed any pics or stories just yet, I am making good progress on one of each and hope to have one of both posted before May! My RPG project is on a bit of a hiatus while I perform the playtesting duties I signed up for under an actual, published game, but I do hope to hear what the rest of you think about the extremely rough rules I posted at (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/15917794/).

At present, I think I'll probably want to add a character's Skill to their Defence and perhaps include additional Stats. In particular, I feel we need Stats to represent Alertness and Perceptiveness, and Energy and vitality. I'm also giving consideration about how to integrate a Role/Equipment mechanic of the sort Yosh-E was suggesting, but thus far can't come up with anything workable.

Well, I guess that's really all I wanted to say for this journal, but I'll try and be better about posting new ones on a more regular basis over the next few months. Now, who wants kitty-hugs? *hopeful*

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Name: Cadbury Crunchie Biscuits
Manufacturer: Burton's Biscuit Company
Size: 130 gram package (contains eight cookies)
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Cadbury Crunchie Biscuits consist of crunchie round biscuit (cookie) topped with shards of honeycomb toffee and enrobed it chocolate.
Opinion: A product I purchased once before as a gift, but never tried myself, these cookies turned out to be quite tasty if, perhaps, a bit on the crunchy side. While the product apparently contains relatively little actual sponge toffee, I nonetheless feel that it does a quite reasonable job replicating both the texture and taste of the venerable Crunchie. The main exception being the lack of that bar's characteristic burnt sugar taste which, oddly enough, I miss. Still, the product is quite good in it's own right and I'll certainly buy them again as an occasional treat, but low availability compared to the bars will make them, at best, an occasional snack.

Name: Cadbury Crunchums
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 105 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Crunchums consist of "Crunchy Corn Puffs" as the packaging calls them (I find the taste somewhat reminiscent of 'Bugles'), coated in a layer of chocolate.
Opinion: A product I've never seen before, much less tried, Crunchums made for an interesting snack. The saltiness of the corn puffs provided an interesting to the very sweet Cadbury chocolate and a welcome bit of crunch as well. Despite these positive attributes, however, I'm uncertain whether I'll be purchasing this product again. My main reason for this is that the product has a strange, vaguely nutty aftertaste that I didn't really care for.

Name: Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscuits
Manufacturer: Burton's Biscuit Company
Size: 110 gram package (contains eight cookies)
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscuits consist of a crunchy square chocolate biscuit (cookie) enrobed in milk chocolate. Despite their generally square shape, the top and corners of the cookies are somewhat rounded which I think lends them a more elegant appearance.
Opinion: Another product I'd soon often, but never tried before and purchased a pack on a whim for review purposes. Fortunately, this product is a very tasty one, the rich cocoa taste of the cookie combined with the sweeter milk chocolate coating is a surprisingly effective flavour combination and the cookie centre gives the whole thing a very satisfying crunch. That said, however, while I'm almost positive I will purchase this product again at some point, the challenge associated in obtaining them in Canada will make them, at best, an occasional treat rather than a regular purchase.

Name: Caramilk
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Caramilk consists of a rather plain looking bar of chocolate divided up into 10 segments (two columns of five). The individual segments have rounded tops and consist of a quantity of caramel encased in a piece of milk chocolate.
Opinion: A chocolate bar I've never tried before owing to my indifference toward caramel, but decided to purchase on a whim. Fortunately, the bar was far better than I anticipated with the sweetness of the chocolate mingling nicely with the caramel and the bar's structure keeps the caramel sequestered reducing any potential mess. I probably won't purchase this bar again, but for those who do enjoy caramel I heartily recommend it.

Name: Kinder Surprise
Manufacturer: Fererro
Size: 20 grams
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kinder Surprise consists of a hollow chocolate egg formed from two halves which are relatively easy to separate. The product is, perhaps, best known for having a plastic capsule containing a toy inside the hollow of the egg, but the egg itself is interesting as well, having a white chocolate interior with a milk chocolate exterior (though the opposite arrangement would seem to make sense for an egg-themed product).
Opinion: While I've enjoyed Kinder Surprise before, I was first introduced to the things when I was in high-school and as such never really paid them much mind, only eating them when they were bought for my younger siblings so I feel it's time I give them their due. The product tasted pretty much as I remember with the white-chocolate being the dominant flavour and being of good quality. I'll probably buy this item again, but I don't think it'll become one of my regular purchases - it's too small and fragile for my liking, but I certainly recommend it as a children's snack. PS. If you're wondering, my toy was several small pieces of plastic which, once assembled, formed a hollow plastic ball.

Name: Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 48 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat Chunky consists of a single large wafer cookie (about half the height of a standard Kit Kat Chunky covered in a layer of peanut butter and then enrobed in chocolate. The structure resembled that of an oversized segment of the classic Kit Kat, but the scale is slightly different.
Opinion: A product I've never tried before even though they've been around for a while now, but finally got around to buying. My opinion, however, is mixed; the peanut butter does add a pleasant taste, but also acts as cushion, reducing the bar's crunchiness somewhat. Overall, I liked this product and will probably purchase it again, but can't really say whether I liked it any better than the standard Kit Kat Crunchy, but it's definitely a nice change now and then.

Name: Nutymax
Manufacturer: Solen
Size: 44 grams in two bars.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: NutyMax consists of two smaller bars sold bundled together size by side. The bars themselves consist of four wafer-like segments filled with hazelnut cream and covered in chocolate. In fact, this product is strongly reminiscent of the Kinder Bueno I reviewed in a previously journal.
Opinion: Like Octavia, this is a Turkish bar repackaged for sale in Canada, but unlike that bar, I had a pretty good idea what to expect going in with Nutymax. The bar, as expected, tastes very similar to the Kinder Bueno. I think the Bueno might be a tad creamier, but seriously doubt that I could tell the difference in taste-test. Overall, a yummy treat that I'd probably buy again except that I visit Dollarama far more frequently than I do Dollar Tree so I'll probably stick to Kinder Bueno for the near future.

Name: Reese's Pieces
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 51 gram box
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Reese's Pieces consist of peanut butter flavoured candy encased in a hard chocolate coating to prevent melting. Externally, they roughly resemble M&Ms except that they have no exterior 'M' marking and only come in three colours (orange, brown, and yellow).
Opinion: A product I occasionally consumed as a child, but was never especially fond of. Upon buying some for this review, however, I 've found that they're actually much better than I remember with a nice peanut butter taste and a solid coating. While I found this candy to be fairly tasty and will, in all probability, purchase it again, it's unlikely to become one of my regular purchases. This assessment is not so much due to any fault with this product, however, as it is that I rather prefer something more substantial - like the cups.

Name: Rowntree Fruit Gums
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 48 gram tube
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Rowntree fruit gums consist of fruit-flavoured, gummy material about 3cm thick and with a diameter equivalent to a 10-cent piece. The individual pieces come in a variety of colours each corresponding to a different flavour (blackcurrant, lemon, lime, orange, and strawberry). The top of each piece is scored with a # mark.
Opinion: A product I've never tried before, but decided to try for this review. Unfortunately, however, I think the pack I got may have gone stale. I know these are supposed to be closer to wine gum than a gum drop, but these actually crunched when I bit into them. That said, they actually tasted quite good I just didn't care much for the texture. Therefore, I'll probably buy these at least once more to see if the batch reviewed truly is a representative sample.

