Mum's Monkey

Half Price Confectionary Akimbo!

2012-02-18T00:01:00.001Z

Darrell prides himself on his keen sense for a bargain, though this sense doesn’t seem apply itself to staples of a basic food type nature, only confectionary!

However, it was hard to put down his buoyant mood when he saw that a huge variety of family pouches of said confectionary are currently half price in Tesco, plus Frosties, which, to be honest, are not usually part of our breakfast repast.

But, it looks suspiciously like someone has already beaten him to availing themselves of the cut price Maltesers ……!!!!

Questions Of An Imponderable Nature?

2012-02-17T00:01:00.000Z

Although Sandra hasn’t completely made the final move to her new office yet, we are seeing her less and less …. but to keep us on our toes and to test our understanding of our new responsibilities she e-mails us a question each day of a rush photocopying/resources type nature, which are sometimes so hard we are still trying to work them out when we get home!

For example, todays conundrum was thus …….. “The Geography Department has an annual allowance of six hundred reams of paper. Three hundred and ten reams are used by December and a further one hundred and sixty reams by March. How many reams are left? Do you think they will have enough to last until July, and do we need to tell them to ease up on their ~~wanton~~ usage?” Both our brains hurt substantially!

Good Grief!

2012-02-16T00:01:00.002Z

Words sometimes fail me ….. this being one such occasion! Goodness only knows what Darrell has been up to now!

Farewell Mick McCarthy

2012-02-15T00:01:00.002Z

Darrell didn’t take the news that Mick McCarthy had been sacked by Wolves very well …

and did what he usually does in times of emotional turmoil and took himself up to his room for quiet reflection ….

….. and wrapped himself up in his favourite Mick McCarthy t-shirt which he said still smelt of Sundays disastrous match.

I tried to console him as best as I could, for I too was also a little emotional. I told him not to worry, Mick would be alright for money and it wouldn’t be too long before he found a new job, probably a bit of commentating, which we always greatly enjoyed when he had done it in the past.

“I much admired how smart Mick used to look during his TV interviews” sighed Darrell “He really could carry his assorted Wolves ties off very well”

I left Darrell alone with his thoughts and memories …… we both loved Sir Mick …. but it was time for him to move on …… perhaps we could ask Sandra if there are any vacancies with us in Resources doing rush photocopying and laminating jobs!

A Very Special Non Valentine Card

2012-02-14T00:01:00.001Z

Nigel got a call from the Front Office while on rush photocopying duty to say that there was a bright green envelope addressed to him waiting by the hatch for him to collect. He was gone in a flash, we’ve never ever seen him move so fast, even when his favourite tea is on the table, and that’s saying something.

Darrell and I suspected that it was the card that Scribbler had let us order for free and which we had decided to send to Tallulah as a token of our appreciation for being so kind to Nigel. After robust discussion, Darrell and I had decided that when it arrived we would let Nigel deal with it, without any intervention from us.

However, we will admit to walking very slowly up and down the corridor, outside Tallulah's office trying to blend into the background and acting in a normal type nature to see how things went ….. so we saw Nigel tap nervously on the door and peep round to see if the lady in question was in residence …..

…… then heard Tallulah drawl “Ahhh Nigel, come on in honey!” in her soft golden brown voice and with that Nigel disappeared ….

The door was slightly ajar, and although we knew it was wrong …. we peeped in …. we heard Tallulah gasp as Nigel presented her with the envelope “Oh mah goodness me sugar, whatever can this be?”

When she saw our picture of the front of the card, she sighed and stroked Nigel’s face.

….. and then they read the card together.

“Ah am sooooo overwhelmed Nigel” she sighed “This is so kind”

….. and then she became a ~~little~~ very emotional.

“Ah never dreamed Ah would have such a lovely card as this on such a day.” she sniffed “Ah feel like Ah now have got three new, very special friends …. and hope mah festive faux pas with Monkey is now forgotten and forgiven as Ah was sooooo vexed with mahself for being so forward, for which Ah truly am sorry. Ah can only blame mah silly foolishness upon the sherry in mah Christmas pudding!”

So all’s well that ends well ….. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY …. a day to tell special people in your life how much they mean to you …… sniff!

Darrell and Nigel Attend Their First Baby Shower

2012-02-13T00:01:00.001Z

Last Friday morning was Darrell and Nigel’s shift in Resources but with half term looming there was a slight lull in the world of rush photocopying ….. so the Office Ladies invited them both to join them in what is usually regarded as activities of a celebratory feminine type nature ….. to wit a “Baby Shower”

At first Nigel was a little hesitant, not relishing the thought of babies tumbling willy nilly from the sky. He also worried both robustly and needlessly about how many babies he might possibly have to catch and land safely … and about the possible ear splitting implications of said babies landing at awkward angles in torrents!!

Darrell and Nigel sheltered under the shower umbrella and watched the proceedings as the excited ladies assembled

However, when Darrell explained that no babies would be harmed or even directly involved in The Shower …. and that it was just an occasion for ladies to eat cake ……

… blow up balloons ….. play games like pin the nappy on the baby ……

……. open presents and squeal at things like booties and burping clothes …….

…….. Nigel was more than happy to be part of the throng, especially the eating bit!

They both embraced the experience robustly and felt very honoured to be welcomed into the ladies innermost sanctum.

“Having a baby is just like having a picnic" they both squealed when they arrived back home and told me all about it! I think I may now need to sit them both down and have a talk of a very manly type nature ……. ! What are they like?

Security Measures Akimbo

2012-02-12T00:01:00.001Z

Since “Briangate” when Nigel lost Brian, we have had several people with a background in matters of security asking us what, if any, safety measures we have put in place to prevent another such emotional event happening.

Well, after a robust time and motion study of Nigel, taking into consideration where he takes and leaves Brian and what activities they pursue, we have come up with the following:- Brian has had a hair extension put in his tail with a bell worked into it ……..

….. so that we will be alerted instantly to any movement Brian makes, no matter where he has secreted his personnage.

We have also fashioned a little box on a lead, with more bells incorporated, for Nigel to pull along when he takes Brian for a walk, this can also double up as a bed.

I gave the responsibility of embellishing the said little box on a lead to Darrell, unfortunately he spelt Brian’s name wrong …..

I sometimes wonder if Darrell actually has a ~~Brian~~ Brain!!!! But at least Nigel is happy and Brian is safe, and that’s all that really matters xxxxx

The Diamond Jubilee Concert

2012-02-11T00:01:00.005Z

We LOVE The Queen!

……… and hope to take part in her Diamond Jubilee in some small way (we are already planning on sending her a card).

So as soon as Darrell saw about the ballot for tickets for the Diamond Jubilee Concert on The One Show with Gary Barlow, he was like a ferret up a drainpipe to get on to the website to put in our application, in fact the site crashed!

It is almost too exciting to bear. It will take quite a few weeks before we hear if we are successful, but if we are it will be the most WONDEROUS occasion of our lives! If we are so lucky as to be bestowed a pair of royal tickets we would embrace the whole day for all it is worth, in fact we would squeeze it dry!

To think that we could be granted the honour of being able to take a wander round Her Majesty's herbaceous borders in her palace grounds and then partake in a “Royal” picnic as a pre-concert pre-amble, before finally taking our seats for the concert, resplendent in our very best, fit for royalty type, apparel, glowsticks akimbo ..... swaying to the likes of Sir Tom Jones ..... and hoping against hope that they announce Kylie as a surprise guest star! Ooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Our fingers, and toes are so tightly crossed they may become permanently locked as the ballot isn't made until 2nd March .... and we have also added a little extra bit in our prayers at night which we hope God won’t mind. http://www.bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee/concert-tickets.shtml

Our Word Of The Day……

2012-02-10T00:01:00.000Z

Our word of the day today is Frou Frou.

If you really want to be pedantic (as Mr D undoubtedly will be!!!), frou frou is two words the same, repeated, but then if it was just frou on it’s own, it wouldn’t be our word of the day, because it would then be just boring!

A bit of lace draped in a ubba masculine way, plus a dab of David Beckham “Instinct” behind our ears and other important pulse points and we could be the next Young Romantics.

When saying “frou frou” it makes us want to lean our heads to the left and raise our left shoulder up to meet it …… try it ….. frou frou!!!

These pop cakes are what we would describe as truly tres frou frou …. however we think we would have to be a little careful before ‘chowing on in there’ as a mouth full of feathers could lead to a spitting of feathers type situation.

Darrell’s Lunch Box

2012-02-09T00:01:00.001Z

We’ve had a couple of questions lately from curious ladies (mostly) concerning matters of a Darrell’s lunch box type nature …..

…. questions like how big it is and what effort he puts into it on a daily basis … so we thought we would take the opportunity today of laying bare Darrell’s lunch box for public consumption so to speak and put paid to all the conjecture concerning it!!!

So … today, Darrell will be taking to work:- two plums and a few carrots sticks, a Marmite and Dairy Lea Triangle bap, a Kit Kat and bag of Eric and His Friends mini chocolate biscuits which Sandra gave us for Christmas and an own brand peach yoghurt. He doesn’t take a drink as he prefers to fill his bottle with “ambient” water from the machine when he gets into work and then indulges in a cappuccino from the canteen during morning break.

Darrell prefers to graze from his lunch box during the day, thus ….. he will have his plums as soon he gets into work, followed by the mini biscuits at break time, at lunch he will consume his bap and dip his Kit Kat in his yoghurt for pudding (which I think is a disgusting habit) and finally he will have a mid afternoon snackette of carrot sticks to “keep his pecker up” when he is flagging!

What is he like??

Christopher Has Landed

2012-02-08T00:01:00.000Z

A few people have been asking about Christopher, our first overseas adoption to the United States (we don’t do things by halves) …..

