Welcome Home A Sad But Happy Wanderer …..

The inevitable had to happen, time had flown by so unbelievably fast but alas it was time for Darrell to leave the romance of Hugh’s Notting Hill show biz life and London behind.

They decided that rather than embarrass themselves with an emotional and tearful farewell at Euston Station they would have one last Vimto and Umbongo together and then Darrell would leave, on his own, and without looking back, begin his journey home …..

But then Darrell decided, a trifle foolishly, to put Dido’s  “Thank You” on the jukebox …. to try to put how he was feeling into words …..

“And I want to thank you for giving me
The best days of my life
Ohh, just to be with you is having
The best days of my life”

….. but unfortunately it completely dissolved  his and Hugh’s robust resolve to keep stiff upper lips, what are they like?

However, by the time Darrell arrived back at Chateau Castle Greyskull he had composed himself and bounded in bearing many wonderful gifts from Hugh……..

…….. a mahoooooosive bar of chocolate for us to share ….. with Hugh’s tag line “Big Love” on …

….. a Big Love notebook for each of us,  for writing copious notes ….. Nigel said he was going to fill his with his musings and questioning questions.

…… And a lovely, lovely Marmite cutlery set which we will all fight to use in the mornings!Darrell also had a set of postcards and a huge poster from his artist friend John Lee Bird, which will be framed and put in pride of place on one of The Chateau’s walls when we find some suitable frames.

It was so lovely to have Darrell back in our bosom, he had had such a fabulous time …. we could see in his eyes that he was missing Hugh and London, but was putting a brave face on for us ….. but hopefully in the New Year he would be able to go and visit him again …… And then he showed us something that he said was soooooo de rigueur in London this season ……………

…… reclining in an elegant and leisurely type nature ……!!

Darrell Learns To Recline Dans Le London Style ……

Hugh has a vast collection of objets d’art and as Darrell’s mind is like a rampant wet sponge ready to absorb all things “Living the London Life”  he has been a most eager and attentive student for Hugh to pass on the finer points of discernment and the appreciation of refined good taste …..

....... He has also shown Darrell how to recline in an elegant yet leisurely type manner which is all de rigueur in London at the moment,  mainly due to the vast array of cushions London people like to have on their sofas ….

At first Darrell’s elegance was in question ….
…. but then he got the hang of it …. oh Hugh what have you done …….?

Chargers Aplenty

Darrell has been thoroughly spoilt by Hugh, and though tres, tres showbiz Hugh does everything of a domestic nature himself, he says it’s very important for him to stay grounded……..

……no detail, no matter how small  has been overlooked …. from the very romantic flowers in Darrell’s room …blood red gerbera and white roses …..….. to Darrell’s morning “amuse bouche”,  a mahooosive charger piled high with fruits de la monde,  served to him in bed before rising.Hugh had obviously remembered our vigorous 5 a day routine and Darrell was totally overwhelmed but still managed to tuck in robustly. I just hope Darrell doesn’t get a taste for this sort of high life when he comes home,  I certainly won’t be presenting him with a fully loaded charger every morning.

And as for Darrell’s breakfast ….

…… prepared with great care in Hugh’s very well equipped fairy light strewn kitchen ….. scrambled egg of quail served sur le muffin and once again presented on a gold charger, which Hugh informed Darrell so so so  de rigueur in London this season.

…. …….. again I just hope Darrell doesn’t get a taste for quails eggs  now, because I’m afraid it will be very much Weetabix on the hoof as per usual once we are all back at work.

For those eagled eyed and muffin curious amongst you, who perhaps wondered what happened to the remaining half of one of Darrell’s muffins that didn’t have scrambled egg on it, Hugh served it, cut in two and spread with limited edition Marmite Gold ….. nom, nom, nom, it’s sooooooo ALL in the detail with Hugh! Buon Appetito Darrell!