Name: Skittles (Original)
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 92 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Skittles are a brand of chewy, fruit flavoured, candy pieces. The individual pieces are thick rounded discs with Ss emblaxoned on the surface. Skittles in a variety of colours each representing a different flavour (orange, lemon, lime, grape, and strawberry).
Opinion: Skittles are a candy I enjoyed quite frequently until my high school years at which point they started being phased out for reasons I can't recall. In any case, skittles remain quite tasty, having a chewy texture and delivering a pleasant flavour. Interestingly, while the different coloured pieces do taste different, they're much more similar than I remember suggesting that the fruit isn't the dominant flavour. In any case, Skittles taste about how I remember and I will probably purchase them again in the future, but I'm not sure with how great a regularity it will be.

Well, it's been almost two weeks since my last journal so I figured it's time for an update.

First, I want to apologize for the lack of art thus far this year. My drawing skills have apparently degraded somewhat from what I remember being able to accomplish. Nevertheless, I do hope to have something completed soon so that I can share with my FA pals. Likewise, I really haven't gotten any of my desired writing done - bad kitty! Fortunately, with invaluable assistance from Tacki and Gus I have been making some progress on my ideas for a babyfur-themed tabletop RPG. Obviously, we still have a long way to go, but I think we've got a very solid core to work from and very much look forward to tinkering with the mechanics in the coming months.

Also, I may be a bit quieter than usual the next week or so as I'm going to be trying to get those drawinmgs finished as well as complete a few non-babyfur related projects that I've been procrastinating on finished. With any luck, however, I should be all set to be cute and fuzzy again really soon. And with that, I hereby present 'Kaffre Talks Candy #5!

Name: Andes Mints
Manufacturer: Tootsie
Size: 71 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Andes Mints consist of small chocolate mints a with a white substance sandwiched between two layers of milk chocolate (similar to After Eight, the centre layer has a consistency similar to the chocolate). The pieces come individually wrapped in green foil packets and are sold by the bag. Upon close examination, I was able to discern that the chocolate itself, as well as the 'white stuff' is mint-flavoured to at least some extent.
Opinion: I'm sure I've eaten this product before, but I'm not really sure when and I had only the dimmest memories of the candy's taste. In any event, the mints were quite tasty and provided an excellent blending of mint and chocolate flavours. While I can't say this is my favourite mint-flavoured chocolate, I feel confident in saying that these are a snack I'll almost certainly be purchasing again even if they probably won't become a regular item on my shopping list.

Name: Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 31 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Cadbury Buttons consist of small disc-shaped pieces of chocolate similar to, but smaller than, the melting wafers sold in confectionery shops and, I believe, the white chocolate buttons described below.
Opinion: Another product I'd never tried before, but frequent seen on the shelves, I recently bought a package to review. As with the white chocolate buttons, the chocolate itself was of excellent quality, but, perhaps due to the small amounts in each 'button' seemed to lack a certain depth of flavour.that one gets from the actual bar. Overall, they're quite tasty, but I doubt I'll be buying them again as I personally prefer a more substantial snack.

Name: Cadbury White Chocolate Buttons
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 32.4 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Cadbury Buttons consist of small disc-shaped pieces of white chocolate similar to, but smaller than, the melting wafers sold in confectionery shops.
Opinion: Not a product I'd never tried before, but have often found interesting. The quality of the white chocolate is very high, being sweet and lacking the unpleasant aftertaste that often accompanies white chocolate. Despite their tastiness, I'm not sure I'll ever buy these again as they seem a bit insubstantial. That said, the same trait would seem to make them an ideal snack for children or those trying to limit their consumption of candy by providing a lot of flavour in a relatively small package.

Name: Dairy Milk (UK version)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: The UK version of Dairy Milk looks similar to the Canadian version, except that it's slightly shorter and wider, and the segments have rounded tops rather than flat ones.
Opinion: This bar is quite tasty, but also very similar to the domestic version. The main difference I've noted is that the UK bar had a creamier taste and wasn't as sweet as the Canadian one. Ultimately, I thought this product was quite tasty, but the combination of a slight 'uncanny alley' effect in relation to the Canadian bar and the greater availability of domestic Dairy Milk bars means I probably won't buy this bar again despite thinking it quite good in its own right.

Name: Fry's Turkish Delight
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 51 gram block
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Fry's Turkish Delight consists of a slim squarish slab of turkish delight, enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: A product I was initially somewhat wary of, but decided to try anyway. Even as someone not familiar with the stuff, I could tell immediately that the Turkish Delight used in this bar was of much higher quality that that in Nestle's Big Turk - it has a richer, more complex, flavour and the texture is less reminiscent of gummy. Unfortunately, this was my biggest problem with this product. Overall, I'm very unlikely to buy this product again, but think that someone with a stronger affinity for Turkish Delight might have a better reaction - I'm afraid this product just isn't for me.

Name: Galaxy Minstrels
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 42 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Minstrels consist of convex shaped pieces of candy-coated chocolate. Their proportions are similar to those of Nestle smarties, but are about thee times larger.
Opinion: In addition to having a similar appearance to smarties also taste somewhat similar. The candy shell seems proportionally thinner, however, and the chocolate used seems to be of better quality, having the sweetness and milky flavour of a Galaxy bar. Overall, a solid product in its own right, but not one I think I'm likely to purchase again soon.

Name: Jersey Milk
Manufacturer: Mondelez
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: N/A, Christmas Present
Description: Jersey Milk consists of a slim, but wide bar of milk chocolate designed so that it can be broken up into 10 portions (2 columns of 5).
Opinion: Originally produced by Neilson, this bar is now produced by Cadbury. Jersey Milk is a bar I've tried before, but it was so long ago that I remember it only as a rather plain-tasting product. As it happens, however, is quite good with a taste similar to Dairy Milk, but less sweet and with a slightly waxy texture (though it was slightly melted from resting in my stocking overnight). Unfortunately, despite being very good in its own right, I think Dairy Milk will probably remain my go-to choice for plain chocolate in the near future, I will, however, be more likely to pounce when Jersey Milks go on sale now.

Name: M&Ms
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 48 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: M&Ms are a brand of candy-coated chocolate pieces resembling thick discs or flattened spheres. They come in a variety of colours, but all taste the same. They are identifiable by a white 'M' emblazoned onto the surface of the candy coating.
Opinion: A treat I've had before, but hadn't enjoyed in a while, M&Ms are about as good as I remember. The chocolate is tasty and the coating provides a nice amount of crunch. Overall, a good product and one I'll probably buy again, but ultimately I think I like 'Smarties' better though this may be nostalgia-induced rather than an accurate reflection of the differences between the two products, but unfortunately I never thought to try a blind test.

Name: Moritz Icy Squares
Manufacturer: Regal Confections
Size: 75 gram bag.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Icy Squares consist of square blocks of chocolate that are slightly wider at the bottom than they are at the top. The chocolate used is made from hydrogenated coconut oil so it has a very low melting-point so it melts almost instantly in your mouth, or less delightfully, in your hand, when eating them. Each piece comes individually wrapped in coloured foil (green, red, or violet, and gold) and are sold in transparent plastic cylinders, or in plastic bags.
Opinion: Imported from Germany, Icy Squares have been a favourite holiday snack since I was very little. Buying a smallish pack for this review, Icy Squares tasted pretty much how I remembered being very sweet and creamy, but messy with an unusual aftertaste which, judging by the ingredient list, probably comes from the hazelnut paste. In addition, the heat transfer that occurs when eating these candies causes a 'cool' sensation in one's mouth. Overall, Icy Squares are a yummy, if rather rich, holiday treat and one I will continue to buy around the holidays, but will remain a very occasional snack at other times of year due to their propensity to melt.