….. well, after being mysteriously detained in customs at Heathrow Airport for a week, where he assures us he was well looked after and entertained, he finally arrived in Florida about a week ago.

His new family Dianne and Douglas are WONDERFUL and Florida is all he hoped for and more. He says he is embracing each and every new experience for us as he knows how much we dream of visiting America one day. He tells us that he has real freshly squeezed orange juice on tap, none of this concentrate stuff and is already addicted to Tootsie Rolls and all varieties of Hershey Bars!

….. and added that Dianne and Douglas were thrilled with our gift of foam bananas as they are something of a rare delicacy in The States!

He says the weather is fantastic, the food portions mahoooooosive, Key Lime Pie being especially nom, nom, nom and the people just can’t get enough of his cute English accent. He can’t wait until Douglas takes him fishing along the Florida Keys as that has always been one of his long felt wants since watching Tight Lines and Gone Fishing!

We are soooooooo happy for Christopher and a little excited too as he says that in the short time he has been Florida he has been able to partake a little retail activity and has sent us a little something of an American type nature!

Next Door’s Snowman

2012-02-07T00:01:00.000Z

Not that we are nosey neighbours …. but when Darrell was looking out of the back bedroom window he couldn’t help but notice next doors snowman and then couldn’t help but be very impressed by said snowman….

So much that he yelled for me to come and see …. and then we both decided that we needed to get a closer look ….

So while Darrell hoisted me up onto his shoulders and head …. I took the first peek over the fence.

And then I reciprocated, but didn’t thank Darrell for putting his left foot in my ear!

It wasn’t a perfect view but we had to agree it was a magnificent snowman, of which we were very envious and both hummed “We’re walking in the air.” for the rest of the afternoon.

Darrell’s Snowy Saturday Night Out To See Sarah Millican

2012-02-06T00:01:00.001Z

Darrell very much enjoys an evening of comedy for a little robust laughter, so when the Voluptuous Sarah at work asked him a while back, if he’d like to join her to see Sarah Millican he didn’t have to think twice about his reply.

However, at the time of booking no one could have foreseen the snowfall we experienced on Saturday (except for perhaps. Derek Acorah). Naturally Darrell was anxious about Sarah having to travel so far to collect him, so he text her to say that if she was nervous on the road perhaps they should leave it ….. …… but Sarah is made of sterner stuff …….. and told Darrell not to be such a wuss and get outside to wait for her as she was almost there.

Which he duly did with a hot water bottle up his jumper, and a flask of hot chocolate, some hob nobs and suckie sweets, an emergency foil blanket, and spare pants in his back pack, just in case!

When they arrived the show had already begun but thankfully they were not on the front row so their entrance was unobtrusive!

When he got home Darrell said his that he and Sarah had had a fabulous evening, despite the snow and he had laughed so much that he was frightened his strategically positioned and hidden hot water bottle might fall out !!! (what is he like?). he also said it was a bit like a works outing as the ladies from the PE department were also there.

The evening was made complete for Darrell because as he came out he was given two badges (for free) which were sort of part of show, which he said he would wear for a day or two and then put in his treasure box!

Let it Snow!

2012-02-05T00:01:00.002Z

It snowed yesterday ….. and it was sooooooo cold …but Nigel put up a robust argument to go out and play snow mobiles on the bike he had for Christmas, and as snow hardly ever happens, who were we to be party poopers …?

So we wrapped up warm and let Nigel have some time in the garden, and as you will see, he just doesn’t seem to feel the cold!

I think Darrell used the opportunity for a bit of posing as there was no real need for the sunglasses!

…. so I couldn’t help laughing and taking a cheeky snap when he developed a slight woolly hat malfunction while checking to see if the fish were OK.

It was very romantic watching everything slowly turn white and everything seemed to go very hushed …

Well, apart from Nigel vrooooooooooming at the top of his voice that is!

What is he like?

It’s Snowing In Wolverhampton

2012-02-04T16:22:00.004Z

When we woke up this morning we couldn’t help wondering if we would get the snow that everyone has been forecasting and preparing for.

Well ……. it’s arrived and it's cold ….. Nigel is desperate to get out there and play ….. and Darrell is worried as he has a date and is supposed to be going to see Sarah Milligan tonight and so keeps popping outside to check on the size and velocity of the flakes.

Our apologies for background commentary, it’s the Wolves v QPR match on the radio, at times it was hard to listen to, but on the other hand we couldn’t not listen ....... we won 2:1 woooo hooooo!!

Granny Sheila’s Snowdrops

2012-02-04T00:01:00.000Z

Granny Sheila’s snowdrops have come out in the garden.

They were her favourite flower and it will soon be her birthday, when we always bought her a pot of them.

We also wonder if they opened a little bit earlier because she knew, up in heaven, that it was Granddads special birthday this week.

We like to think it was!

Granddad Colin’s Birthday

2012-02-03T00:01:00.001Z

It’s Granddad Colin’s 80th Birthday and we wanted to get him something really special …..

So we bought him an abundance for flora and fauna for his beautiful garden to make it all things bright and beautiful …….

…… and then Darrell managed to source, after robustly searching the internet, a DVD set of the High Chaparral for him to watch during the afternoons when it is too wet or cold for him to go out into his said garden …. we had a cheeky peek, because High Chaparral was before our time, back in the antique days and we liked the character of Manolito very much.

…. and finally Granddads birthday wouldn’t have been complete without one of our handmade cards ….. featuring us!!!

HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY GRANDDAD COLIN!

A Kind Offer Of Fortuitous Timing!

2012-02-02T00:01:00.002Z

"Yesterday Darrell had an e-mail from a gentleman called Oliver at Scribbler offering us a free personalised card as he thought it would be right up our ~~road~~ ~~street~~ ~~cul de sac~~ alley ….. how brilliant is that?

Naturally, Darrell’s response was resounding "Mais wee, s’il vous plait!" proceeded by much wracking of his ~~brian~~ brain type matter thinking about what sort of card we should order. After much musing he decided that we ought to use it as a way on thanking Tallulah for all the kindness, attention and patience she has showered upon Nigel.

When we told Nigel of our plans his face was a picture, he smiled the biggest smile we had ever seen him smile! Darrell said he thought that Valentines Day would be an apt occasion to give Tallulah the card because, in his opinion, it doesn't have to be a day solely about things of a sloppy lovey dovey type nature, it can be an opportunity to show people how much you care about them.

He added that now we know Tallulah a lot better and realise that she isn't quite the vamp we first thought she was, we know that there won't be any misunderstandings as to our intentions towards her, especially if the card was from all three of us.….
We thought that a card with us on the front would go down well, so we got Lucy to take several pictures of us and then choose the one where we all looked our best.

Then Darrell and Nigel spent a mahooosive amount of time on the Scribbler website making sure that Tallulah's card was perfect in every way, with Nigel giving Darrell (we think) robust instruction on fonts and the positioning of the words. When they were both happy Darrell let Nigel press the confirm button!

It should be here in a day or two …. we are so excited!

Done …. The Both Of Them …!!

2012-02-01T00:01:00.003Z

Last week I foolishly remarked that Darrell’s manly chest could perhaps “take” a medallion ….

I should have known better and kept my mouth shut because within minutes he was over the road in the paper shop, where Ali has a sort of lucky dip box.

….. and Ali sold him this duo of faux silver necklaces, which will no doubt make his neck turn green, for 50p the two! Darrell said that although it was not the medallion he had in mind, Ali had persuaded him that the said “on trend” neck pieces reflected Darrell’s musical aspirations and dreams of auditioning for X Factor one day! Good Grief!!

But….. who am I to put Darrell’s little foibles asunder?

However, what I failed to mention at the beginning of this post was that Nigel had accompanied Darrell over to Ali’s, where he too was parted from 50p for a set of false eyelashes, eyeliner and eyeshadow for Tallulah. It seems Ali had convinced him that this was the sort of gift every girl dreams of! Again …… Good Grief!! Ali could sell snow to eskimos!!!

Seeing Tallulah In A New Light, Through The Eyes Of Nigel!

2012-01-31T00:01:00.003Z

Since Sandra has spending more and more time in her soon to be new office, Darrell and I have re-allocated certain of our tasks to Nigel, like taking the rush photocopying jobs and the mail to Tallulah’s office (which is Sandra’s new base too) !! A stroke of delegating genius on our behalf we felt!

However, over the weeks Nigel has developed a great fondness for Tallulah and she for him, and he is always begging for any jobs which might mean he can go and see her.

Nigel, it appears has bought out Tallulah’s hitherto unseen soft and nurturing nature and she has untold patience with him.

We are used to his jibber jabbering, but have to admit that at times we don’t have a clue what he is on about and sometimes have to guess what he is saying …. but Tallulah seems to understand every single thing he says and spends ages just listening to him and talking softly to him in her rich smoky voice.

She has always got a few sweeties waiting for him and has told Sandra that she looks forward immensely to Nigel popping in to see her. I even think they have a little walk planned in the school grounds before the end of term so Tallulah can show Nigel all nature that is springing up …. who would have thought it?

Gardening Wars With Darrell And Nigel!

2012-01-30T00:01:00.002Z

There is a robust rivalry betwixt Darrell and Nigel of an Alan Titchmarsh type variety at work at the moment

Darrell has taken responsibility for the amaryllis in our office, it has a firm and strong stem and at the moment seems to grow by several centimetres a day, but is sparse in the foliage department …….

Nigel has been awarded growers rights and tenderage of the amaryllis in the Finance Office. His plant is taller than Darrell’s, with two heads and a whole plethora of strong leaves.