Darrell Visits Jamie Oliver’s Recipease in Notting Hill … Amongst Other Places

Darrell’s next considered stop off in London, curtsey of Hugh’s fully loaded Oyster Card was Jamie Oliver’s Recipease in Notting Hill (almost in Hughes backyard).  He said his visit was tinged with a little guilt as he knew how much I would love to visit there myself, now that I am a fully fledged Food Technician ….

You can actually learn to cook in the middle of the shop with one of Jamie’s kitchen pros, how brilliant is that? While Darrell was there they were cooking wonderful breads with all sorts of exotic bits lobed in. Darrell said the smell and atmosphere was sooooo robustly romantic in a very London type way.

He also said that perhaps when we are next in London we could book a class for ourselves ….. and then we could “bish bosh, job done” just like Jamie and if Jamie was in residence on the day we visited I could perhaps show him one of my cupcakes.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipease/new shop in Notting Hill

It was all rush when Darrell got back to Hughes gaff, just time for a quick shower and secret splash of Hughes extensive wardrobe of fragrance and it was off for tea at  Hughes Thai Restaurant of choice – Thai Rice in Portobello Road ……

Darrell was in seventh heaven watching Notting Hill fully embracing the spirit of Halloween …. what would Julia Roberts have made of it all with her infectious laughter he wondered?

Hugh suggested they ordered a whole plethora of starters and share as everything was just “too darling” and told Darrell that he could use a knife and fork rather than chopsticks as he wanted Darrell to actually taste the food rather than having most of it finding its way down Darrell’s on trend stripy jumper.

For mains Darrell selected Yum Ped Krob which was  aromatic crispy duck with a spicy salad. It would have been nice to show you a picture of them enjoying their meal but Darrell said that when the food arrived there was some serious chowing going on, accompanied by much nom nomming, and no one wanted to break off to take any pictures, what are they like?

And then to round off the evening Hugh asked Darrell if he fancied partaking in a small nightcap at his local, the very ambient Uxbridge Arms …..  …….  where Hugh introduced Darrell to the very fragrant Landlady who welcomed him to her hostelry and made him feel very special.

Darrell decided there and then that if he lived in Notting Hill that this would be his local too and if they ever made a sequel to Notting Hill he would write a fan letter to Julia Roberts and recommend that she go and have a pint there too! Pubtastic!

Darrell’s Does The Gherkin

Hugh had some important smoozing of a showbiz type nature to attend to, so he gave Darrell a fully loaded Oyster Card and told him to be “a free spirit on the underground and go hither and thither embracing London in all it’s plenitude”…. adding that he would meet up with him at the end of the day when they would go to a “darling Thai” he frequented on the Portobello Road

Being given the freedom of the city of London was almost too much for Darrell to bear, before he had always had someone to accompany him but now he was a free agent to wander at will….

….. So his first port of call was Liverpool Street Station …. an odd choice admittedly, but ….. Darrell’s places to land on and buy of choice when we play our annual game of Monopoly at Christmas are the stations …. which is also why when he saw this sign pointing to Fenchurch Street Station he couldn’t resist asking a passing American tourist if he would mind taking his picture in front of it! What is he like?

Darrell decided that his next port of call had to be the Gherkin …. as he said “It would be a thrill to see an iconic building that always features at the beginning of The Apprentice, in real life!” 

It did not disappoint ….. although he said he didn’t think he could eat a whole one !!!!!!!

And …he didn’t really didn’t expect to find that there was a newsagents at the bottom of it!

Darrell decided that as it was all too wonderful he really ought to linger a while to drink in the romance of being in the heart of London’s financial centre ….

… and so availed himself of a “gourmet coffee”, secretly hoping that if he stayed there long enough he might be fortunate enough to see Sir Lord Alan Sugar nippinig into the aforementioned newsagents for his newspaper, a packet of polo mints and perhaps a packet of biscuits to take back to his office  …..

….. but after three hours of stalking of hopeful waiting there was no sign of Sir Lord Alan … so Darrell decided to move on ….

…. heading back to Notting Hill to visit Jamie Oliver’s new shop …. to be continued …..

http://www.30stmaryaxe.com/

Notting Hill Bound

Darrell had been sooooooo excited about going to see Hugh, our best friend, who lives the showbiz life in Notting Hill again, it’s all he has been talking about for ages ….