Name: Zero Dark
Manufacturer: Regal Confections
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Zero consists of four blocky-looking segments connected end to end with indentations to allow the individual segments to be broken off. Each segment consists of a hard dark chocolate shell filled with a creamier chocolate made from coconut oil, lending the bar a 'cool' taste similar to that of an "Icy Square".
Opinion: I've had this bar before, but as with the milk chocolate version, it had been a long time and I didn't really remember what it tasted like. Unlike with the regular Zero, I followed the serving instructions on the wrapper and refrigerated the bar before serving, but I'm not sure it really made much difference. In any case, while not a bad bar by any measure, one's attitude toward this product is likely to be determined, by one's feelings regarding dark chocolate. For me, this means I enjoyed the bar and might buy it again, but am more likely to pass it up in favour of the milk chocolate version. (Note: I was unable to discern if the bar's centre was also dark chocolate).

While I haven't quite given up on the idea of getting some artwork done this week, I do have some things I wanted to talk about, but none of which seemed sufficient to warrant a journal on its own. I hope you'll bear with me:

First, I'm curious how people feel about my Kaffre talks Candy feature? It was fun and I have a few more installments lined up, but am increasingly having trouble finding new items to review and, in any case, it's not at all clear how many of you out there actually read them. Thus I ask: do you think I should retain the feature? If so, do you have any suggestions for products that I should review?

Secondly, in addition to my usual Ars Magica and GURPS games, I've recently been talked into GMing occasional Pathfinder adventures for my younger cousins and have even taken a look at the the 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons books before deciding they're not for me. In any case, the whole thing has got me thinking a lot about the idea of a babyfur themed RPG. I don't really think such a thing would be commercially successful or even see much play even at cons, but I do think it presents an interesting challenge. Despite my own preference for high-crunch simulationist games, I don't think that would be the right approach for a babyfur RPG. If anything, I think something closer to Golden Sky Stories would be the way to go. What do you think?

Finally, for those of you who don't know, there's currently a project to select a national bird for Canada in 2017 (http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/nationalbird/). In addition to my desire to help promote the project, however, I'm also not sure who to cast my vote for. I was, I'll admit, one of those who thought that the Common Loon was our national bird and while a fine animal in its own right, it's also Ontario's provincial bird which seems a bit unfair. The problem is that all my other favourites (Snowy Owl, Chickadee, and Puffin) are provincial birds too. Therefore, loyal journal readers, I ask you: which of the 40 submissions do you think is most worthy?

Well, I guess that's enough for one journal, thanks for reading! *huggles*

First, I'd like to apologize for my tardiness in posting this journal. I was working to complete another feature that I had hoped to include in this journal (a sequel to my 'Furry World' meme from a few years ago), but I'm afraid it's simply taking too long so I'm afraid I'll have to save it for my next journal instead :sad:

Anyway, the primary for this journal is to announce that I've decided to make a special resolution for this year: every week will see me post something here on FA! It might be a picture, a journal, or written work. I can't make any promises regarding the quality, but I do hereby promise that every week of 2015 will see come form of shiny new Kaffre content! ^^

Now. since I missed both Christmas and New Years, I've got oodles and oodles of holiday themed hugs to give out! Try and form an orderly line! :very happy: Sorry for the brevity of the journal, but hopefully I can make up for it by posting even more of them this year!

Also, without further ado, a special second chance edition of Kaffre talks Candy!

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Name: Galaxy
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Galaxy consists of a slim, but somewhat unusually shaped bar of chocolate with indentations that allow it to be broken into six segments. The off part of the shape, however, it that the individual sections aren't flat, but instead feature an unusual wavy shape giving the bar a lopsided appearance.
Opinion: After my previous, somewhat disappointing, experience with Galaxy, I'm happy to report that the one I got this time left a far more favourable impression. The new bar was sweeter and had a reduced, more identifiable, aftertaste (It's milk, by the way). The chocolate was oddly chewy and even recognizing the aftertaste, it was still rather stronger than I would have liked. Overall, a pretty good product and one I'll probably buy again from time to time, but not something I'll be purchasing with any kind of regularity.

Name: Kit Kat
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat consists of four small wafer cookies covered in, and joined by, a layer of chocolate. The structure of the bar makes it easy to break off pieces for sharing or to limit one's consumption for health purposes and indeed this feature is quite prominent in the bar's marketing campaign.
Opinion: A bar I've often enjoyed, but was rather disappointed with the last time I bought one, I was far more pleased this time. The chocolate was quite tasty and the wafers seemed crispier and sweeter than my last Kit Kat so their flavour blending with the chocolate coating was beneficial to the taste rather than a detriment. Overall, Kit Kat remains a solid candy and one I'm likely to continue buying even though I do prefer the 'Chunky' variant a bit better.

Name: Twirl
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 47 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Twirl consists of what are essentially two shortened Flake bars enrobed in Cadbury chocolate and sold bundled together in a single package in a manner not unlike that of Mars' line of 'Twix' bars which are probably better known to North American readers.
Opinion: While my last encounter with Twirl was quite unpleasant, I must say it has redeemed itself considerably this time around. The addition of a chocolate coating makes this product more aesthetically pleasing and less messy than its relative Flake, but doesn't seem to adversely affect the bar's crumbliness very much. Twirl still breaks into a cascade of chocolatey slivers, filling one's mouth with an especially intense chocolatey taste as they melt away almost instantly. The bar isn't as sweet as I remembered, but it is a quality product and one I'm sure I'll be purchasing from time to time, but they're too difficult to get ahold of here for me to make them a regular buy.

Eeep I just noticed that I'd not posted any journals in over a month so I figured I ought to post something this month lest Santa Claws forget me!

Kaffre, as always, has been a very good kitten this year and so can expect a particularly good crop of presents to be left under the tree. His top items this year being a pet of some kind (Santa, in his great wisdom, will probably get the, not overly-responsible toddler, a plushy instead) and the world's biggest, fluffiest, most colourfulest ball of yarn!

IRL, things have been quiet. It's the first major holiday since my mothers passing and, while I can't say the family's feeling stressed or depressed, no one's really stepped into her usual role of organizing the festivities so we haven't really done any decorating or other holidays stuff.

In other news, I received my .pdf copies of Wee Beasties today which means the book, illustrated by  marinaneira , should be arriving at FLGSs everywhere soon. Get your copy today!

And now, candy!

Name: 3 Musketeers
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 54 grams
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: 3 Musketeers consists of a plain-looking squarish bar filled with a whipped, chocolate-flavoured nougat.
Opinion: This is bar I'd tried once or twice a long time ago and more or less forgotten about since it wasn't carried at my usual stores. I found the bar to be pretty tasty and while I'm still not a huge fan of whipped nougat, I think it worked well here it lent the bar and interesting chewy texture and the taste blended nicely with the chocolate coating. Overall a nice candy, but probably not one I'll be buying with any great frequency mainly due to my ambivalence toward nougat.

