Sunday 31 August 2014

Hugh’s Legacy …. Hello Bonjour!

After Hugh’s state visit and especially the quality time he spent yesterday with Nigel, what will be his legacy ………?

Well, Nigel spotted this postcard in the paper shop while they were on their bear hunting travels and now is now pining to “To speak zee language of zee rooooooooomantica, juste like zee Hugh!” 

Saturday 30 August 2014

Nigel and Hugh’s Spend Quality Time

Nigel was up at the crack of dawn, barely able to control his robust excitement at the prospect of having Hugh all to himself for as long as it took to complete the village Bear Hunt. He was determined to go VERY slowly indeed!!!!!!  He woke Hugh with tea and toast, a croissant, three crumpets and a waffle (all of Nigel’s own devising), and while Hugh “digested” his carbohydrate feast Nigel busied himself carefully putting the Bear Hunt form in his bag with three pencils, one to write with, one spare and another spare spare and a rubber in case he made a mistake!
…… And then it was down to business……..
……. which proved to be a very serious affair, where the colour of each teddy’s sash was tantamount to their success, as was the name of the shop in whose window the bear had been duly placed.
Hugh did the finding and noting of the sash colour and then relayed the information to Nigel, who wrote it all down with all due diligence. They were quite a seamless and professional team, as far as bear hunting was concerned.
And having Hugh all to himself was all Nigel had hoped for and more ……
….. especially when Hugh, not used to walking from “village to village” on foot, without the Bentley in tow just in case he got cramp or something equally ‘ideous, suggested the perhaps “A little stop off for zee “petite-a snackolette-a or two may be zee order of zee day, no?”
……. and naturellement Nigel could choose ANY cake he liked ……
Well,  it had to be the one under the dome, because Nigel had never had a cake that was under a dome before…….
……. and Hugh had something a little more healthy “Oh Nigelle, I sink I may ‘ave put on zee weight no?  I do not want zee Simone Cowellllle taking zee Michael of me when I am back, if I have zee, what do you say mooooffin top?”
After four hours and thirty five minutes Nigel and Hugh returned to Castle Greysquirrel triumphant that all bears had been found and convinced that victory would be theirs when the forms were all in, marked and verified.  “Oh Darrell, I ‘ave ‘ad such zee lovely time doing zee ordinary things, no? Notting Hill ‘as zee carnival-al-al, but it does not ‘ave zee hunting of zee knitted bears!”
Nigel sighed, he too had had a wonderful time doing what he thought was extra out of the ordinary and special “Oh Darrelle,” he smiled “Today ‘as been zee most loveliest day in all zee world, no? I juste wish zat Hugh could be staying ’ere with us for zee-ever and zee day!”  What is he like?

Friday 29 August 2014

And They Call It Puppy Love!

It would appear that Nigel had not been with his best friend Marcel while Hugh and Darrell were in Shrewsbury as I had been lead to believe, but had in fact been following Hugh and Darrell round like a lost puppy round said town.  Hugh and Darrell had both aware of the situation, but had chosen to let Nigel continue “his little adventure” so long as he was safe, was eating and that they knew where he was.
We did have a “few words” on his return, but it became very apparent that Nigel thinks that Hugh is the most wonderful person he has ever met in the whole wide world, and so hangs on his every word and action like a little lost puppy.
Both Darrell and I were most embarrassed by all this, but Hugh was very, very generous “Oh la la, it is how you say?”“ Very understandable.” said Hugh  “I ‘ave zee charisma no? I am used to it, me and Simone Cowellle are always joking about it no? Our charisma!!!!” he laughed “But Nigelle is very special too, no? And I would very much like to hang round with him too before I ‘ave to return to zee Londres and zee commitments”
“We must do somesing very special together, Nigelle no? Just tu et moi”
And then …… Darrell remembered the Bear Hunt he had entered, but hadn’t had chance to do anything about yet  …… “Oh zis, zis, zis is zee perfect idea!” declared Hugh
“Nigelle and I can go hunting zee bears together  ….. just zee two of us!” ………………. Let’s just say it then got a little emotional and leave it at that!

Thursday 28 August 2014

One Last Slurp, Then It’s Farewell To Shrewsbury.

By the time you read this Darrell and Hugh should be safely back home at Castle Greysquirrel and Nigel back from his friend Marcel’s. To be honest I haven’t heard so much as a peep from Nigel, so guess he must have been having such a good time he forgot to call.
And Darrell and Hugh appear to have managed to eek their time waiting for Lucy to pick them up from the station very productively …..
…….. happy days, no?!!!!!

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Two For Tea …. And Three For Tea???

