Tim Tam Slam

It rained heavily all over Scotland in the early hours of Monday and continued on and off all day. In the Cairngorms our intrepid hill-walkers wisely decided that discretion is the better part of valour and walked out of the mountains to have lunch in Braemar. They arrived home in the afternoon with lots of laundry and some fantastic photos of their mountain adventures. Meanwhile, without the car in the morning, I was forced to take a bus to Kingsgate in order to meet Maria for coffee and do a wee bit of shopping. On boarding the bus home I was greeted enthusiastically by the chatty crowd of passengers, one of whom observed “What a day it is the day!” I presumed that she was referring to the rainy weather and politely agreed. The bus sped down the road alarmingly, lurching round the corners. When I got off the bus at Whitlawburn I must have looked completely bewildered because several of my fellow passengers insisted on giving me directions home even though I hadn’t asked for any. Somehow they had sensed that I was not a regular on the route.

Today we all went to Tiso where Jamie bought a lightweight tent, with which he was very pleased, and thence to the Climbing Wall in Paisley Road West. Jamie, Ally and Cat did a couple of hours climbing while James and I went for a pleasant walk in Bellahouston Park and sat outside the House for a Art Lover to enjoy a cool drink. We all then visited Grandma and she was loving the young ones’ chat, smiling around at them all.

Then we went for a tour of Drygate Brewery followed by dinner. We had a great time and the others all enjoyed trying out all the different beers. The food was good and the whole place had a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. When we got home I was taught by Jamie how to do a Tim Tam Slam. Tim Tams are similar to Penguin Biscuits (but better) and originated in Australia, although they are popular in New Zealand too. What you do is bite off diagonally opposite corners of the Tim Tam, then submerge one end in your mug of tea as if the biscuit were a straw. Then you suck your tea through the biscuit, which heats and melts the inside of it. When you feel the tea coming into your mouth it is time to eat the Tim Tam, which is by now literally “melt in the mouth.” It is mind-blowingly delicious!