Name: After Eight
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 40 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: After Eight consists of a simple, yet elegant, bar of dark chocolate which can be broken into six segments for sharing. The segments contain a white mint-flavoured substance that resembles white chocolate more than the fondant used in the actual "After Eight" line of mint wafers.
Opinion: I'm not especially fond of dark chocolate normally, but I think it works here. The mint flavouring is strong, but not harsh and fades seemlessly into the slightly bitter aftertaste of dark chocolate, but that too is fairly mellow. Overall I think one's attitude toward this bar is contingent on how one feels about mint-flavoured confections, but I personally found it quite tasty and will probably buy it again, but I doubt it will become a regular purchase anytime in the near future.

Name: Galaxy
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Galaxy consists of a slim, but somewhat unusually shaped bar of milk chocolate that can be broken into six sections. The off part of the shape, however, it that the individual sections aren't flat, but instead feature an odd curl at the top that makes the whole bar look lopsided (it's not, I checked).
Opinion: Galaxy appears to be a creamy chocolate bar in the same vein as Dairy Milk or Jersey Milk and to a certain extent it is successful as the bar is indeed very smooth and creamy. Unfortunately, it also featured an unusual aftertaste that, while not necessarily bad, I found somewhat offputting. In the interest of fairness I must disclose that I purchased the bar for 50% off because it was nearing expiry so this may not be the best that Galaxy has to offer. Therefore, while I'm not entirely convinced that this bar was, in fact, stale, I will try and review this bar again in the interest of getting the very fairest review that I can.

Name: Hershey's Creamy Milk Chocolate
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Creamy Milk Chocolate consists of a flattish and somewhat plain looking bar of chocolate. The bar is divided into twelve segments (three columns of four) allowing it to be readily broken up into bite-sized pieces - these seem to work well for their intended purpose as the bar I got was shattered more or less along these demarcations.
Opinion: This bar is one that I've probably tried before, but couldn't actually remember much about. Having bought one again for this review, however, I can see why I didn't remember it; the bar is completely unremarkable. This isn't to say that the bar is of poor quality, it is, in fact, very tasty, but rather the fact that I can't identify any discreet qualities that is possesses. Overall, I liked this product, but am not sure whether I'll be purchasing it again or not as it seems very 'generic' to me.

Name: Juicy Fruit
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 18.8 grams per pack of 12.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Juicy Fruit is a brand of white chicle-type gum that's sold in 12-piece blister packs, but was formerly available as a standard stick gum, but my local Dollarama didn't have any in stock at the time of this review. Individual pieces are uniform rectangles about twice as long as they are wide.
Opinion: While I've definitely eaten Juicy Fruit before, I can't remember whether I've had this particular variety or not. The taste is about the same as I remembered - an indistinct, vaguely 'fruity' flavour, but being in chicle form, the gum taste seems to be both more intense and shorter lasting. Fortunately, while the taste is somewhat nondescript, it is very tasty and a nice break from more conventional flavours like spearmint or bubblegum. Overall, however, while I'll continue to purchase this product from time to time, my preference for Thrills means it won't be a regular buy for the foreseeable future.

Name: Milkyway (European version)
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 43 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Milkyway consists of two small bars bundled together end to end, not unlike a Bounty. The individual bars are fairly blocky-looking and have a nougat centre enrobed in a fairly thin layer or milk chocolate (unlike the North American product, this bar contains no caramel).
Opinion: This bar is one I had never tried before (nor was I aware that Mars made two different versions of this product). The chocolate and nougat were both quite tasty, but I myself tend to prefer a denser nougat than this product features. Not a bad product by any means, but I just can't see myself purchasing this bar on a regular basis as it's just too similar to other bars that I like better.

Name: Octavia
Manufacturer: Solen
Size: 40 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Octavia consists of a rather plain looking bar of milk chocolate which is divided lengthwise into six segments. The individual segments contain a darker-coloured compound which tastes vaguely of hazelnut and has rice crisps embedded within it.
Opinion: Imported from Turkey, this product did not make a favourable first impression; the chocolate had a strange texture (in retrospect, I believe this to have been a result of the bar having melted slightly in transit as it tasted OK). Fortunately, the bar tastes much better than it looks with a rich taste and a nice texture thanks to the rice crisps. I'm not really sure whether I'll be buying the product again or not, but I am glad I overcame my initial reluctance and tried

Name: Smarties
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 50 gram box
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Smarties are a brand of candy-coated chocolate pieces similar to the M&Ms more familiar to my American readers (though they predate that product). Smarties, however, are wider and flatter and feature more a subdued colour palette.
Opinion: Smarties are a product I've eaten since I was very little (my pediatrician used them as a bribe), but one I haven't tried in a while. Fortunately, while this product didn't taste exactly, as I remember - being crunchier and having a pleasant, but unusual aftertaste - they're still a very tasty candy that I really ought to buy more often.

Name: Wunderbar
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 58 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Wunderbar consists of a largist bar with an ovoid crosssection containing a core of crunchy powdered peanut (similar to the crispy crunch, but softer) surrounded by a layer of caramel and finally coated in a layer of milk chocolate. Apart from the unusual shape and size, however, the bar is actually rather plain-looking.
Opinion: A bar I've not eaten in a long time and had, in fact, almost completely forgotten about. The taste was reminiscent of the Crispy Crunch, but the peanut flake centre seemed softer (though this may be a result of the caramel layer). Ultimately, while I found this bar to be quite tasty, Crispy Crunch pulls ahead by a small margin due to being crispier and crunchier so while I'll probably buy Wunderbar again, it probably won't be a regular buy anytime soon.

Name: Zero
Manufacturer: Regal Confections
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Zero consists of four blocky-looking segments connected end to end with indentations to allow the individual segments to be broken off. Each segment consists of a hard milk chocolate shell filled with a creamier chocolate made from coconut oil, lending the bar a 'cool' taste similar to that of an "Icy Square".
Opinion: I've had this bar before, but hadn't seen it in a long time and couldn't really remember what it tasted like. Ultimately, I liked this bar even though I found the contrast between the hard, relatively tasteless, shell and the rich filling to be somewhat strange. Overall, I'll probably buy this product again though given the season I'll probably just be going for those icy squares in the more immediate future.

Well, after a week of being a cute lil' newborn kitten I's finally back to my normal age of three! Thank you all for the kind Birthday messages and huggings, I appreciate them a lot!

In other news, I finished colouring Zee-Zee's Birthday art and completed the Swapsies I owe Liljennie, but unfortunately my scanner's acting up so I'm not sure when I'll be able to scan them :apologies:

Hmmm I guess that's it for now... Anyone want hugs?

As per the tradition established in 2012, Kaffre - freshly rejuvenated at midnight into a little newborn kitten, is placed into a comfy bassinet and set down among his babyfur friends so he can receive all the special birthday-related pettings and hugs he's entitled to! ^^

Don't worry too much - the birthday magic seems to wear off after a week or so, but for now he's happy gurgling and cooing as friends and family fuss over his cute new form....

Hi everyone!