Both Darrell and Nigel are hell bent that their amaryllis will be the first to burst forth and bloom and are thus applying their own growth stimulation techniques to their said plants. Darrell likes to stroke his stem at least once a day, encouraging it with kind words and tender looks.

Nigel on the other hand likes to lie back and gaze up at his burgeoning flora. It’s almost as if he is making a spooky telepathic Derek Acorah type connection with it ……. willing it to grow and do him proud!

But who’s plant is best ……..????
I like Nigel’s two pronged prodigy, but on the other hand I also admire Darrell’s single thrusting shoot! I shall keep you informed of any further developments of any blooming type nature ….. it’s all so very exciting!

Darrell Does Cake!

2012-01-29T00:01:00.003Z

Sancha the Food Department Lady is very partial to Darrell’s company and had baked him a sponge cake made with fresh raspberries, white chocolate butter cream and sparkly bits sprinkled on the top.

Now …… we think that Darrell was perhaps meant to bring the cake home to share …. “But one slice sort of lead to another” he declared “And, it was very moreish, so before I knew it …. eleven slices had disappeared, just like that, without even touching the sides ……”

“And to leave just one slice would have looked rude!”

What is he like?”

Brian Is Found!

2012-01-28T00:01:00.003Z

At six o’clock yesterday Chateau Castle Greyskull was thronged with great joy and glad tidings as Brian was found. Darrell was Hero of the Hour after discovering Brian behind the biscuit boxes!

We think that Nigel had nocturnal stirrings of a midnight snack type nature and had got up in the middle of the night ………

……taking Brian with him, in order to find sustenance and then in his urgency to get back to bed quickly without being discovered he had forgotten Brian whilst preoccupied and encumbered by a hob nob!

We should have put two and two together, because when we robustly turned over Nigel’s bed in our search for Brian, as we did find a rather ample expanse of crumbs between the sheets, but there again hindsight is a wonderful thing ….!

However, all is well again, peace reigns once more chez nous and Nigel’s appetite has now returned akimbo…… but we are now looking into ways of putting a lead on Brian to prevent another such traumatic occurrence happening again.

Celebrity Big Brother 2012 – Venting Our Reality Spleen!

2012-01-27T00:01:00.004Z

“Celebrity Big Brother: Viewers cry fix as Twins survive DOUBLE eviction, Romeo done”

Though we don’t often become embroiled in matters of a national importance type nature, we felt compelled to voice our concerns about the (in our opinion) shonky voting in Celebrity Big Brother this year, which although we haven’t mentioned it much, we have been following robustly.

When Natalie was evicted shockingly last week we were very upset because we had 50p on her to win. We had also refrained from voting to early as we are only allowed five votes per reality series, and as we were certain that Natalie would make it to the final five we were saving our votes to make her our winner.

Needless to say when she was evicted, our hearts were not in it as much as they had been.

Imagine our further dismay then when on Wednesday night we were fully expecting the pouting, hair fiddling Toxic Twins to be out after the Denise and “Pantsgate” debacle, only to see Romeo evicted …. we were shocked to the core, as he has been so inoffensive. We felt he had given sage advice to Frankie and looked after the ladies when they were ~~drunk~~ emotional in the Jacuzzi. Whereas the twins have been very media savvy and constantly plotting and planning their victory in the toilet and behind their sunglasses.

Anyway, disgruntled we decided to look on the CBB Forum and saw that others were up in arms too that the twins still remained and we decided to leave a comment too. It won’t make any difference, but we will save enough money from not voting to buy a substantial amount of Pringles and Maltesers to nom on while watching the live final …… which we now hope Gareth will win!

Still No Sign Of Brian …

2012-01-26T00:01:00.002Z

Nigel is still in a terrible state ….. Brian is still AWOL.

Darrell has suggested that we hypnotise Nigel and regress him, but I am frightened that we could regress him too far …….

…… and find out that Nigel is the reincarnation of a poor serf from the 16^th century, who was hung and then sent to Australia for stealing a pig to feed his starving family …. or some such tale of a tragic type nature, which could then unleashed all manner of dire psychological consequences for Nigel and us!

Where is Derek Acorah when we need him? If only we could give him a piece of the blanket that Nigel wrapped Brian up in, he would surely be able follow Brian’s physic scent and track him down …… or have I got my ley lines crossed and confused Derek’s mystical and spooky powers with that of a bloodhound?

A Distraught Nigel ….

2012-01-25T00:01:00.001Z

The past twenty four hours at Chez Chateau Castle Greyskull have been traumatic to say the least ………, Nigel’s mouse “Brian”, the one that Father Christmas left him at Christmas has gone missing. Nigel has hardly ever let Brian out of his sight since, but somehow he has been mislaid (or escaped?) and just cannot be found.

Needless to say Nigel is beside himself, pining away and totally inconsolable, fretting that he’ll never see Brian again.

We have turned his bedroom upside down, several times, as well as most of the rest of the house.

We have asked him all the usual questions like “When did you last have Brian?”, “Where did you last see him?”, “Have you taken him anywhere out of the usual?” but all he does is sob and say, we think, “I don’t know”

We can’t bear to see Nigel so distressed ….. his meals have gone untouched since he realised that Brian was gone ….. what on earth can we do ……….?

Darrell’s Man Boobs

2012-01-24T00:01:00.001Z

Good grief, living in this house is never easy ….

Darrell is convinced he has got “man boobs” and has been spending far too much time in the bathroom looking at them.

He’s even ~~thrust them at~~ asked my opinion on them and whether I think he has them. To be honest I am not that comfortable at looking at his or anyone else's chesticle area for that matter, but when I did take a squirmish sideways peek I told him that he was being silly and that his chest was perfectly normal, quite manly in fact, and suggested that a small medallion might set it off nicely!

I think my firm, no nonsense response has put paid with Darrell’s bodily insecurities and he has stopped pulling his trousers up in a Simon Cowell type way in an effort to hid his erm …imaginary bosom!

DIY Stores …. To Be Honest … Are A Bit Boring!

2012-01-23T00:01:00.001Z

Both Darrell and I are strangers to DIY stores such as B & Q and Wickes, browsing their long shelves holds no pleasure for us! Fortunately we have Andy to do stuff of a manly domestic type nature such as unplugging drains, changing light bulbs and erecting things with wood and stuff……

However Darrell is not adverse to the odd trip to the aforementioned type shop, especially if Andy has requested help to carry screws or coupling joints things.

Darrell knows that Andy likes to be left alone while he is making his selections so he tends to wander around trying to find something of interest amongst the plethora of DIY products … but this has been known to lead to unfortunate situations ……

…… and fits of the giggles, like when he saw these wooden stakes and wondered out aloud about the size of the vampire a stake of this mahooosiveness would kill and then theoreticised about the strength needed to thrust such a stake into the said vampires heart, causing Andy to sigh greatly.Just like he did when Darrell also mused as to whether Derek Acorah knew you could get white spirit in a bottle!

I think Andy sometimes pretends Darrell isn’t with him until he is ready to pay, and then has to search aisle after aisle looking for him, last time he found Darrell with his nose right up against a stack of wooden planks ….. inhaling deeply ….

….. saying that the aroma of freshly felled timber was most romantic and made him think of lumberjacks????!!!!! What is he like?

The Magic Of A Polaroid Camera

2012-01-22T00:01:00.001Z

Darrell has been given an old Polaroid camera that still works. And I, he announced grandly, was to be his muse!
It’s a magical, yet at the same time, a spooky experience to see the images develop before your very eyes.

Darrell now fancies himself as a bit of a David Bailey

What is he like?

You Wear It Well!

2012-01-21T00:01:00.000Z

This hairpiece was handed into lost property ……..

…. and as the rush photocopying was slow and we were at a bit of a loose end, ~~bored~~, Darrell dared me to try it on ……

….. between gasps for breath and much laughter he said I put him in mind of a young Ronnie Wood….. !

Eye Spy With My Little Eye ……A Mahoooosive Costa Coffee Cup!!

2012-01-20T00:01:00.000Z

On the forecourt of our local garage there is a mahooosive Costa Coffee cup and whenever I pass it I can’t help wondering how long it would take to drink a cup of coffee of that size! I don’t think I could manage it on my own, but perhaps with Darrell’s and Nigel’s help we could drain it in a week or so!!

I suppose it is the coffee drinkers equivalent to a fish bowl cocktail!

Bathroom Comfort Of A Designer Type Nature.

2012-01-19T00:01:00.001Z

As you know we take our “Bathroom Comfort” very seriously, especially during the festive season ….. even now we still have a little of our silver star tissue left on our roll from our New Year’s celebrations.

Now don’t ask me how they got onto the subject …….. but Darrell was talking to one of his favourite work colleagues, the delectable Sancha (who teaches Food Technology) about her comfort tissue of choice …… and what she produced from her bag left him momentarily speechless …….

……. and very, very envious …….. she ONLY had a roll of bright pink spotty designer tissue ….. he ooooohed and ahhhhhhed like there was tomorrow and couldn’t help stroke it and hold it close as he did so!

As soon as he got home he was on the website before you could say “Carry On Up Your Own Convenience” and pored for hours over all the designs …. every minute or so you could hear him gasp “They’ve got tissue for your birthday so you can have a celebratory type pooh!” and “They’ve got some with eyes on, and cactus’s on and barbed wire and ladybirds and tiger print…….oooooooooooo, there’s too many, I can’t choose!!!!! ” …… and then he started fretting because they had too many Christmas designs to choose from too! He also found out that Simon Cowell only uses black tissue Chez X Factor …….. oh Heaven help us …. we’ll never hear the last of this ….. !! What is he like?

http://www.thedesignertoiletrollcompany.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4

Nobby’s Nuts

2012-01-18T00:01:00.001Z

Yesterday Darrell came in from the paper shop clutching a copy of The Sun (bought for the holiday tokens) and a stupid smirk on his face. “I’ve had the most brilliant idea for a Savoury Snack of Choice Review” he giggled, and proceeded to unwrap two packs of Nobby’s Nuts that he had secreted in his paper!