DSC00136DSC00137DSC00135
Hugh and Darrell’s little sojourn to Shrewsbury was drawing nigh so as a swansong they decided to go out with a bang and partake in a proper afternoon tea,  complete with posh tiered cake stand ………
And after they had ordered, they were  offered complimentary artistic materials to amuse themselves “Oh Darrell, zay don’t even do zis in Claridges! Wait untill I tell Simone Cowelllllllle about zis!” said a suitably impressed Hugh “It is such a quaint thing to do, no?” …….
…….and then immediately began to colour ….. being very mindful not to go over the lines, even though the said artistic materials proffered were a little on the stumpy side…..
…… while Darrell preferred to doodle dreamily.
When their tea finally arrived it was all very romantically set out  …..
“Oh Darrell, zis is too wonderful” sighed Hugh “Zere should be zee fanfare! I shall never, ever forget zis special time what we have had in Shrewsbury, ever, ever, ever!”, while Darrell just wondered at the size of the scones!
….. and thought how sophisticated it was to have grapes, brie and jam (??), all together, in his sandwiches…….. 
…….. pondering if it was de rigueur or not to leave the crusts or not ……
…… before deciding he best a leave morsel or two to ensure a little space for his enormous scone.
“Darrell, if you do not mind, ” announced Hugh ”I sink it should be zee jam and zen zee cream on our scones…….”
“Zere is much debate on zeese matters, sometimes heated, as what should come first, zee jam or zee cream ….. but dans my showbiz circle, zee scone always has zee cream on top of zee jam!”  To be honest Darrell really didn’t care, he just wanted to nom, nom, nom and chow on down!
While a certain someone was surreptitiously waiting in the wings to finish any crusts or crumbs that might be left ……………

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Hugh Chills Out Big Time ….

After their day spent cruising the pleasures of Shrewsbury, Hugh and Darrell returned to their hotel in very buoyant mood, partly fuelled, I am afraid, by Hugh being much taken with his new “cocktail” of choice “zee half of zee lager no?” A very unexpectedly and pleasurable substitute for his usually de rigueur “…..  champagne avec everyzing!” with Darrell not needing any encouragement to follow suit!
So …… an ever so slightly intoxicated Darrell decided to share the further pleasures of the hotel’s complimentary toiletry tray with Hugh …….
…… namely the two bonnet de douche that were included …….
“Oh Darrell, mon ami,  what are yoooooooooooooooooooooooo like?” sighed Hugh admiringly through his lager goggles ………
“Simone Cowelllllllllllle and I never do such things together, no?  ……. You make me smile sooooo much and are sooooooo funny, my sides are, how you say, splitting me!  Ven I return to Notting Hill and my showbiz life, I will have to be telling him zat he is juste toooooooo boring, no, and a mud in zee stick!!!!!!” ……..  which he then followed with a chorus of hiccoughs and much giggling.
Oh good grief, what are they like together, I despair!

Monday 25 August 2014

Darrell And Hugh Go Cruising ……..

Shrewsbury, as Hugh and Darrell have found has many pleasures to offer the intrepid but incognito tourist, however due to showbiz pressures (i.e the impending return of X Factor), Hugh and Darrell only had a very limited time to embrace some of the aforementioned pleasures ……..
…….. so they decided, whilst enjoying Hugh’s now No.1 cocktail of choice, that the best course of action was to simply sit down with the tourist map they picked up, and simply plunge a cocktail stick into it and “whence the stick shall skewer” should be their fate!
And whence it landed was indeed a most agreeable proposition, namely a cruise down the River Severn on The Sabrina.  “Oh Darrell” exclaimed Hugh “…. zis is such a romantic zing to do in zee touristy type way …… I wonder if zey do zee cabaret, no?”
Unfortunately or fortunately, which ever way you want to look at it, there was no cabaret, The Sabrina would most certainly have rocked alarmingly if a myriad of dancing girls, festooned in feather boas and sequins had launched themselves from below decks to perform energetic, high kicking dance routines ………….
…….. however, The Sabrina did proffer a most comprehensive drinks menu (including zee cocktails) …..
……. as well as beautiful views from the river and a very interesting and informative commentary on the history of Shrewsbury …..
DSC00163
“Oh Darrell, we have made zee most excellent choice, I don’t think I have enjoyed myself so much in zee ages, well…….  except for ……. perhaps …..” he paused, “ …… except for Elton’s (John) After Oscar Party, but, but, but zis trip up and down zee river has come a verrrrrrrry near close, no?”
"What is he like, no????????

Sunday 24 August 2014

Food Presentation Soon To Be Embraced By Castle Greysquirrel I Fear…….

I might have guessed that the sampling of regional gastromic delicacies would feature VERY highly during Darrell and Hugh’s visit to Shrewsbury ………
…… and as Hugh is a strict vegetarian, preferring not to eat anything with a face, their sharing the odd platter or two has been quite an enlightening experience for Darrell, becoming tres au fait avec beaucoup de fromage,  which although he has embraced, he has also confessed to pining for the pleasures bacon just a tad!
One of their most memorable meals, for Darrell, was an afternoon snack at St Nicholas’s Retreat Cafe where some of the the food was served in flower pots which Darrell declared to be “Soooooo romantic and sooooo sophisticated”"!” Not to mention them both awarding a Richter Scale score of 15 noms out of 10 for the chips, sweet potato fries and onion rings that were served within them! Naturally, Hugh had seen it all before on his travels …… but was very generous in sharing in Darrell’s unbridled delight.
I fear that a trip to the local garden centre may now become a priority upon Darrell’s return and that meal times may never been the same again at Castle Greysquirrel, however I am robustly ruling out, here and now, soup before the suggestion is even enters Darrell’s head!