Sorry for leaving that depressing old journal up for almost a month, but I couldn't really bring myself to post a new one until I had something suitably interesting with which to replace it. To that end, I'd like to remind you all that kitty has a birthday coming up in just nine days! Unfortunately, I'll be a busy kitty this next week as I've got a playtest to write and some babyfur pictures to finish so I'm afraid I won't be able to remind you nearer to the date...

Anyway, we had the memorial on October 2 and are all doing quite well (I think we did most of our mourning during her lengthy illness). Thanks again to all who sent their condolences, they were much appreciated,

And now, on a lighter note - the 3rd installment of Kaffre talks Candy.

Name: Bounty
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 57 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Bounty consists of two smaller bars bundled together in a single wrapper - unlike Twirl, Twix, or Bueno, however, the bars are arranged end on end rather than side by side. The individual bars are short, but fairly thick and consist of shredded coconut coated in a layer of chocolate.
Opinion: I've not tried a Bounty is many years and had, in fact, nearly forgotten what they taste like when I bought one for the purposes of this review. Fortunately, the answer is that it tastes quite good with a tasty coconut centre that is neither too chewy nor dry and acts as a counterpoint to the chocolate's sweetness. I think I'll probably buy this again.

Name: Crispy Crunch
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 48 gram bar
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Crispy Crunch consists of a broad flat bar with a sort of flaky, peanut butter candy enrobed in a layer of sweet-tasting milk chocolate. The bar's surface lacks the smoothe finish and segmentation of the Fry's X Creme bars, but the general structure is very similar.
Opinion: Crispy Crunch is a bar I enjoyed quite frequently in my youth, but hadn't eaten in a few years mainly due to them being harder to find in the last few years and not being stocked at either of my usual candy stores for some reason. The bar is fairly crunchy and manages a nice peanut buttery taste without the messiness of actual peanut butter. In short, I found Crispy Crunch to be just as good as I remember and will continue buying it.

Name: Curly Wurly
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 26 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Curly Wurly consists of individual strands of caramel arranged in a sort of loose braid and then covered in a layer of sweet chocolate.
Opinion: Normally, I'm not especially fond of caramel, but I rather liked this product. The sweetness of the chocolate provided a nice contrast to the caramel and while the bar was quite chewy, the thin strands and chocolate coating allowed me to bite off appropriate sized pieces making it more manageable. Overall, I found this candy to be fairly tasty, but I'm not really sure whether I'd buy it again mostly due to my indifference toward caramel.

Name: Dubble Bubble Assorted Flavour Tab Chewing Gum
Manufacturer: Dubble Bubble
Size: 127 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: This product consists of small multi-coloured tablets of chicle style gum about 1/8 the size of a Chiclet. Each colour represents a different flavour (as with gumballs or chiclets, but are individually mellower possibly as a result of the relatively small size of the tablets.
Opinion: This product is one I've found myself purchasing a lot since I first tried it about a year ago. The pieces taste a bit like gumball, but due to their small size more can fit in your mouth giving a more intense flavour though it is rather nondescript unless you're lucky enought to get a palmful of the same colour pieces. The product is a good one if you enjoy the taste and texture of chicle gums and I will continue to purchase it for the foreseeable future.

Name: Fry's Peppermint Cream
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 49 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Fry's Peppermint Cream consists of a dark chocolate shell with a creamy, mint-flavoured fondant centre. The shape of the bar is fairly flat with a simple, but sleek appearance. There are some grooves suggesting that the bar is meant to be broken into segments, but they don't work well for this purpose.
Opinion: As with the other Fry's bars I've reviewed, the fondant proved the dominant flavour lending this product a taste reminiscent of a Junior Mint or Peppermint Patty. The bitter aftertase of the dark chocolate was barely noticeable which may be a plus or minus depending on your opinion of the stuff, but I found the product to be easily my favourite of the three Fry's bars and while I'm not sure I'll ever buy one again, I am glad I tried it once.

Name: Hershey's Cookies n' Creme
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 43 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Cookies n' Creme consists of a flattish bar of white chocolate embedded with many small fragments of 'cookie' (to a cursory inspection, they do resemble Oreo crumbs. The bar is divided into twelve segments (three columns of four) allowing it to be readily broken up into bite-sized pieces.
Opinion: A bar I've not had in some time, but used to quite enjoy, Cookies n' Creme is about the same as I remember. I personally enjoy white chocolate, but find that it gives me a stomach ache much more easily than actual chocolate and I believe that the presence of cookie bits helps to ameliorate this. A decent bar that I shall continue to buy.

Name: Milkybar
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 25 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Milkybar consists of a slim, but deceptively sturdy bar of white chocolate (actually a vaguely yellowish hue). The bar is quite flat, but features a raised illustration of what appears to be a little boy in cowboy garb snaring a hobby horse (or perhaps a dragon) with his trusty lasso.
Opinion: This is another bar I'd never tried before, but decided to try on a whim. The white chocolate was smooth, sweet, and very tasty without having the unusual aftertaste I normally associate with white chocolate. Ultimately I liked this bar and will probably try it again, but its rarity and small size will prevent if from being one of my regular buys.

Name: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 46 grams in three cups
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups consists of three roughly disc-shaped chocolate shells filled with peanut butter. The top of the cups feature a scalloped edge and have a diameter that is noticeably greater than it is at the base. The cups I bought had melted slightly, but were still easily recognizeable.
Opinion: While I've tried Peanbut Butter Cups before and liked them, they're an item I've largely avoided the last few years after getting a bunch of stale ones in a row. Fortunately, the pack I bought for this review was fresh. While the combination of peanut-butter and chocolate is justifiably celebrated, I couldn't help noticing that both flavours seemed rather subdued. Nevertheless, the item is quite tasty and will probably be purchased again.

Name: Skor
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 39 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Skor consists of a slim piece of crunchy toffee covered in a thin layer of milk chocolate. The bar itself is slim and decptively delicate-looking, but actuallly required a fair amount of force to snap in half to inspect the bar's crosssection. Interestingly, the chocolate seemed to want to peel away from the toffee as I ate.
Opinion: Skor is another bar I'd often seen, but never tried before. The taste was vaguely reminiscent of Crunchie, but the toffee is harder and has a smoother, less intense flavour. I rather liked this product, but so far as toffee filled candy bars go, I'll probably be sticking to Crunchie for the time being...

Name: Twix
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 50 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Twix consists of two small bars bundled together in the same wrapper. The individual bars are comprised of a crunchie cookie-biscuit topped with a small quantity of caramel and then enrobed in a layer of chocolate.
Opinion: This is another bar I've eaten quite frequently, but not in the last little while. The twin bars were melted slightly, but were nevertheless nicely crunchy and tasty and just enough caramel to give some flavour and chewiness without becoming too sticky. Very enjoyable and a bar I'll likely buy again in the future.

Early this morning my mother passed away from mesothelioma after an unsuccessful 10-month battle against the disease.

My family and I are holding up very well, but as we'll be busy with funereal arrangements, I'm not sure how much time I'll have to devote to Furaffinity or my other hobbies for the next few weeks so please be patient with me until further notice (when I post my next journal).