To be honest I was rendered slightly speechless …. but not wishing to curb Darrell’s natural enthusiasm I went along with his intellectual thought.

The table was duly cleared and Darrell got his nuts out, displaying them in a very artistic fashion on an appropriate tit bit dish.

We then proceeded to nibble on the said nuts ….. however, though we tried to be judicious in our sampling and critique ….

…… everything had a double entendre and sounded very rude, so no matter how innocent our remarks …. each pertinent points was worthy of a Carry On Film ……
….. and poor Darrell laughed so hard that he developed very sore ribs, and at times gasped for breath, while we both had tears running down our faces …..

So in an effort to inject a little brevity to the proceeding, and try to rescue something from this “non review”, I suggest that if we have aroused your curiosity, you could try to find some Nobby’s Nuts of your own to sample. AND tell you that there are some very interesting information about what some people do with their nuts on the back of the packets .. like the fact that Tom Miller pushed one of his nuts to the top of Pikes Peak with his nose! But I am NOT telling Darrell that …. because mayhem would certainly ensue!

OMG Darrell’s Won A BMW ……… !!!!

2012-01-17T00:01:00.004Z

OMG! OMG! OMG! Darrell took a phone call yesterday afternoon of such mahoosive import that we are still a little shell shocked! It seems that when he went over to Jade House for our once a month, Saturday takeaway in November (for a No. 23, No. 56, No. 37, a portion of chips and an egg fried rice to share) he was also coerced into buying a £1 charity raffle ticket of which he had long since forgotten. Anyway it transpires that Darrell has only won the first prize …… which happens to be the use of any BMW of our choice for a whole weekend …… how brilliant is that? Darrell was almost apoplectic!

Since neither Darrell and I drive due to our inability to reach either the steering wheel or pedals of a car we have left it to Andy to sort out the minutia of Darrell’s prize as he, being mechanical of mind, knows all about cars of a luxury and tres expensive type nature.

It was Andy who also suggested that we should synchronise the timing of our “win” with one of our Sun £9.50 holidays, so that we could travel in style as well as create a good impression at our holiday park, but first we had to decide upon which model to ask for. Darrell put forward a very robust and measured argument for a BMW M1 Homage ………..

But, having accompanied us many times on our little Sun £9.50 seaside junkets Andy thought it best to opt for one of the larger BMW models in order to accommodate all our usual holiday paraphernalia such as our buckets and spades, wind breaks, surf boards, wetsuits etc. ……….. so eventually we plumped for a Gran Turismo!

We can just picture ourselves sitting on the back seat now, sunglasses and cigars akimbo ……pressing all the buttons and making the windows go up and down!

But we have already been told that the drinking of Vimto or Ribena is absolutely “verboten” should our car have a white leather interior.

So ………. we are more excited than if it were Christmas Eve and all we can say is …………… “Look out Dawlish Warren here we come!”

My First Horlicks At The Whitburn Coffee House–Bridgnorth

2012-01-16T00:01:00.004Z

I have a new malty and milky hot beverage of choice ….

….. it’s the most wonderful drink I have ever taste-en, and just do not know how where it has been all my life!
I only discovered it when I popped into The Whitburn Coffee House in Bridgnorth on Saturday while on a little shopping excursion …. I was about to ask for a latte (my usual shopping beverage of choice) but then I spotted Horlicks on the menu and curiosity got the better of me….
I am now a slave to its malty delights!

Purchasing A Few Comestibles!!

2012-01-15T00:01:00.001Z

Darrell, Nigel and I are very partial to the delights of liquorice and so when I was in Bridgnorth yesterday it would have been very remiss of me NOT to purchase a little of the said delicacy as a special treat for us all.

Sometimes I think the stall has a little too much choice ….. but after a robust selection process, I think I purchased just the right combination of sweeties of a liquorice type nature to provide an adequate nibble satisfaction experience for when we watched Celebrity Big Brother (our current reality programme of choice) later in the evening.

When I got home I showed Darrell and Nigel the veritable smorgasbord of liquorice I had chosen for their delectation ….

…… suffice to say there was much nom nomming …. and my choice did indeed pass muster!

….. and Darrell made it his job to make absolutely sure there weren’t any sweeties left in the bottom of any bag that could have been accidently thrown away …. what is he like?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Liquorice-Stall/264780433571857?sk=wall#!/pages/The-Liquorice-Stall/264780433571857?sk=wall&filter=1

Christopher

2012-01-14T00:01:00.002Z

You may have noticed, as Mr D has, that we have a regular visitor from the USA called Dianne, who often leaves a lovely comment. Well, the other morning Darrell and I both woke up with a spooky Derek Acorah feeling, and just as I was about to say it, Darrell announced that he thought we should e-mail Dianne, as he thought she would be a perfect adoptee of one of our abandoned and unloved monkeys rescued from e-bay, who was hankering for a chance to go across the pond.

So we bit the bullet and e-mailed Dianne and it appears both our spooky feelings were spot on and that Dianne, after seeing the picture we sent was totally overwhelmed with love and immediately agreed to adopt our abandoned and unloved monkey, who she decided to called Christopher!.

Needless to say it was passports and visas akimbo when we told Christopher the news. It was all the more exciting for Christopher to find out that Dianne lives in Florida, so he will never want for a freshly squeezed orange again … which, we further informed him, cannot be compared to the tiddly oranges currently to be found in our fruit bowl.

We told Dianne that is Christopher is totally addicted to Pawn Stars, it is his very favourite programme of choice and that if she was ever in the vicinity of Las Vegas, she could give places like Caesar's Palace a wide berth BUT it was Christopher’s dream to spend just five minutes in the shop to meet Rick, Chumlee, Big Hos and Dad and if possible sell something of a valuable type nature, perhaps one of Darrell’s holey stones to Rick!

But, if that wasn’t possible Christopher would be very happy to watch Pawn Stars or American Pickers on the sofa in his new home, while enjoying the odd Krispy Kreme (our doughnut of choice) or a Hershey Bar or Tootsie Roll.

We told Christopher that he ought to make the most of his last mug of PG Tips, as we are not too sure about the tea situation in the USA and that he would probably have to take up coffee on rye or something romantic like that.

We all took five minutes to be alone with our individual thoughts. Christopher is going on a momentous adventure, and will be the first Mum’s Monkey to go to a new life in a new far away land par avion….. but we know he will keep in touch and we are taking bets on how long it takes him to get an American accent!

Darrell, A Gentlemen What Lunches With Ladies!

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000Z

I have to admit that Darrell does have a certain charm where ladies the are concerned, so when Julia, T, Helen and Sarah asked him to join them for a Saturday Girlie Shopping Trip and Luncheon in Stafford last week, who was he to refuse them his company and savior faire!

However he was a little nervous as the Bangha Bus doesn’t go as far as Stafford, which meant that he had to catch two trains to get there, something he has never done on his own before!

The time to change trains was tight, so Darrell was a little anxious waiting for his first train to arrive, but as the first leg of his journey from our village into town only takes about five minutes he had no real need to worry.

Darrell’s anxiety levels did not abate however because the conductor failed to come round for Darrell to buy his ticket ….and he was petrified that he would be fined hundreds of pounds for fare dodging with everyone looking on when he tried to get through the barrier at Wolverhampton ….

The gods must have been smiling on Darrell though because there was no one checking for tickets when he arrived and he was quickly able to finally purchase a ticket for the rest of his journey minutes before the Stafford train arrived……

…… which he clung on to for dear life and presented to anyone who he thought looked of an important inspectorial type nature!

The ladies were already seated when Darrell arrived at The Bear Grill, their restaurant of choice and had already ordered him a lemonade with ice and a slice anticipating that he might be a touch overwrought after his first train journey with changes.

However, all was soon forgotten as Darrell was proffered a very large menu to peruse.

….. and after much deliberation and erring and umming, he eventually plumped for bacon and black pudding salad with a balsamic glaze and mixed leaves, followed by Chicken Caesar salad – chargrilled chicken breast topped with grilled crispy bacon, anchovies, parmesan and croutons …… a lot of salad type stuff, but after the excesses of Christmas Darrell has been keen to get back to our 5 a day regime! So robust was his resolve that he turned down the invitation to 2 Knickerbocker Glories and 4 spoons, and that must have been very hard for him!

Darrell said that time had just flown in such pleasant and entertaining company but was a little taken aback upon leaving the restaurant to find that it was dark … and NO shopping had been done!!! Oh well, they’ll just have to do it all again ….. the next Saturday!

The Day The Bottom Fell Out Of Our World!

2012-01-12T00:01:00.001Z

Yesterday Sandra asked both Darrell and I to come to the office together, for she said, she had news of an important nature to impart to us, and that it would be best if we heard it at the same time!

Our hearts were full of angst and we both felt that all did not augur well. After sitting us down, Sandra informed us that for her part the news was very exciting, however she realised that for us, she was about to deliver a devastating blow…….

It transpired that Sandra had put in for promotion, had been successful and would now be moving into Tallulah’s office, inputting information of an extremely complicated computer type nature into the school’s database.

Though happy with Sandra’s success Darrell sobbed inconsolably for several minutes……..

………. clutching several man-size tissues and blowing his nose profusely.

I tried to stay stoical, but inside my heart was breaking too, but I knew I had to be strong for Darrell.

Sandra was moved by our outpouring of genuine emotion and became a little tearful herself…….

