Romance Abounds ……..

Although we have what could be said to be an historic hostelry across the road from Castle Greysquirrel ……

……. most, if not all, of it’s said historic charms have been removed by a series of renovations over the years, so although they serve a very acceptable sizzling platter, it fails to deliver in the romantic stakes!!!

So, when Hugh’s “Man That Does” suggested we might like to avail ourselves of his local ……..

…….. well, it would have been rude to refuse!

All I can say is OMG …………………..

It was almost tooooooooooooooooo impossibly romantic ……..

……. if that’s possible?

There wasn’t an inch of corporate about it…… “It is, ‘ow you say, it’s own self, no?” as Hugh would say.  This was how it had been for years and years and years, completely untouched …… and it even smelt like a proper old pub, musty, beery and old………… for Darrell it was emotional!

If this was our local, we would surely have had our rufty tufty tankards hung up over the bar, waiting for our next visit.  It was the sort of hostelry where we wouldn’t ask for our normal pints of Vimto, we would have a proper pint of manly ale and a bag of plain crisps and pay in old money, as befitting the ambience!

….. And the beauty of it all was that we had it all to ourselves, on a gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon which made us all feel very special and honoured ……

……. life doesn’t get any better than this!

Darrel Spots A Most Desirable Bathroom Trend …….

During our time as guests at Hugh’s country pile, Chateau De Chic-Kin Coup, Darrell was been intently studying all of the decor with minute interest …..

……. taking careful note of any potential en-trend ideas for when we  eventually move to Evesham, full time, one day.

It is patently obvious that dolphins are “all the de-rigueur” at Hugh’s especially in the downstairs salle de bain and Darrell is pretty sure that Hugh’s are solid gold, even down to the screws  ………. as he has also been talking to Hugh’s “Man That Does”!

Well, solid gold dolphins are definitely out of our financial reach I am afraid, I don’t think we could manage and aforementioned screw …….. and Hugh, well, he has soooooooo many of them (dolphins and screws)!!!!!However, Darrell’s aspirations are not to be discouraged …… “If this is the trend and we decide to augment it in Evesham, we might not be able to have “zee” solid gold …… but, there are ways and means ….. and EBay, no?!” he mused, as he scribbled something in his “Things What Are On Trend” notebook which he always carries around with him!! What is he like?

Unfamiliar Comestibles Of A Pate Type Nature.

Hugh said that we must feel free to avail ourselves of anything we fancied from his extensive country pantry, saying that he thought “…. zat it was only zee very simple fayre, no?”  However, I am afraid that we would all beg to do “zee differing!!!”

Yesterday, we decided to have our tea alfresco, which seemed to be a most romantic thing to do in the middle of the country on a most glorious day …… cold meats, salad, crusty bread, a little toast  …… and then, Darrell decided to bring out some of the more unusual pates that were in Hugh’s fridge …….

Let’s just say there was a little debate, none heated as to whether we should open perhaps just one jar  ……. just to try …..

To be honest, I was not all that desperate to taste the exotic …… as I reasoned that our table was already spilling over with some of Hugh’s most choice comestibles, and what if we didn’t really like it? It would be such a waste.

Nigel said we could look upon it like a Bushtucker Trail, but both Darrell and I said that that would look very ungracious ……. so the exotic pate was put back. Perhaps when Hugh is with us, we can try them then, after all, we weren’t even sure how it should be served ….. and we could have done it’s delicacy a great disservice………

…….. so finally, we all settled for some Brussels pate, a pate we are more familiar (and comfortable) with,  and it was a very happy case of “buon appetito” …….. as we say in Wolverhampton!!!

Hugh’s Birthday Rocky Road Review

We have finally come to the end of the Castle Greysquirrel Rocky Road we made for Hugh for his birthday, let’s just say….. to be honest…..  and modest ……. we do make exceedingly good celebratory Rocky Road, but there again, we can, at times, be our own best fan club!

Hugh had taken about three quarters of the box with him back to Notting Hill, to eat, he said “…… between zee meetings” and to share some with “….. zee lady unt gentleman” who do for him in London.  “I can not believe zat you got sooooooo many packets of zee sweeties in juste one cake!” Hugh had sighed after his first chunk adding “Oow, oow, oow …..sacre bleu ……..c’est très très magnifique, and ‘ow you say nom diddy nom nom no?”

We had licked the bowl, so we knew how good it was ………..

…… the combination of everything we put in was a triumph, from the Maltesters, Milky Bar Buttons, and Toffee Crisp Pieces to the mahooooosive bag of mini marshmallows, Cadbury Chocolate Fingers and crushed up  “moo cow biscuits” (malted milk).A cake, not for the faint hearted or calorie conscious, to be eaten with a modicum of moderation and restraint …… but of which, we believe, is entirely worthy of a self awarded 500 million and one noms on our expanding Richter Scale of homemade noms!!!!!

We Embrace The Worcestershire Country Life!

Hugh had asked his “man that does” to freshen up the garden a little ….. as he thought that there were a few spaces that might benefit from a little filling …..

Now to us, the garden looks absolutely wonderful……

But, Hugh is a bit of a perfectionist ……

……. and his “man that does”, who generally does not question Hugh’s requests, confided in us that he strongly suspected that Hugh was entertaining Simone Cowelllllllle in a few weeks time…..