Thank you in advance,
Kaffre Kitten

Greetings kitten-watchers! *hugs*

Some of you may have noticed that I've been even more inactive than usual the last two weeks. The reason is this: two weeks ago, our ducks got into the chicken pen and, rather than attempt to extricate them in the dark, we decided to leave them there till morning. The next morning, ten dead and partially eaten ducklings were found along with their dead father and two deceased chickens. We assumed, incorrectly, as it turns out that they'd been fighting and I became terribly depressed at my perceived culpability. More chickens ripped apart the following day, however, prompted me to revise this assessment and we quickly ascertained that a raccoon was responsible for the massacre - it remains at large, but we re-secured the pens to prevent future infiltration and thus far it appears to be working very well.

So that's what I've been dealing with the last two weeks - that and trying to de-imprint the incubator-hatched duckling that's currently living in our bathroom (a much more entertaining task).

Anyway, I'm sorry to have burdened you all with such horrific news so without further ado, I'd like to present the second installment of Kaffre talks Candy!

Name: Aero, Peppermint
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 41 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Peppermint Aero consists of a milk chocolate shell filled with a mass of bubbly mint-flavoured chocolate(?) dyed an unhealthy-looking green colour. The shape of the bar, like that of the original Aero, was redesigned recently. Formerly, the shell was fairly flat with only slight grooves so that the bar could be broken into seven pieces. The new design, however, features ten dome-shaped pieces joined together in a two columns of five instead.
Opinion: This bar has all the same virtues and failings as the classic Aero. As such, whether being mint-flavoured adds or subtracts from the bar's appeal is likely to be the main criteria by which one judges this product. Personally, however, I like the taste enough for this bar to nudge just past the standard Aero to the point where I will almost invariably choose it over the original version when both options are available.

Name: Assorted Chews
Manufacturer: Oak Leaf Confections
Size: N/A
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: A staple of candy machines, Sour Chews are a brand of hard, disc-shaped, gum that are either red speckled with blue or blue speckled with red. Unlike most of the other entries on this list, Sour Chews are usually sold by weight from candy machines or from vats at Bulk Barn and similar retailers.
Opinion: This treat was a childhood favourite of mine and I still enjoy it very much, but being assorted, it's difficult to describe for this interview. The candies vary quite considerably in terms of softness/hardness, sweetness/sourness, and more. Still, if you eat them two or three at a time as I do, they average out to a firm, slightly sour gum. Very tasty!

Name: Dairy Milk
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Dairy Milk consist of a mid-sized bar of milk chocolate with small furrows allowing it to be broken up into six segments.
Opinion: This bar is fairly simple, but also quite tasty, being very sweet and very creamy as is typical of Cadbury products (apparently a result of the high percentage of milk used in the recipe). Overall, this is an excellent bar, but one that I really don't purchase often enough - this is something I do hope to rectify in future.

Name: Double Decker
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 54.5 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Double Decker, as you can probably guess, consists of two destinct layers. The bottom layer is chocolate with rice crisps while the upper layer if of a rather chewy nougat. The whole thing is then covered in more chocolate resulting in a fairly thick, roughly rectangular, bar.
Opinion: This bar provides an interesting texture combination in the form of the crispy rice and chewy nougat. Ultimately, however, while I quite liked this product, I personally found the nougat layer a tad thick for my tastes. I'll probably buy the product again from time to time, but I just don't like it enough for it to be a regular.

Name: Fry's Orange Cream
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 49 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Fry's Orange Cream consists of a dark chocolate shell with a creamy, orange-flavoured fondant centre. The shape of the bar is fairly flat with a simple, but sleek appearance. There are some grooves suggesting that the bar is meant to be broken into segments, but they don't work well for this purpose.
Opinion: The dark chocolate of this bar proved a bit more noticeable than in the standard chocolate cream described in the previous installment, but as with that bar the fondant proved much more strongly flavoured than the chocolate. Ultimately, however, as much as I do like orange-flavoured chocolate, I personally found this product rather too strongly flavoured for my tastes

Name: Goodies
Manufacturer: Twizzler
Size: 150 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Goodies are a brand of candy-coated licorice pieces similar to the better known 'Good and Plenty' (curiously, both brands are owned by Hershey through different subsidiaries). Goodies, however, have a greater variety of colours and are sold in transparent plastic bags of different sizes.
Opinion: Licorice can be something of an acquired taste so any opinions are going to be contingent upon one's attitude toward licorice/anise flavoured confections. I for one quite like them. The flavour is sharp and the candy adds a pleasant chewiness to the treat. This candy does have a rather distinct anise aftertaste which may be a deal-breaker for those who enjoy licorice, but shun anise. In any case, I think they're quite tasty!

Name: Kinder Bueno
Manufacturer: Fererro
Size: 43 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kinder Bueno consists of two smaller bars packaged together not unlike Twix or Twirl. The bars themselves each consist of hazelnut flavoured wafer cookie coated in chocolate. The bar appears to consist of four segments, but these don't seem to help it break any more evenly.
Opinion: I'd never tried this bar before and I can't really say why that might be since there's nothing about it's description or packaging that would normally dissuade me. Fortunately, the bar proved to be very tasty with just the right amount of hazelnut flavour and I will definitely be purchasing the product again.

Name: Kit Kat Chunky
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat Chunky consists of a single large wafer cookie covered in a layer of chocolate. The structure resembled that of an oversized segment of the classic Kit Kat, but the scale is slightly different, being wider and shorter than a Kit Kat segment of equivalent proportions would be.
Opinion: I'm not really sure whether I've eaten one of these before or not, but decided to give it a try for this review. Fortunately, I enjoyed the product more than I did the Kit Kat I obtained for that reviw. Counterintuitively, there seemed to be a better proportion of chocolate to wafer with the Chunky bar and the wafer itself seemed softer and more flavourful than those in the original bar. Very tasty and reinforces my suspicions about getting a faulty Kit Kat earlier.

Name: MacKintosh Toffee
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 43 grams
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: MacKintosh Toffee consists of a thin, rectangular, piece of toffee. The toffee is a light brown and attempts to break or rip it proved futile and I ultimately resorted to cutting the toffee with a knife in order to obtain pieces small enough to constitute a snack.
Opinion: A good firm toffee with a nice creamy flavour, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be buying this product again. While I do enjoy toffee a lot, this item proved rather too much for me to eat in a single sitting and doesn't keep at all well once opened. Not bad by any means, but I'll be sticking to small toffees from now on!

Name: Twirl
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 47 grams in two bars
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Twirl consists of what is essentially two shortened Flake bars (see Installment #1) coated in a thin layer of Cadbury chocolate and sold bundled together in a single package in a manner not unlike that of Mars' well known line of 'Twix' bars.
Opinion: Unfortunately, the Twirl bar I purchased for this review was quite stale and presented a dried out almost tasteless mass that nevertheless retained its crumbliness, polluting my mouth with insipid flakes of stale chocolate. Despite, this, I will definitely buy Twirl again both because I very much enjoyed my previous Twirl bars and because I want the reviews presented here to be as reliable as possible which means all the bars I use should be fresh!

