Friday 28 February 2014

Darrell Does Mufti Day In His Onsie - I Just Can't Get It Out Of My Head ,,,,,,,,

I just knew Darrell would find a way to wangle wearing his beloved tiger onsie to work …… and he did ……. curtsey of the Charity Committee……
tiger onsie
…….. because, for a confectionary donation, i.e chocolate in any shape or form, you could wear whatever you liked (within reason and the realms of decency) …… well, for Darrell it was naturally a no brainer ….. and two bars of (Ikea) chocolate were duly handed over as amnesty!
tiger onsie 1
His little face was a picture …… all day long his little face was plastered with a mahooooosive smile ………
tiger onsie 2
……. as he hummed his full repertoire of Kylie tunes, happily over the drone the shredder ………. His “La La La’s”,  I have to say, during his rendition of I Just Can’t Get You Out Of My Head …… were …… erm ……..
tiger onsie 3
…………..truly memorable, especially when accompanied by the sight of his bum swaying rhythmically inside his aforementioned onsie!!!  Oh my life. ……
tiger onsie 4
……..however, his shredding production did hit new target levels!!!! What is he like? Simple pleasures!!

Thursday 27 February 2014

A Televisual Confectionary Comestible Treat Made Better!

We very much appreciate a shared tube of Rowntrees fruit pastilles, (pastilles is such a romantic word for a confectionary item don’t you think?)  while watching our televisual programmes of choice ….
Pastiles
….. however we are all particularly partial to the blackcurrant ones, so when we pass them around, we always take the next one in the said tube, as is gentlemanly practice …….
fruit pastiles
…… hoping that it will be an aforementioned blackcurrant one, but inwardly sighing everso slightly if we get a green or orange one!
fruit pastilles
However, now, after a recent shopping expedition, Darrell has become our confectionary hero, as he has found that Rowntrees actually make tubes of just blackcurrant pastilles!
blackcurrant fruit pastilles.
Well, you can imagine the reception Darrell received after this momentous discovery, as he entered our portals, holding aloft not just one tube but a pack of three!!!
Blackcurrant pastiles..
Life really does keep on giving and just gets betterer and betterer ……
Blackcurrant Pasitles...
…….. nom, nom ,nom!!!

Wednesday 26 February 2014

When Boredom Sets In ….

Boredom is never a good thing chez Castle Greysquirel, particularly as far as Nigel and Darrell’s boredom is concerned ……
jelly worm
Take yesterday for example ….. when Nigel bet Darrell that he could eat a mahooooooosive jelly snake in under five minutes ……
jelly worm 1
…… a non-nasty Bush Tucker Trial if you will!
jelly worm 3
Well, naturally Darrell just couldn’t resist, and at the agreed time started his stopwatch, timing Nigel’s self appointed challenge.
jelly worm 4
At around the halfway mark Nigel seemed to be struggling …… but then got a second wind ……….. only to flag again in the closing seconds, the snakes nose appeared to be a nose too far for Nigel …….
jelly worm 6
…… especially as Darrell began counting down the final 10 seconds very, very loudly …… as if goading Nigel to defeat …..
jelly worm 7
……however, Nigel was indeed triumphant with just three seconds to go …..
jelly worm 8
……… although rendered totally incapable of leaping joyously in his victory!
I despair ……. I just despair ….. what are they like??????

Tuesday 25 February 2014

No Darrell …… No!

Darrell is gearing himself up for his next visit to see Hugh, his best friend and mentor, who lives the showbiz life in Notting Hill ….. and as such is most anxious to impress him with his latest attempt at de rigueur ……
long wig 2long wig 1
However ……  though I admit to knowing very little about de rigeuer myself, I felt that I had to tell him most robustly that in no way, shape or form is his latest en trend acquisition de rigueur ……
long wig 3
…… and if he wore it in public, on his visit to Hugh, in Hugh’s high standing and position in Notting Hill’s cafe society would certainly be severely strained and compromised …..
long wig 4
……. and Darrell would most probably find himself ostracised from the London Lounging community he so strived to belong to on his visits.  I think he got the message ……. !!!
I despair
And me? …….well,  I felt completely wrung out by the whole episode …... sometimes I just despair!

Monday 24 February 2014

Darrell Spots A New Village Development …..

Darrell came back from fetching the evening paper and several packets of Monster Munch in a complete state of flux yesterday ……
Bilbook Kitchen
It seems that the village is about to get a brand new eaterie  …. from whence was the sandwich shop as used to be! We are a village very much blessed with aforementioned eateries, but Darrell thought that this new development looked as if  it had a little more class than the “greasy spoon”, which we have been known to frequent on a Saturday morning to avail ourselves of their most excellent egg and bacon baps ……
The Kitchen Bilbrook 1
…. for upon peering through the windows Darrell was able to ascertain that this new establishment had proper tables and chairs and flowers on said tables ……. and might,  be a suitable place to visit for the occasional afternoon tea ….. which all sounds most romantic and full of promise.  As of yet there is no date for it’s opening, however you can be rest assured that we will be amongst the first of its customers,  to do our very own Egon Ronay critique!