….. but said that it wasn’t as if she would be a million miles away, she would only be down the corridor and we would still see her every day, just in a different capacity.

She added that at the moment she couldn’t tell us who our new boss would be, but she would make sure they knew our little foibles and what diligent and responsible workers we were.

When we were a little more composed and Sandra got the office biscuit tin out, Darrell and I resolved that we would give Sandra an exceptionally robust send-off ….. involving bunting, a handmade card and celebratory dainties of an especially delicious type nature!

The Design And Technology Trip To London Part Two – Borough Market

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000Z

From the Design Museum we had a quick hop on the coach to Borough Market. I wondered if it would be anything like Wolverhampton Market…

……. but you just couldn’t compare it …… …… it was sooooooo romantic.I so wanted to look all cosmopolitan and sophisticated and at ease in my surroundings but I think my over excited demeanour may have given me away …..
My senses were assaulted by everything around me, I just didn't know where to look Some of the stalls were just Five A Day Heaven as they were stacked with wondrous vegetables I’d never seen before, like ….

….. purple and yellow cauliflowers …… how brilliant is that? Darrell would have loved them.

I found that the stallholders were very generous too ……

…. at almost every stall I stopped and looked at in awe someone would offer me something to try ….. oh my life ….

I sampled with gusto and refused nothing …… …… except for the wild rabbit, venison and boar ….. and the most mahoooooosive piece of fish I have ever seen ….. it would have done us for fish fingers for years!
After trying a small piece of meringue, I succumbed and purchased a very large raspberry one to eat back on the coach …… it was worth a very easy 10 noms.

This sign made me laugh …. I thought of me and Darrell becoming Posh Banger Boys at Wolverhampton car boot sales at the weekend to earn a bit of pocket money!

I had a WONDERFUL day and it made me realise how much I love London and need to come back again soon, one day is just not enough. It’s a shame that the Sun don’t do any £9.50 holidays there, perhaps I should write to the editor and ask!

On a sad note I lost my green felt “M” badge …. I have reported it to Scotland Yard, but if anyone happens to find it could they send it back to me ….. there will be a reward!

The Design & Technology Trip To London – Part One – The Design Museum.

2012-01-10T00:01:00.002Z

There was a spare seat on the D & T (Design and Technology) trip to London to visit the Design Museum and the Borough Markets and the teacher in charge asked if I would like to accompany them. As it was on a day when Darrell was on rush photocopying duty I was able to say yes! Woooo hoooooo

Our coach was bijou with seating for 33 and very comfortable but the journey to London seemed endless, despite my great excitement, and I was glad that I had bought ample sustenance to boost my flagging energy levels…..

…… which included a comprehensive fruit salad which provide me with most of my 5 a day needs and some Lucozade Lite Cherry from the nice people at Lucozade Towers, to keep me hydrated and refreshed.

We finally arrived at the Design Museum over an hour late ..

…. but it was well worth it, I collected lots of leaflets, just in case I had to do a project about my day when I got back to school and some free badges for Darrell and Nigel.

I filled out the visitor questionnaire ….
…… and soaked up as much of the creative atmosphere as I could.
The view on the top floor was stunning, I looked at the “Gherkin” and thought of The Apprentice for some strange reason……

…… and our friend Hugh who now lives in Notting Hill and lives the showbiz life …. I wasn’t sure where Notting Hill was in relation to the Museum, but I guessed it was on the other side of the Thames and sent Hugh a huge Wolverhampton wave in what I hoped was the right direction.It would have been nice to have been able to pop in for a cup of showbiz tea and gossip, but this really was a whistle stop trip!

Before we left the museum, I couldn’t help but gaze up at the luxury apartments next door and wondered if anyone famous lived there. I also thought how romantic it would be to have a posh restaurant underneath where you lived. I wondered if they would send a tray up if ever you didn’t fancy cooking tea!

Darrell Uses A Kodak Picture Kiosk

2012-01-09T00:01:00.002Z

Just before Christmas the Lovely Lara, with the very exotic surname, at Kodak Headquarters sent Darrell a gift card inviting him to try using one of the Kodak Picture Kiosks at Boots as a small “Thank You” for all his hard work demonstrating a couple of Kodak’s free apps during the year.

And once Christmas and New Year were over Darrell was desperate to go into town to use it. After some frank and robust discussion, we all decided that we should pose/stage two pictures that we could put on birthday and other cards to send to some of our blogger friends during the year, so that everyone could share in Darrell’s good fortune.

At first, stood standing in Boots, in front of his kiosk of choice, Darrell lost a little of his bravado, though a bit of a computer whizz kid, he was worried that he might mess up and “waste” this wonderful opportunity and “spoil” the pictures, but once he had had a little play, he declared it to be “easy peasy lemon squeezy”!

He decided, as this was his first try to just go for straight photos,nothing fancy, but he could have added all sorts of fancy borders on them for all manner of occasion, or made a collage or even a calendar.

Waiting for the pictures to appear seemed endless, full of trepidation mixed with anticipation, even though it was only took a couple of minutes.

But the wait was certainly worth it …..

We now have nine copies of each picture, and Darrell was chuffed as nuts that he had learnt to do something new. When we have a free afternoon we are going to set about designing and making our cards, and the first one we will send will be to Lara.

For more information http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=7959&pq-locale=en_GB&_requestid=791

New Pre-Match Rituals

2012-01-08T00:01:00.001Z

Andy got a new Wolves garden gnome and door mat amongst all his festive joy and plunder….
Which now means that apart from wearing our lucky pants and socks for every match …. We now pay Andy’s gnome’s head three times with our left hand …….
…….and rub our feet on the mat three times before we leave for a match ….. for luck! What are we like?

A Long Felt Want …..

2012-01-07T00:01:00.000Z

I’ve had a long felt want for a leather flying jacket and have been saving for one for ages. With the sales now in full swing I finally counted up my money and visited my Gentleman’s Outfitters of choice to see if they had one, in my size and hopefully at a greatly reduced price!
My heart skipped a beat when the Gentleman Outfitter said “Indeed yes, we have just the very garment for Sir” and “No” the measuring of my inside leg was not necessary and “Yes” cash would be very acceptable, even if it was in 5p’s. I was chuffed beyond chuffed!
And when I got home Darrell was equally as chuffed and impressed by my new aviator look especially as I then gifted him my old biker jacket that I have outgrown and which he has coverted mahooooosively since I bought it.We are so on trend ….. Gok Wan himself could not fail to be impressed by our sartorial and individual elegance!

Babies On Loan….. ?

2012-01-06T00:01:00.010Z

There are some very strange posters around work at the moment. I spotted the first one and then decided to follow the arrows to see where they led …..

…… from the foot of the stairs …….

…… and upwards …..

…… and onto the main upstairs corridor

……..and finally to room L8 (The Classics Room, which seemed a strange place to keep babies) where, I am afraid I lingered for a while before turning round and leaving. I’m not very good at saying “no” and was afraid that if I entered I might have a baby foisted upon me when I was in a state of unpreparedness.

I was also apprehensive as to how Darrell and Nigel would react if I suddenly appeared on the doorstep of Chateau Castle Greyskull with a babe in arms. I felt that I would need to sit down with them both and discuss the implications with them first, before presenting them with instant “fatherhood and responsibility” and with Christmas only just gone I thought that Nigel might get confused and think that Baby Jesus has come to stay with us for a bit!

Nigel’s Bedtime Listening of Choice

2012-01-05T00:01:00.009Z

Look what we found for Nigel! It’s a CD of the stories that Nigel now won’t go to bed without listening to as his night night story and won’t be parted from at any cost.

Who’d have thought that our favourite word of choice to describe the mayhem that occasionally ensues chez nous at Chateau Castle Greyskull actually has a proper meaning, and is the name of a character in a famous story! How BRILLIANT is that?

Guess What We Are Doing?

2012-01-04T00:01:00.004Z

It’s only 4th January and already the holiday tokens are in the paper. How exciting is that?

….. So Darrell is getting up extra early and nipping across to Tesco Express to make sure that we don’t miss our copy of The Daily Mirror, which has tokens for holidays for £9 a day to collect, meanwhile I rise at a more sedate pace and prepare our breakfast repas.

However, me thinks Darrell needs to curb his natural token cutting enthusiasm just a little as he can be lethal with a large pair of scissors!

Oooops Akimbo

2012-01-03T16:47:00.001Z

Someone, who wishes to remain anonymous, was playing about with our blog template and made a mahooosive mess of it! So things will be taking on a new look from today … because they can’t put it back to how they were! Anyway it looks a bit prettier at least!

Googling Yourself

2012-01-03T00:01:00.001Z

When Darrell gets bored it often goes very quiet and I fear for the worst!

And yesterday it went very quiet indeed except for the tapping of a distant keyboard. So I went to investigate and found Darrell in the office very much rapt in what he was doing.

“I’m Goggling us” he said “We’re blooming everywhere ……Google is a veritable smorgasbord of pictures of us, look!”

“….. Google ‘Cadbury World’ and there’s a picture of you on page 2 sharing out your booty from your last visit”

“Google ‘Mahooosive’ and I appear on page 12, but I had to avert my eyes from some pages as there were some mahooosive objects a young monkey shouldn’t see”

By now Darrell was in full flow….

“And as for Mr Kipling's Rhubarb and Custard pies ……. we’re the No.1 picture and Nigel is No 3, how brilliant is that? But strangely we don’t get feature under ‘nom, nom, nom’!”

“It’s as if we almost famous” he said excitedly “Perhaps, if we keep this up we’ll become real celebrities and be asked to take part in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here (our celebrity out of their comfort zone programme of choice), Come Dine With Me or Coach Trip” he mused …… Good grief, what is he like?

What Are We Like ???!!!!!