Well, it's Canada Day once again, but my family's not doing anything - or to be more precise, we celebrated it together with my sister's birthday party on Saturday. Beyond that, however, it's been a slow week for this kitty. It's hard to get anything done when it's so muggy out. :hotkitty:

Also, I'm introducing a new feature: Kaffre talks Candy in which I, Kaffre, talk about the different candies I've tried recently. These aren't reviews per se since I won't be making value judgements just discussing what I like or don't like. Also, I will explicitly avoiding candies that contain substances I know I dislike (fruit, most nuts, etc.). So without further ado, here's the first installment:

Name: Aero
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Aero consists of a milk chocolate shell filled with a mass of bubbly aerated chocolate. The shape of the bar recently underwent a redesign. Formerly, the shell was fairly rectangular, but featured five grooves to facilitate breaking the bar into seven pieces (theoretically, each of these seven pieces could be broken in half, but I personally could never get them to break cleanly). The new design, however, has ten roughly hemispherical pieces joined together in a two columns of five.
Opinion: Probably my favourite bar growing up, Aero is every bit as tasty as I remember. The chocolate itself is very tasty and, due to its high surface area/mass ratio, the aerated chocolate melts delightfully upon one's tongue in a way I never really noticed when I was younger, but I can't say whether this is a consequence of the new 'bubble bar' format or my own maturing palette. In any case, Aero is a very solid bar and one I plan to continue purchasing.

Name: Big Turk
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 60 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Big Turk consists of a block of reddish-purple turkish delight covered in a layer of chocolate. The bar itself has an unusual shape with wavy sides that undulate in such a way as to give the impression that multiple ovals of turkish delight are under the chocolate coating (this is not the case).
Opinion: I'd never tried this bar before due to its description being somewhat terrifying. Ultimately, however, it wasn't really that bad. The gelatin was quite stiff so the bar was only chewy and not gooey as I'd feared. Likewise, the vaguely fruity flavour of the turkish delight didn't prove overpowering. Overall, however, the concept of a gelatin-filled chocolate bar is just too weird for me to really enjoy, I'm glad that I tried this bar, but it's not one I can really see myself purchasing ever again.

Name: Coffee Crisp
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Coffee Crisp consists of a single large coffee-flavoured wafer cookie coated in chocolate. The bar itself is blocky and plain-looking from the outside.
Opinion: Coffee Crisp is a bar I first tried in High-School where it briefly became my bar of choice. The bar is aptly named, being more crispy than crunchy (the wafer is softer than those in a Kit Kat), but still quite pleasant. Similarly, the coffee taste is strong, but not overpowering and manages to avoid being either too sweet or too bitter. Ultimately, I still quite like Coffee Crisp and while I don't eat them quite as much anymore perhaps that's something I should change?

Name: Crunchie
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 44 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Crunchie consists of a rectangular block of sponge-toffee coated in a layer of chocolate. The bar is blocky and plain-looking from the outside.
Opinion: Crunchie is an interesting bar, but one I avoided as a child because I thought the toffee would be the chewy kind. Actually, Crunchie is quite tasty with the sponge toffee lending a delightful crunch but since it's essentially sugar, it dissolves quite readily with a little chewing. The chocolate is very sweet and helps mellow the slight burnt-sugar aftertaste of the sponge toffee down to a more pleasant level. In summation, Crunchie is quite tasty and I've been buying them more frequently of late.

Name: Flake
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 32 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Flake consists of sweet Cadbury chocolate folded over itself repeatedly into a rather delicate if somewhat crude-looking bar.
Opinion: Flake's most interesting feature is its unusual 'flaky' texture. Upon biting into the bar, the paper-thin sheets of milk chocolate crumble into a cascade of chocolate flakes that melt delightfully in one's mouth. The bar I used for this review melted slightly during the ride home, but that didn't seem to adversely impact the flaking properties. While quite tasty, Flake is quite a bit smaller than similarly priced bars and will likely remain an occasional treat rather than one of my regular selections.

Name: Fry's Chocolate Cream
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 49 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Fry's Chocolate Cream consists of a dark chocolate shell with a fondant centre. The shape of the bar is fairly flat with a simple, but sleek appearance. One interesting fact I've turned up is that this bar, introduced in 1866, has the distinction of being one of the very first chocolate bars ever produced. It'll be interesting to see how it holds up.
Opinion: Normally, I'm rather indifferent to dark chocolate, but this bar may be an exception. Firstly, the chocolate didn't look particularly 'dark' (though it did have the characteristic aftertaste). In any case, the sweetness of the fondant proved to be the dominant flavour, lending the bar an almost painful sweetness. Certainly an interesting product but probably not one that I won't be trying again any time soon due to the difficulty and expense involved.

Name: Kit Kat
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 45 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat consists of four small wafer cookies covered in, and joined by, a layer of chocolate. The structure of the bar makes it easy to break off pieces for sharing or to limit one's consumption for health purposes and indeed this feature is quite prominent in the bar's marketing campaign.
Opinion: Another childhood favourite of mine, I hadn't tried a full sized Kit Kat in a few years. Unfortunately, the bar isn't as good as I remembered. The wafers did impart a pleasant amount of crunch to the bar, but were themselves rather tasteless and even seemed to adversely affect the taste of the chocolate somehow. Despite being a bit disappointed with this procurement, I do think I'll probably buy a Kit Kat again at some point. Maybe I just got a bad one this time?

Name: Mirage
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 41 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Mirage consists of a milk chocolate shell filled with aerated chocolate similar to Aero (also a Nestle product), but was apparently designed to compete against a now defunct Cadbury product called 'Wispa' instead. The bar itself is fairly blocky with a trapezoidal cross-section.
Opinion: Mirage is, effectively, a single giant Aero segment with all that that entails. The structure of the bar does mean that you get a greater proportion of aerated chocolate per bite than you would with an Aero which is something of an advantage and I'm prepared to say I like this bar a slight bit better than the standard Aero, but as far as bars filled with aerated chocolate go, I'll probably stick to Peppermint Aero for the foreseeable future.

Name: Thrills Gum
Manufacturer: Concord Confections
Size: 1.4 grams per piece, 10 pieces per pack.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Thrills are a brand of purple chicle-type gum that's sold in 10-piece blister packs, but was formerly available in 16-piece paper packets. While the newer packs have fewer pieces of gum, the individual pieces themselves are larger and less prone to going stale so I, personally, approve the change..
Opinion: This gum one of my very favourite confections, but they are something of an acquired taste. While its unique flavour is said to come from rosewater or possibly lavendar, most people who taste it cite 'soap'. Thrills aren't bitter, but they do have a very strong floral taste that many people find off-putting hence the gum's tag-line "It Still Tastes Like Soap!". Unfortunately, the taste fades rather quickly so the packs don't last very long, but they taste yummy enough that I don't mind.

Name: Yorkie
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 55 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Yorkie consists of five rather thick chunks of chocolate moulded together so that the individual pieces could be broken off and eaten independently.
Opinion: This bar is somewhat interesting for a 'plain' chocolate bar. The chocolate is a tad gritty and while definitely not dark chocolate, isn't very sweet either. Instead, it has a warm, vaguely fudgy taste about it that is a bit unusual in a chocolate bar, but enjoyable nevertheless. I'd probably buy this bar again for the sake up changing things up from time to time, but I think Dairy Milk will remain my go to choice for solid chocolate if only for its much greater availability.

I know I haven't posted a journal in several months let alone posted promised art & stories or even favourited/watched anything so this journal is just to reassure everyone who cares that this account is, in fact, still active and I will try to be more active in coming months.

*many hugs*

Well, with March nearly over, I guess I had best put out the monthly journal soon!