And yes …. although we (and probably you too) had all prayed …. hoped  ….. thought that it might have disappeared, like most of Darrell’s other daft fazes, …… the “hair” was back! Darrell insisted it was all de rigueur amongst the Notting Hill Set and he didn’t want to look blatantly like the someone who had just stepped of the train from Wolverhampton! What is he like?

So after much hugging and fond farewells …. Darrell caught the 13.45 Virgin Train to London and once settled, availed himself of the hospitality of the buffet carriage by indulging in the decadence of a latte and Twix combo.

When Darrell finally arrived at Notting Hill he said that his heart was pounding ….. Notting Hill has always been one of his most favourite films of a romantic type genre ….. in his head he could hear Ronan Keating singing “You Say It Best….” and with his (faux) floppy hair Darrell felt he could almost have been Hugh Grant ……

Hugh (our best friend, not Hugh Grant), was there to meet him, he looked great and smelt great too …… which wasn't suprising because Darrell couldn’t believe the number of bottles of Jean Paul Gaultier perfume that were lined up on the shelves in Hugh’s salle de bain …. and he(Dareell) later admitted to hiding his own bottle of Avon Wilderness in the bottom of his wash bag!

Hugh, as always, was a most excellent host ….providing nibbles and “drinkie poos”, before the most exquisite supper of chicken, posh mash, assorted garlic roast vegetables including the most romantic stuffed munchkin he had ever seen, let alone tasted ….. it was 5 a day heaven ……

….. and Darrell vouched safe there and then that next time he did our Tesco online shop munchkins would be the first thing in his trolley!

After a little showbiz gossip where Hugh revealed which seemingly extremely slim celebrity was too fat to fit her specially made costumes ….. Darrell had to admit to his fatigue and retired to Hugh’s guest boudoir …………. again it was almost too heady and romantic for an ordinary Confidential Document Shredder Operative like Darrell to bear …..  his bed was deep and inviting,  with rich satin sheets and many, sumptuous cushions, all plumped to an inch of their lives …… Darrell felt very blessed in a Hello Magazine type way, he was living a little of Hugh’s dream.

Darrell Makes A Present For John Lee Bird

Darrell was still reeling with the magnitude of being included in a work of art by the artist John Lee Bird.  Knowing that famous people would give their eye teeth to be drawn or painted by Mr Bird, but who are more often as not turned down …. was very humbling for Darrell, who though very special to us, is just an ordinary Monkey from Wolverhampton.

So before Darrell went of to London he decided that it would only be good manners to say  a mahooooooosive “Thank You” to Mr Bird.  He racked his brains as to what would be a suitable gift for a famous artist and then after looking at the aforementioned Mr Bird’s Facebook page Darrell had an Ulrika moment when he discovered that Mr Bird has a beloved pet ferret ……

Darrell copied and printed out the ferret pictures he found, got out his Badge It and made a unique set of badges.

I have never seen Darrell so wrapped up in a task …..

….  and they turned out really, really well. I have to admit to becoming a little  very emotional by all the thought Darrell had put into them.

He also made Mr Bird a special set of badges with our pictures on, (perhaps if Mr Saatchi sees him wearing them, he might make discrete enquiries as to where he obtained them, possibly seeing their potential as a unique seller in his discerning Gallery shop!)

Darrell put as much work into wrapping up his presents as he had making the badges ….. and then packed them into his suitcase to take to London ….. just in case he bumped into a friend of Mr Bird who could pass them on to him …. I also took the liberty of putting some paper bags in Darrell’s case just in case the occasion gets the better of him and he starts to hyperventilate! Happy Holidays Darrell!

To Quote Samuel Johnson ……..

“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect” ……. Hmmm, I’d just say that Darrell was just plain nosey myself!

Nowt So Queer As Folk ….

There’s a skeleton works down the Science Lab swears he’s Elvis .......

What’s he like??!!!!!!