TimTams

Australia has given the world many things. Kangaroos, koala bears, Carlton Mid, Yvonne Strzechowski...... but none can compare to what I have just witnessed. A refrigerated Tim Tam. I'm quite sure that it's actually chocolate crack in cookie form. I'm not sure how the country stays supplied really. I've also recently learned of the Tim Tam slam. As told by Wikipedia:

"Opposite corners of the Tim Tam are bitten off, one end is submerged in the drink, and the drink sucked through the biscuit. The crisp inside biscuit is softened and the outer chocolate coating begins to melt.
Ideally, the inside of the biscuit should collapse but the outside should remain intact long enough for the liquid to reach the mouth. Refrigerating them helps to preserve the outside coating while allowing the inside of the biscuit to melt. The thicker chocolate coating on the Double Coat Tim Tam offers a more stable structure to prevent a premature collapse. The caramel centre of the Chewy Caramel variety helps to hold the biscuit together for a slightly longer time."

Clearly there's a lot of science behind the procedure. Perhaps one of the veterans in camp can show me someday how to achieve this feat.

In other news, Australians have no tolerance for mosquitoes (or mossies as they are referred to here). Our main after-work gathering area has no less than 4 mossie coils burning at any time after 5pm. When they're not burning everyone sprays themselves down with Bugsmack or something with 20% DEET. For those not in the know about DEET, it's still up in the air as to whether or not it causes cancer. Back in the day when they first started spraying fields with it children would play in the DEET mist as it poured out of the hoses. That same DEET killed many small mammals, birds as well as a shitload of insects. It also melts plastic. Repeat, melts plastic. I'm ashamed to say that I'm guilty of spraying strong repellant on back in Saskie, especially in the north. But we have a ton of bugs over there. Millions of them just waiting to suck out every last drop of blood so that they can go home, have more blood-sucking babies, die, then let their blood-sucking babies suck our blood again. Whereas here I can count the number of mossies I see on one hand at any one time. Seriously I think I've been bitten twice since I came out here and our camp is basically beside a large bog that provides perfect standing water conditions for mosquitoes.

***Note to self: while Australia has a ridiculous amount of insects in a ridiculous amount of varieties, some of which can kill you.... almost none of them are out for your blood. I'm cool with that.

Bonus pic of the day, a Skink. These guys are everywhere with good reason. There's an endless supply of insects to be eaten. They're fast, harmless and best of all, they eat all the little creepy crawly things. I'm pretty sure I've seen spiders large enough to take these little lizards down...... that could be a deathmatch in the making for the future.... but I digress. Keep in mind that from nose to tail this little guy is only about 3" long.