First, I'd like to apologize to all the peoples I owe art to:  jimox1985  babykittysierra &  zee-zee I'll try and get your respective pictures drawn up really soon!

Secondly, in health news, my recently retired physician recently passed away earlier this month, complicating my efforts to obtain my medical records. Fortunately, I managed to convince my new doctor to see me without them. Hopefully, I can get my referral soon too.

Third, spring-time! Daytime temperatures are now generally above zero so the snow and ice are finally beginning to melt, but this is leaving slick ice sheets making it treacherous to walk in places. With any luck, however, the thaw will complete itself quickly.

Finally, it has been far too long since my last hugs. Everyone form an orderly like for Kaffre-huggles!

Well, it just occurred to me that, if I want to keep to my promise of writing at least one journal per month I'd have to be extra quick so here I am! *spins dramatically* ^^

Anyway, this has been a very strange and busy for month for tiny kittens! Firstly, the weather has been alternating from unseasonable warmth to unseasonable cold on a week by week basis despite the best oracular efforts of our friendly local groundhogs (they uniformly predicted long-winter).

Secondly, my playtesting efforts are well behind schedule so I've been extra busy preparing to submit my finished stuff, but once all that's done I hope to get back to work on my babyfur-related writing and stories! *hugs* Also, loosely connection to my playtesting, the book I contributed to "Hooks" is being shipped to distributors right now and should be in your FLGS really soon so if you're interested in grabbing a copy be sure to start looking really soon!

Thirdly, on a whim I decided to look up the earliest TV program I can remember watching based upon a snippet of its theme song. Turns out it was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fables.....e_Green_Forest I must say the animation doesn't look nearly as good as I remember, but if nothing else I think it gives some insight into my interests as a very small child.

Finally, since this is a Tuesday and I feel like attention, feel free to ask any questions that might come to mind!

OK, now that's over who wants hugging? ^^

*prances out clad in just a diaper and a '2014' sash* Hey everyone. I trust you all had a fun New Year's eve? Good!

This year, I, Kaffre Kitten, have made the same resolution I've made every year since joining FA - to improve my participation in the babyfur community by increasing my output of art and fiction as well as being more active in RPs and inwriting up these spiffy kitten-journals. In non-babyfur related stuff, I intend to increase my efforts at seeking professional medical and psychiatric help in overcoming some of the obstacles to my finding employment.

Anyway, it hasn't been too long since my Xmas journal, but that's alright as there are a few things I wanted to mention back then, but somehow managed to forget... :embarrassed*

Firstly, with the new school year on LPES approaching rapidly, I'd like to select an avatar to use for my account there, but can't decide on one. Therefore, I'm appealing to you my journal readers - which Kaffre picture (by myself or others) do you think is the most representative of my fursona and would thus make the best icon?

Secondly, the good people at Kenzerco have recently commenced a KS to raise funds to produce a liveaction webseries based upon their popular KoDT comicbook. Thus far they haven't been terribly successful, but with more than a month to go they may yet turn things around. For those as yet unfamiliar with the comic, a free introduction: "Dave's Excellent Adventure" was posted here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rs4xgy0f.....xsw/Ur45mBlYxY Not their best story IMO, but pretty entertaining and the price is certainly right.

Thirdly, aspiring game-designers rejoice. My friends at Atlas Games are currently taking submissions for TCGs and rules-lite boardgames! http://blog.atlas-games.com/2013/12.....bmissions.html So if any of you cubs (or big furs, I guess) have any cool game ideas you'd like help developing, head on over to their website and fill out a submission form!

Finally, I just want to make sure everyfur gets a nice thorough hug to start out 2014! *administers New Years hugs*

Sorry for my tardiness in posting my December journal. It's been a very busy time for this little kitty, but I wanted to make sure to fulfill my journal quota before Santa Claus makes his annual delivery of presents to all the good babyfurs here on FA and elsewhere and to that end, this month's installment is chock full of Kaffre things!

First, I regret to inform you that Mommy kitty was been very sick and that I've been quite busy snuggling, purring, and trying (with mixed results) to help her with things that it started to infringe upon my other toddler duties. Hopefully, with the advent of the 2014 I'll be able to start drawing and writing with increased frequency. Also, in continuation of a long-running family curse, there have been a string of deaths this November - fortunately none of them human this year, but we did lose a dog, a calf, a pig, and a duckie... :(

Second, speaking of 2014, I've been assigned a new unemployment office last month and thus will be starting off the new year by seeking out a physician and undergoing a psychiatric assessment - I've absolutely no idea what's entailed in the process, but I do hope my FA buddies will wish me luck.

Third, my secret writing project of two years ago has finally come to fruition! (http://www.atlas-games.com/product_.....les/AG0307.php) I only wrote one chapter and that in collaboration with another author, but I recommend that everyone buy the book anyway! *nods sagely* Of course, if you play Ars Magica, all the better!

Fourth, as I tend to have a toddler-like dislike of strange food and drink, I've been trying to become more adventurous in this regard. Therefore, I recently purchased some chocolate flavoured soda pop - it was weird at first, but not bad by any measure. Also, while at Bulk Barn, I decided to forgo my usual choices and bought some exotic looking foreign candy bars from the import aisle instead (Flake, Double-Decker, Twirl, and Yorkie). I think I may have tried Flaky before, but I'm holding off for now anyway due to Christmas baking and in case any savvy FAers warn me to throw them away for being yucky!

Finally, as this is being posted on a tuesday, feel free to ask me or Kaffre any questions you like and we shall endeavour to answer them to the very best of our abilities!

Well, I guess that's it for this month's journal. I hope everyone out there ends 2013 on a happy note too! *delivers Christmas huggles*

As many of you may have noticed, I'm back to a big kitty again and have been for two weeks now. You've my apologies for not posting my November journal earlier.

Anyway, my RL birthday was pretty uneventful, but I did decide to splurge and buy myself the following items:
Munchkin Pathfinder
Cute plushy from Dollar Tree
Case of Thrills gum

You may have also noticed that I've failed to draw or write anything in quite some time and that with 2014 fast approaching have come nowhere near fulfilling my New Year's goal for Kaffre output. It won't be enough to make up for months of idleness, but I will endeavour to put out as much content as kittenly possible before January 1. Wish me luck!

*hug-huggles for all*

Determined to go ahead with their son's Birthday Party despite the little feline's unexpected regression to the age of 1, Kaffre's Mommy and Daddy carefully retrieved the young cat from his crib and dressed him in his best sleeper before putting him down amidst his friends so that he might be petted and fussed over by the assembled babyfurs! ^^

Happy October, this month's journal is chock full of fun things!

First, Kaffre's birthday is just a week away (Oct 29) and due to the popularity of last year's event, Kaffre will once again be celebrating by spending one full week regressed to the age of 1! Don't worry about all the sulking, I'm sure he's secretly overjoyed at the prospect...

Second, since this journal happens to fall upon a Tuesday, I hereby bend to tradition and will answer any questions submitted to this journal concerning either Kaffre or his human form.

Thirdly, I have my own question to pose to all the babyfurs reading this journal: What are you going as (IC or OOC) for Halloween? Kaffre himself will, apparently, be going as a smaller kitty, but perhaps we can accommodate another costume too...

Finally, everyone line up in an orderly for your October hugs! *huggles tight*