2012-01-02T00:01:00.002Z

How do Monkeys get down the stairs?

We slide down the banana-ster! Bum Bum!!

Happy New Year – It's 2012!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.002Z

We decided that last night .... New Years Eve would be a bit too much for Nigel, so we left him at home with his little wooden mouse and a trusted babysitter ……

…. while we excitedly donned our Scottish gay apparel

….. which was much admired by the ladies …

…..although, despite all the admiring glances, we did still seem to have to partner each other quite a lot during the energetic reels and jigs …..!!

However we had a most wonderful time with our sporrans madly flying akimbo (and occasionally getting tangled up with each other) and the fresh breeze caused by the rampant flinging of our kilts was erm ….. fresh and liberating?!!!

We also quaffed some fine champagne with a packet of Walkers crisps to quench our thirsts after much festive dancing.

….. and then Darrell became a little emotional and wanted to gaze at the stars ……

….. we sat for what seemed to be hours just musing about what 2012 would have in store for us ….. and decided to get a Sunday Supplement Magazine with Mystic Meg and our Stars in for the year, to give us a hint as to what to look out for.

Then after a head clearing walk it was nice to come home and share our first “cup o' kindness for auld lang syne” of 2012 together as our feet (and heads) were killing us!

xxxx HAPPY NEW YEAR xxxx

xxxx HAPPY 2012 xxxx

Goodbye to 2011 and Hello to 2012

2011-12-31T00:01:00.002Z

It’s been quite a year for us and looking back we can hardly believe some the things that we have done, eaten and watched and the places we have been.

Like, all three of us being given permanent jobs with Sandra in Resources, doing rush photocopying and laminating jobs and being made to feel part of the school ……..

……. so much so that the girls invited me to join them on a skiing trip to the Czech Republic

….. and Darrell to Rome, Sorrento and Capri!

In April we enjoyed the Royal Wedding, which we embraced with every inch of our being and souls and almost couldn’t bear it to end, it was soooooo WONDERFUL and soooooo romantic!

One of Darrell’s birthday presents was to see Take That in Manchester, where he almost got right to the very front and narrowly missed touching Robbie William’s hand when he came right over Darrell on a platform. He stretched for all he was worth but it was Uncle Andrew that Robbie touched, so Darrell touched Andrew’s hand “as the hand that touched Robbie Williams hand” which was just as good.

The most mahooosive surprise of the year for us was undoubtedly Nigel turning up at the Pride of Britain Awards in London, where he met Stacey Solomon and Gail Tilsley to name just two celebs and he lived the showbiz dream for just a few hours. (and ..... for those who are wondering, Darrell is now almost over Stacey, but she will always hold a special place in his heart, and all her cards and signed presents are safely wrapped up and put away and occasionally looked at).

New members to our family appeared when Andy finished our fish pond and we welcomed a ~~flock~~, ~~herd,~~ shoal of fish into our home/garden, all named after our favourite Wolves players!

The summer saw us find lots of new homes for all the abandoned and unloved monkeys that we had rescued from e-bay. They are all very happy with their new families and have all kept in touch, sending us photos of their new lives all over the country and the occasional card and present.

Darrell also had the opportunity to dabble in the world of advertising and product placement by working with Gina at Lucozade Towers to showcase several new Lucozade products. It also gave him rather too much opportunity to run about in his PE kit and showing his legs, in an effort to stress Lucozades rehydrating qualities!

We also shared several Sun £9.50 holidays, staying in lovely chalets and caravans, all by the sea, our favourite watery place of choice and Darrell spent many happy hours collecting holey stones. We will be starting to collect more tokens as soon as they start appearing in the paper for even more adventures.

But our highlight of choice was undoubtedly our week at Cockle Cottage in Brixham, it was just perfect in every way!

And makes us realise that working hard every day in Resources with Sandra to earn our wages reaps many rewards …. like being able to afford happy times away together.

…… but that’s enough of the past …… here’s to the future, here’s to 2012 and all the wonderful adventures it will bring, especially with Vinnie and Auntie Jan being Games Makers at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Aquatics Centre …. now that's almost too exciting to think about!

Our Festive Adoption - Arfur

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000Z

We are still continuing our work rescuing unloved and abandoned monkeys from e-bay, (but to be honest not as vigorously as we have done in the past), but this is Arfur.

We decided not to offer Arfur up for “official” adoption because we knew immediately that he would be ideal to go and live with Granny G and Uncle Stephen as he has been gymnastically trained …..

……. and would very much enjoy the rough and tumble life that living with Uncle Stephen would bring.

Arfur is also very fond of puppies and dogs, his book of choice being Spot the Dog and has seen Lassie Come Home hundreds of times (despite it being in black and white). His hoodie and shoes reflect his interest, but he realises that a puppy of his own is just too much responsibility (especially at Christmas)

We all posed together for photographs before Arfur left for his new life in Bilston ….

…. but we shall see him every Thursday when we go over for tea with Auntie Jan.

So it is only really ciao for now and not time for tears and long goodbyes.

Our Last Confectionary Review Of The Year – Traditional Scottish Tablet

2011-12-29T00:01:00.001Z

As you know a couple of days ago Auntie Lynne sent us some, of her very own and therefore “untouched by the hands of machineary”, traditional Scottish Tablet. We had resisted until today to try it (although Nigel has gone on and on about nothing else since it arrived)…. and in honour of such a gift we have decided that it should go down officially as our last confectionary review of 2011!

As we gathereed round our festive tasting table the anticipation was palpable …. and our taste buds expectant of a Scottish delight that we had not yet experienced ….

It did not disappointed ….!!

…… “Sweet, crumbly, rich and incredibly morish” is how (we think) Nigel so succinctly put it!

And Darrell declared that if he hadn’t got work responsibilities of a photicopying type nature he would be very tempted to pack his bags and move to Scotland permanatly if this is what they ate up there!

And, I have to admit, that it was truly heavenly confectionary, I wish I could have eaten forever and which has spoilt me for Thornton’s forever! I award it 20 noms out of 10.

….. as did Darrell ….

…… and Nigel …. like Oliver he said “ Please Auntie Lynne, can I have some more!”
Nom, nom, nom. nom, nom, nom, nom !!! Even better than sprouts!

Christmas Cracker Jokes Have A Lot To Answer For ….

2011-12-28T00:01:00.000Z

How do Monkeys make toast?

…… Put it under the grilla!!

Hilarious!

More Presents!

2011-12-27T00:01:00.002Z

Aunty Jan and Vinnie gave us wonderful gifts, some of an Olympic type nature for Christmas reflecting their voluntary sporting activities of recent months.

Darrell was thrilled with his rock star t-shirt with a guitar on the front and an Olympic initial D badge to wear.

Nigel got a mahooooosive bag of Olympic mascot jellies and a Olympic badge with his initial on.

And I too was gifted with an Olympic badge with an M on ….

….. and a Trampolining and Gymnastic Memory Game which afforded us much amusement and family fun, when we decided to give this year’s Christmas Day episode of typical Eastenders misery, doom and gloom and none festive cheer a miss!

You had to try and match pairs of cards featuring very energetic gymnastic activities .. and the person who matched most pairs was the winner.

It made my brain hurt trying to remember where I had last seen the matching card to the one I had just turned over.

…. Nigel needed a lot of help, finger pointing and prompting to match a pair …. but was very pleased with himself when he did!

But it soon became obvious that games of a remembering type nature were very much Darrell’s forte …. and from henseforth shall be known as The Magnificent Mr Memory!

Our Christmas Day Snapshots

2011-12-26T00:01:00.003Z

We have much to tell you, but it’s hard to blog when there’s festivities akimbo going on around us ….. so just for now and in brief …..…

….. Nigel only got of his bike for his Christmas dinner ….

…. and when he fell off. Heaven help us when he is let loose in the garden, as we have promised to make him a little obstacle course. But first we need to fashion him a crash helmet and get him to stay on for a little longer at a time.

He says he wants to “Pimp His Ride” ……. which is very, very worrying!

We also had a few presents to open ….…. like our present from Auntie Lynne And Archie with the mysterious message about us loving the sea, wrapped in beautiful hand stamped snowflake paper…..

It was a calendar of the Moray Coast, somewhere we have never been, and not sure if The Sun does £9.50 holidays there but we shall investigate, in the mean time we are going to put the calendar on our desk at work, to remind us that we need to work hard and diligently in order to save for all our holidays. THANK YOU AUNTIE LYNNE and Archie xxxx

We didn’t forget to go into the garden to wish the fish in our pond a Happy Christmas

…. but have to admit that our Christmas dinner smelt a lot better than their piscatorial one…

Happy Christmas little fishie Wolves team! ….

Nigel went to bed early … full of selection boxes tinsel and turkey. Darrell and I sat up late talking …… we had the most BRILLIANT day …. with more adventures to follow!

He’s Been ….!!! It’s Christmas Morning!!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001Z

Darrell was the first to wake up on this glorious Christmas morning, and upon seeing our stockings had been filled and were now bulging with presents, he soon set about bouncing on me and Nigel until we woke up too!

We took it in turns to open our presents off Father Christmas first …. Darrell was overjoyed with his little set of drawers for his collected treasures and couldn’t believe how Father Christmas knew exactly what he wanted …. and welled up a little….

Nigel was next and was rendered speechless (momentarily) when he saw that Father Christmas had left him a Nigel sized Quad Bike, heaven help us when he is let loose in the garden!

And then it was my turn, but somehow I managed to open both my presents at the same time ….. I felt incredibly blessed as Father Christmas left me the most perfect paint box and a new Wolves Mug to replace my broken one …. I hope that by having my pre match Bovril in it before every match will bring Mick and the boys a bit more luck in the coming few months.