……. and Hugh wanted to impress!

And fortuitously, as it happened, Hugh’s “man that does” knew of a plant sale in the local community hall “in that there yonder village…..” and wondered if we would like to go along with him.

Now, what we know about plants, you can write on the back of a postage stamp, but who were we not to embrace a rural village occasion ….. and armed with the boxes Hugh’s “man that does” gave us, we joined the very long queue outside the aforementioned local community hall in “yonder that there village”.

As it turned out, it was most wonderfully exciting to mingle amongst real country folk, amid their friendly enthusiastic jostling to get to the most popular plants first ….. it was like a countrified version of the first day of Harrods sale

Hugh’s “man that does”, being a very experienced gardener knew exactly what he was looking for ……. and made some very considered purchases ……. but  suggested if we didn’t mind looking at another local place, famed for it’s plants, as there were still a couple of things he needed to make Hugh’s garden “Look just grand”

How Hugh’s “man that does” could choose a couple of plants from this mahooooooosive field of plants we just don’t know, but he did!

And so as not to appear to be total gardening philistines, we decided to ask him what he would suggest for the summer in Castle Greysquirrel’s garden….. he immediately suggested some Jacobaea maritima or Dusty Miller, an old-fashioned bedding plant, long known, he said, for its tolerance of neglect …… of which we immediately purchased a box of six, as it would have looked rude not to, and, in the confidence that it was the sort of plant that even we could look after!

Before we left Hugh’s “man that does” pointed out one of the most romantic trees we think we have ever seen …… a tree laden with mistletoe……and in our opinion you can’t get any more romantic than that!!!

When we got back to Chateau De Chic-Kin Coup we did offer to help Hugh’s “man that does” to plant his wares, but after scratching the top of his head he said, as tactfully as he could, that “…… perhaps not on this occasion, young gents, Mr Hugh, has a particular way that he likes things done, you know these show business types and their ways, best not aye?  But a nice cuppa tea wouldn’t go a miss if you would be so kind!”  Happy Days!!!!!

A Most Wonderful Day Out ……..

Hugh had arranged for his “Man That Does” to drop us off at The Three Counties Showground yesterday for the day, because there was a mahoooooosive flea market on, and knowing how much we love to have a jolly good mooch and rootle around  at such events and enjoy a bit of Bargain Hunt during our mid-morning televisual viewing, he thought would make a very pleasurable interlude for us ……“After all…” he said, “Zere is zee limit to ‘ow long zee chickens can entertain and amuse you no?”

We have never seen so many stalls, miles and miles of them and we were all able to mooch to almost beyond our hearts desire, Darrell and I were particularly interested in items of a furniture type nature to give us ideas of what style we might go for when we eventually move to Evesham ……. I would say that, at the moment, we definitely veer towards a late Victorian, early Edwardian with a touch of industrial chic in our tastes

Whereas Nigel was drawn to items of a novelty nature …….
…… and there was a little sulking and quivering of the bottom lip when I had to tell him that though a Sindy caravan was indeed just perfect for him, the “antique” prices were a touch prohibitive and so not quite as perfect, unless he wanted to take out a mortgage!

However …… just as I thought we might have tears, our attention was diverted by the presence of a filming camera crew …….

Well, it would have been rude not to go over and introduce ourselves wouldn’t it ……

……… and ask what they were filming ……..

OMG, they were ONLY filming Bargain Hunt ………

And the presenter Tim Wannoctt was mooching just like us …….….. and we were desperate to know what “bargain” he had secreted away in his carrier bag …… Nigel hoping against hope it wasn’t a Sindy caravan!

Whether Hugh had an inkling that filming was scheduled for that day, we don’t know ….. but it really was the icing with a cherry on the top for me and Darrell, who is now musing as to whether he too might suit a panama hat and pink dickie bow.  It wasn’t quite the icing on top for Nigel …… his thoughts were still firmly on the caravan!!!!

Air Freshener Envy?

It might all get a bit boring for our readers, but with every day that passes Le Chateau De Chic-Kin Coup continues to throw up more and more delights……. for example, we were growingly concerned by the noticeable increased frequency in Nigel’s visits to the bathroom ……. fearing that he may have picked up a country born infection of a personal type nature, but didn’t like to say ……..

……… however, it finally twigged that he had developed a strange fascination for Hugh’s motion sensitive air freshener …… every time Nigel entered the room it would immediately emit whiff of fragrance …….. even though Nigel didn’t always emit any fragrant whiffs of his own variety.  He had tried all manner of ways in which to entrance the said bathroom, and without fail a robust waft would follow, Nigel just can’t catch it out!

Needless to say, Castle Greysquirrel has now been found lacking in the air freshener department, something that Nigel is now determined to rectify upon our return!  Heaven help us …….. Hugh and his London ways has much to answer for!!!!

We Are Toooooooo Robustly Envious

Each day we are finding that Hugh's house just keeps on giving up new pleasures for us to embrace ......... and be a little jealous of !
Can you believe he has his very own letter box outside the main gate?

We are sooooooo impressed, it's something we have always aspired to! Hugh says it comes in very handy when he has answered his latest sack of  fan mail    ..... as all his "man that does" has to do is pop outside to post them!!!!!!!  What is he like?