Sunday 23 February 2014

Darrell’s In Case Of Emergency ……

Darrell’s job as confidential document shredder isn’t really that  taxing …..
In case of emergency……however, when there are a large number of boxes of documents banking up to be shredded ………
Emergency paper shredding 1 …Darrell does admit to occasionally feeling a slight frisant of pressure …..
In case of emergency 1But,  when he does,  he says, he has a secret weapon, that he keeps on the shelf above his shredder …..
Emergency sweeties.……. his “in case of emergency rations” of Werther Originals, which he says keep him chilled and relaxed to “…. almost horizontal levels!” What is he like?
In case of emergency sweetiesIt may be just me ….. but I think he has been dipping into them anyway,  ……. frisant of pressure or not!!!

Saturday 22 February 2014

Darrell??? Goes To The NEC To Look At Furniture?????

As we are having a few “renovations” done chez Castle Greysquirrel at the moment,  Hugh, Darrell’s best friend and mentor, who lives the showbiz life in Notting Hill, sent Darrell a complimentary pass (via friends of friends) to get a feel for what will be en trend of an interior type nature dans 2016!!!
welcome to the NEC
Now, Darrell not wishing to appear rude, accepted the pass, but after half an hour or so had to admit that furniture really wasn’t his “thing”. He said that had it been fashion, he would have been in his element  …..  “I know this must sound very shallow and ungrateful, but a table is a table, a chair is a chair ….. one is for nomming at and the other is for lounging on  …. c'est tout!”
Interiors UK085077
On the other hand, he did very much like and appreciate the fripperies that “adorned” a lot of the stands ……. and said that he had been quite inspired to perhaps use a few of them at Castle Greysquirrel …….
093
……. however we might have to change our usual brand of soup, as Tesco’s own brand might not have the same artistic affect as Campbell’s when displayed, a la mode, on our sideboard!
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Darrell also completely, though regretfully, ruled out using egg slicers to enhance the ambiance of our lounge, as he said he could foresee unfortunate consequences arising, most likely involving Nigel’s head,  if we became that avant-garde!!!!
messy bed067
On another of the stands Darrell couldn’t help but notice that someone appeared to have been sleeping there, and had had quite a party ….
…….. perhaps the hotels around the NEC are a little bit expensive he reasoned, but you’d think that they could have tidied up a little before the exhibition door were opened! 
Giant Cheese
As lunchtime approached and without a packed lunch, Darrell began to notice that most of the stands offered “hospitality” in exchange for a little interest in their wares …….
bread rolls
….. so at that, Darrell’s original disinterest in hand planed oak and dove tail joints rapidly disappeared ….
cheese and biscuits
…… as he generously availed himself of their comestibles ……. and an ample sufficiency of sweeties to enjoy on the train home, not feeling at all self conscious when asking for an also  complimentary tote bag to carry them back in …..   what is he like?
089
And, was there anything he thought suitable enough to grace the halls of Castle Greysquirrell?
illuninated tree
Well……  yes, there was …….. two life size illuminated trees …… which Darrell felt would be the talk of all our friends at our first evening garden soiree of the year …… when the weather picked up! 
large illuminated Tree
Oh good grief …. I haven’t yet been able to ascertain as to whether he placed an order or not ….. I shall despair if he has …. and then insist that he send them back tout suite!

Friday 21 February 2014

Slightly Uneasy …..

I know it’s a bit weird ……..
pigeons in shrewsbury 1…… but I just can’t help my mind wandering to ……..
pigeons..2…… what a pigeon might taste like!!!! 
pigeons in shrewsbury 3But I would NEVER actually go there!!!!!

Thursday 20 February 2014

One Of The Perks Of The Job

calendar.
One of the perks of my job as Bus Bookings Officer is that I get quite a few calendars sent to me from the various companies I use …..
calendar
….. and my most favourite of this years bunch is from Prospect Coaches, which Nigel and I are oft to be found poring over …..
Picture28
….. because it shows some of Prospect’s coaches in very romantic poses and settings …..
Picture29
……. like in a field of golden daffodils in April …..
Picture30
….. however, for us ……. the best page undoubtedly has to be July/August “shoot”, where a coach has been parked in the middle of a row of beach huts ……..
Picture31
…….. not only very romantic, as we have always dreamed of having a beach hut, if only for one week ……. but also very funny, with Nigel musing as to how the passengers would be able to get on and off the bus, as it appears to be quite a tight squeeze.    Simple things ….. and simple minds ….. and all that!