It was Darrell’s turn again …. to reveal a brilliant lava lamp that he can plug into his computer at work, just what he wanted, but even better he said!

…. and Nigel got a little wooden mouse, which he has now put in his crib to be near Baby Jesus.

We then opened a few presents that we had been given by our friends ….Sandra had given us a mahooooosive packet of mini bags of Eric and Friends chocolate biscuits

….. we thought we could take one bag a day when we are back at work for a most excellent mid morning snack and share them with Sandra.

And our friend George, who was adopted in the summer by Jackie and Lewis to live in posh Hampshire sent us the most overwhemlming presents …. there were monkey slippers for Darrell and myself ….

…… which are exquisite and soooooo comfy ….

….. and a tiny chocolate teddy for Nigel (also now with Baby Jesus in Nigel’s crib) We are all truly blessed in a Winter Wonderland type way AND we are so very lucky to have such wonderful friends. We have a few more presents to open, a mahoooosive turkey to stuff, sprouts to cook to an inch of their lives and family to visit ….. but we don’t want to keep you away from your special day, so we will tell you about our festive adventures over the next few days ….. so HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyone xxxxxxx HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

We’ve Had An E-mail From Hank, Marvin and Marcel ……

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000Z

The flipping Christmas Pixie has been busy here - and this is the result. Left to right, Marvin, Marcel (with his arms round us) and Hank. Oh dear the indignity of it all - all we need is Tallulah to pay us a visit and we're totally discombobulated!! Not only that, the flipping pixie posed us like babies on a white shiny tablecloth as a background!! The shame, the shame :(

Oh, what the heck - WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS - AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Love and hugs to Monkey, Darrell and Nigel
From all of us - Hank, Marvin and Marcel,
xxxx

Christmas Eve - Lighting Our Christmas Lanterns

2011-12-24T17:08:00.002Z

We always put lanterns in our trees in the back garden at Christmas to remember all our special people who can’t be with us like Granny Shelia.

But this year we have decided to put the lanterns in what mum calls the “singing ringing” tree in the front garden, it’s never been big enough before, but this year it’s perfect …

This afternoon I hung all the lanterns , making sure that they all had a candle in ….. and then when it went dark, we all went out and took it in turns to light a lantern until they were all lit.

It looked beautiful ……..

and now we know it really is Christmas.

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas ……

2011-12-24T00:01:00.003Z

Not long to go now …..

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go;

Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again

With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Toys in every store

But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be

On your own front door.

Wishing you all a WONDERFUL Christmas with all our love from xxxxxx Monkey, Nigel and Darrell xxxxxx

Time To Write Our Letters To Santa

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000Z

Our Advent Days have flown by like the first festive flurry of snow, and last night there was nothing left for us to do except for something that we have all been desperate to do since December 1st and that was to write our letters to Father Christmas. This year we have been told that we can ask for two small things and have thus each partaken in some robust decision making of a serious “Dear Father Christmas ” type nature.

At 7.00pm, after tea, we all sat down at the kitchen table for some serious composure of letters…… Darrell has asked for “something” to put all his little “found” treasures in and a lava lamp.

With Darrell’s help Nigel fashioned his letter for Father Christmas asking for a bike and a mouse.

And finally I requested a paint box and a new Wolves mug, as I had dropped my beloved one which left me and the said Wolves mug shattered! I also put that we promised to leave some mince pies and milk for Santa and some carrots for Rudolph as sustenance for their long journey.

Nigel was insistent that he should lick the envelope …. it took him ages and his poor little tongue was very dried out and a very strange colour and texture by the time he had finished .

Darrell then decided that we should add “You’ve Got Monkey Mail” to the envelope so that Father Christmas would know instantly who it was from and help with his time management.

We then gave our precious letter to Andy to take to Granddad Colin’s as he is the only person we know who has a proper chimney to send letters to Father Christmas from.

Darrell made Andy vouchsafe that he wouldn’t stop off anywhere, not even Tesco Express for our lemonade, until he had delivered the letter to Granddad to “post” up his said chimney, fearful that Andy might put it down and forget where he had left it. What is he like? Hopefully, it’s now floating on the wind to the North Pole …. Santa’s residence of choice!!

So Kind And So Blessed.

2011-12-24T00:00:00.001Z

We are very busy with our festive preparations and are having terrible problems with our computer BUT it would be unforgiveable if we didn’t say THANK YOU to all our friends who have thought about us this Christmas ….. Yesterday the postman came with some cards and presents for us ….. “You’re a popular little lot here” he said “Are you famous or somethink? Rumour has it down the depot that you get more mail than JLS” and he chuckled!

There was a card from Benji who lives the Volunteers Life in Manchester with Chris and Roger, and very much looking forward to marshalling at the naked cycle race through the city later on in the year!!! THANK YOU BENJI XXXX

There was also a very festive card of a monkey type nature from Hank, Marvin and Marcel who were adopted by Di, and now live in posh Hampshire.

THANK YOU xxxxx It made us laugh a lot.

And finally our parcel which came from Auntie Lynda (who is the daughter of our adopted Grandma Winnie) she sent us the most romantic snowman card and a bag of Traditional Scottish Tablet that she made just for us …. we are going to keep it until after Christmas and do a very special festive Confectionary Review dressed in our Gay Gordon Scottish Apparel to nom!

If Nigel can wait that long !!!

There was also a small mysterious package enclosed eluding to our love of the sea, but we are keeping that to open on Christmas Day. THANK YOU Auntie Lynda xxxxxx

Sorry .... Keep Scrolling Down - Two Posts Today

2011-12-23T00:05:00.002Z

Oh Come All Ye Faithful …

2011-12-23T00:01:00.002Z

Last night we thought we would spread a little festive joy in our street by knocking on everyone’s door and singing them a carol…..(for free)

We were very nervous …. but had practiced “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” until we were word perfect …..

…… but unfortunately all the said practicing had also made us a trifle hoarse and croaky….. and we think that this may have been the reason why some neighbours were a touch reluctant to open their doors to us and others pretended to be out by hiding behind their curtains, after hearing our efforts as we wassailed up their drives, lanterns akimbo.

But we persevered …….

…… until Darrell’s voice finally gave out completely …..

…. and we thought we heard someone yelling “Someone’s killing a cat out there, phone the police!”

But to add insult to injury, we later heard that Nigel had gone out after us to do the same thing and had won plaudits from almost every house on both sides of the street, many saying that he had a voice not dissimilar to that of a young Aled Jones, if only they could have understood the words! ….. And he came back with £2.50, a box of mince pies and a hamster (which we made him take back!)

Away In A Manger

2011-12-23T00:00:00.000Z

After hearing that Nigel went to see the Nativity scene in Motorworld’s window every evening with Darrell, Granny G sent Nigel a Christmas crib of his own and he was mahoooosively excited. We thought that the best place for him to set it up was on the table beside his bed, so that he could see it when he woke up in the morning and before he went to sleep.…

…and that we would let him set it up exactly as he wanted ...
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Nigel concentrate and stay on task with something for so long ….

…. and we both agree he did it very beautifully ….. humming (we think) “Away in a manger” as he did it.

His nativity figures of choice were the Magi and we smiled when we heard him wonder out aloud which one of them had brought Frankenstein for Baby Jesus and hoped it wouldn’t frighten him too much.

We explained to him that you shouldn’t really put Baby Jesus in the crib until Christmas Day ….

He was OK with that, and then decided to add a few bits and pieces of his own ready to welcome Baby Jesus……

…….. namely, his knitted Christmas cactus’s ……

…. an unusual and novel choice, but as this was Nigel’s own special part of Christmas it was not for us to question his diversity!

We Couldn’t Find A Festive Song About Coming Home For Christmas On The West Midlands Bus … But Thought We Would Use Some Artistic Licence!

2011-12-22T00:03:00.003Z

We’re bussing it home for Christmas
Oh, we can't wait to see those faces
We’re bussing it home for Christmas, yeah

Well we’re moving down that road.
And it's been so long
But we will be there
We’ll sing this song
To pass the time away

Travelling on the bus

Bussing it home for Christmas
It's gonna take some time
But we will get there

Top to toe in tailbacks
Oh, we got red lights on the run
But soon there'll be a clear way
Get our feet on holy ground

So we’ll sing for you
Though you can't hear us
When we get through

And feel you near us
We’re bussing it home for Christmas
Travelling on the bus

Bussing it home for Christmas!

Based on Driving Home For Christmas by Chris Rhea and released by Stacey Solomon this week from the Iceland Ads

Our Present For Sandra

2011-12-22T00:01:00.001Z

We all clubbed together to buy Sandra a Christmas present

At first we had robust and, at times, heated debate about what we should get our beloved boss

But in the end we all agreed on a mahoooosive bar of fruit and nut chocolate and a pack of playing cards that had pictures of all the famous golf clubs in the world on….

…. because when she’s not being our boss, she is the Lady Captain of her golf club, which makes her almost a dignitary, like a Mayoress or something, but not quite a Queen.

There was a little more robust discussion then about what we should write on the gift tag …..

…. but eventually we decided not to mince words ……. and just say it from the heart.

Then yesterday morning we put it on her desk and acted naturally …. once Sandra had sat down at her desk, we heard her say very quietly “You naughty boys!” ….. and then gave us each the most mahoooosive hug that took our breath away …. we love Sandra xxxx

Two Posts Today - Keep Scrolling Down .....As Rod Stewart Once Said “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It" ….

2011-12-21T00:01:00.004Z

I don’t know how it happened …..

…… but Tallulah caught me off guard …for just one second ...

…… and seized the moment …..!! It's not the time for recrimination and details into the hows, whys and wherefores, I just need to be alone for a while and regain my dignity!

Attention To Detail Re: Festive Comfort!

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000Z

Auntie Jan’s mantra is “It’s all in the detail ….”, so when she and Darrell went shopping last week I gather it was very much a moot point in their festive preparation type discussions.

They apparently went into Poundland where Darrell found a festive snowman toilet seat cover hidden on a bottom shelf! He said he ermed and ahhhed for a second or two as he knew the Lovely Laura was spending Christmas with us and didn’t want her to think we had dubious taste, however he was so over the moon with his discovery that it was in his basket before you could say “It’s CCCCCCCHHHHHRRIISSSTTMMAASSSSS!” in a Slade/Noddy Holder type way!

However, as Darrell moved on and mooched in the next section he said he felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Auntie Jan wielding another cover, this time with a Santa on…… Darrell said that his mind was in turmoil …. how could he choose? He liked the snowman toilet seat cover but he also liked the Santa toilet seat cover, but which was best?

Auntie Jan helped him out and said firmly “Get both, you’ll only regret it and then send me out shopping again for the one you don’t have. You can put one in the upstairs bathroom and in the other downstairs shower room, that way the theme will run throughout the house! It’s all in the detail when decking your halls Darrell!”

I gather that from that moment on the theme grew and whilst in Marks and Spencer Auntie Jan led Darrell to the comfort tissue section ….. where several more items fell into his basket and were duly purchased…..

….. We now have a most ample supply of tissue with robins, snowflakes and Christmas trees on for our festive comfort!

…… Plus some with stars, which Darrell wants to save for New Years Eve. What are they like? I am not sure I should let Darrell and Auntie Jan go shopping together again, but have to confess our facilities of a personal type nature do look very ermm…. seasonal!! ….. Po, Po, Po!

Two Posts Again Today, Keep Scrolling Down ............ While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night …

2011-12-20T00:03:00.005Z

….. All seated on the ground ….

An angel of the Lord came down……

….. and glory shone around!

First Sighting Of Santa of 2011?

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000Z

Oh my life ……. it’s him!!!

Two Posts Today, So Keep Scrolling Down ...... No. 1 Sandra Says …..

2011-12-19T00:03:00.002Z

…… that since we started working with her, we have certainly had an impact on the way the office has been decorated this festive season ….. especially with the introductiion of objects of an inflable type nature ….

…… she was rendered quite speechless when Darrell started to blow up our inflatable turkey roast turkey platter……

…. and taken aback with the way Darrell fashioned Poundland battery operated lights round our inflatable Christmas tree, but we think she is gradually ~~getting used~~ adjusting to it all.

Darrell’s corner of the office is a blaze with festive lights, although Nick the IT technician has questioned Darrell’s computers ability to sustain quite so many gadgets via its USB ports!

What is he like?

No. 2 - Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

2011-12-19T00:00:00.001Z

We are sooooo blessed in a Hello magazine type way! Every day seems to bring us something wonderful in the post and we are feeling very spoilt and very loved.

A mahoooosive “Thank You” to George, one of our unloved and abandoned monkeys rescued from e-bay and now adopted and living very happily in lovely Hampshire with Jackie and Lewis. George sent us each a present with very posh tag with his picture on. We have put them under the tree and are very excited. We will admit to having a little squeeze and fertle but have not peeped. Thank you George, Jackie and Lewis xxxx

We have also had a very funny card from Clint and Max also happily adopted, this time to Middlesex with Jen. It’s an Xmas Factor Reindeer Reject card (which we were a bit remiss in covering this year, for which we apologise, but our heart went out of it when Craig was voted off, as he was our winner of choice)

It’s a little of a rude type nature and Nigel seems to spend quite a lot of time looking at it and laughing ….. we are wondering if he can secretly read!!!!! Thank you Max, Clint and Jen xxxx And HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all.

A Little Something For Nigel’s Fan Club

2011-12-18T00:03:00.003Z

We couldn’t help but notice in our “Chatroom” that Nigel has got a Fan Club ….. how brilliant is that?

They had left a message suggesting that Nigel should don an angel costume for the festive season ….

However Nigel said (we think) that he wasn’t too comfortable with wearing clothes of a feminine nature …..

…. and that his festive costume of choice would be a Santa costume not too dissimilar to Darrell's and my own.

So especially for his “Fan Club” we arranged a special photo shoot of Nigel in his chosen gay apparel …..

….. and plan, if Nigel’s popularity continues to increase, to produce some Nigel “merchandise” for the New Year!!

This year we hear that Cliff Richard calendars have out stripped Justin Beiber’s in popularity ….. all we can say is “Sir Cliff, you’d better watch out …… there’s a new pocket pin up on the horizon !”

The Season Of Goodwill And Expanding Waistlines!

2011-12-18T00:01:00.003Z

‘Tis the Season of Goodwill and Resources is awash with biscuits of a very high standard and delicious nature …. Usually we share the odd packet of Gingernuts or Hobnobs but thanks to the festive generosity of certain paper companies we are now enjoying the delights of the cream and chocolate coated variety……

….. which are going down a treat!

We have also noticed a mahoooosive surge in young ladies bringing all manner of baked comestibles for us to sample …..

…. our Santa suits are already beginning to
feel a little erm ... snug! …. but it would look so rude, ungracious and discouraging to refuse anything the young ladies offer us …… and these iced dainties made by the Head Girl shattered the nom, nom scale!!! We are so blessed to have a job with such wonderful benefits of a fringed kind….. nom, nom, nom!

Tucking Into Mince Pies …. Not As Simple As It Seems!

2011-12-17T00:01:00.001Z

We very much enjoy the odd mince pie or two, so have made sure that we have a sufficient supply to get us through the festive period …… We like them flaky or short crust, hot or cold, on their own or with cream – (squirty or double), or with custard, as a festive snack, as a pudding or a supper time delight!

Legend has it that the star on a traditional mince pie represents the star than led the shepherds and Magi to the baby Jesus, but we are not sure if they actually had mince pies when they got to the stable. Mary’s mind must have been all over the shop, but perhaps she baked a few for Joseph’s and her journey to Bethlehem, anticipating that there may not be any no room at the inn and therefore nowhere to seek sustenance.

It is considered lucky to eat a mince pie on each of the 12 Days of Christmas, so, as we average about three a day, we are well and truly blessed in a festive pastry encased sweetmeat type nature and will probably be in line to win the lottery (if we did it), but on the other hand it is deemed very bad luck to refuse one, however there’s no chance of that with us!

We made sure that we made a wish when we had our first mince pie of the festive season, which was of the Mr Kipling variety proffered by Sandra during morning break on 1^st December. We ate them in silence because according to ancient mince pie law, they should always be eaten in silence …. so we always make sure that we nom inside our heads when indulging, for fear of breaking any primordial customs.

To be honest the consummation of mince pies isn’t the easiest of eating tasks when you come to think of it, you can’t even cut one with a knife without incurring some sort of wrath ……. so a splade or spoon is our cutlery implement of choice, when fingers are not deemed suitable.

And The Winner Is …… Bee

2011-12-16T19:40:00.000Z

At 7 o’clock on the dot we made our special draw for the winner of our £50’s worth of vouchers for a slap up and nomtastic meal at an Ask Italian restaurant of the winners choice.

We wrote the names of everyone who entered on a piece of paper, folded them all up and put them in our festive ITALIAN teapot of fortuitous fate and fortune …..

….. and ~~forced~~ ~~coerced~~ sent Nigel in to draw a winner!

…… he emerged several minutes later waving one of the said pieces of folded paper, saying something that sounded like “I have in my hand a piece of paper …….”

When we unravelled it we saw that the winners name(s) was “Bee and Dee” and when we checked what Bee had written, we were dead chuffed and knew we had found a deserving winner …… “Wonderful prize, would love SALMONE RUSTICO as my favourite main but very difficult to choose, and would choose the Worcester restaurant as I am going to collect an honorary degree with my family from Worcester University later in the year and it would be a lovely way to celebrate. Hugs Bee”

Congratulations Bee as soon as we have your address your vouchers plus one of our special signed photo cards from Kodak will be winging their way to you in the post ….. We look forward to being able to post a picture of you wearing your Star and Garter (or whatever you wear when you get a degree), sitting at the table with all your family nomming on your Salmone Ristico, which we all think sounds like a very romantic choice!

A Christmas Present For Darrell From The Kodak Team!

2011-12-16T00:01:00.002Z

There was a flurry of very festive excitement when Darrell received a DO NOT BEND envelope in the post ….…. we all gathered round as he tentively opened it ….

….. to reveal, exquisitely tied with ribbon, a set of cards with our picture on the front which made us gasp in astonishment! …..

Someone very clever at Kodak had used a picture from our blog, taken in the summer when Granddad Colin had sent us an abundance of his home grown cherry tomatoes and had turned into festive photo cards for us to send to our family and friends ….. it is safe to say we all welled up a little, how kind.

It was a “Thank You” from Kodak for all the help Darrell had given them when he demonstrated their Big App http://mumsmonkey.blogspot.com/2011_11_02_archive.html way back in November.

But that was not all, Lara from Kodak also sent him a £5 gift card to use in one of Kodak’s Picture Kiosks to make calendars, collages or some more cards. We all decided that after we break up for Christmas, we would go to Boots to try out one of these Kiosks and make some greetings cards, with our picture on the front to send to our blog friends on their birthday so that everyone can share in Darrell’s good fortune.

But Darrell's first job was to e-mail Lara at Kodak to say a mahhoooosive “Thank You” for his “out of the festive blue” nature type gift, which had really made all of our day. Thank you Lara xxxx

For more information about Kodak Picture Kiosks http://www.Kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=164/7959&pq-locale=en_GB