A Heartfelt Nom Nom Nom ….. Tinged With A Little Disappointment.

Following on from todays earlier and as I was at a loose end, I decided to take myself off to Flavours and avail myself of a scoop or two of their Easter Egg Gelato, purely for the purposes of research to check it was up to Darrell and Nigel’s exacting gelato standards before they in turn availed themselves!

However, disappointment was to be my companion as I entered the parlour and gazed longingly into the ice cream cabinet …….. it was obvious that they had been very busy ……. but alas, there was not one single dollop of  Easter Egg gelato to be had. 

My heart was slightly heavy ……….but after a little errring and ummming I was in no way disappointed with my two scoop pistachio and salted caramel tub, nom, nom, nom!  I refrained from a flake and sprinkles, as I prefer my gelato unadorned, unlike Darrell and  Nigel who have everything!

I also cannot find fault with Flavours pot of tea for one, as I managed to squeeze two and a half cups of tea from mine, with milk to spare.  I cannot abide stinginess as far as tea for one milk is concerned,  as I do like my tea milky.

Though disappointed in one way, I suppose the upshot of this visit is that I will just have to keep popping in until the much mentioned and aforesaid Easter Egg Gelato is in!!!

We Really Need To …….

We really, really, really need to wander up to Flavours at the top of town in the next day or two …….

…….because their World Famous Easter Egg Gelato is back in town  ……. …….. and it would look most rude not to review it, several times over!

Another One of Nigel’s Finds ……….

Out for a mooch yesterday afternoon, Nigel happened upon, of all things, a hamster (or similar small creatures) cage!

For Nigel the streets of Evesham have truly been paved with gold, back in the homeland, Nigel may have found the odd glove or coin or two, but never the delights of a most resplendent, yet sadly abandoned hamster cage, with, no doubt, stories to tell.

It also had all the accruements for fine hamster living, but as our flat’s one hundred plus page agreement clearly states, in bold, italic, underlined CAPITAL letters  “STRICTLY NO PETS”, tempting as it was, Nigel knew that this find would have to stay exactly where he had found it, ……for someone else to stumble upon………….….. but not before just trying it out for size and seeing what it would be like to be incarcerated and then heroically escape!

He also decided to avail himself of the plastic hamster that lay within, as he didn’t think that having a plastic hamster would contravene any of our “must be” adhered to leasehold rules!  Sometimes, I just wish the said streets of Evesham were not so paved in gold, as I fear what else could  be discovered and actually find it’s way home!

Our Happy Saturday With The PE Lady And Chris From Finance.

On  Saturday we had the most wonderful reunion with the PE Lady and Chris from Finance from our infamous days working at the “Girls School”.  It has to be said that it was emotional, so much so that we were a very remiss in our photo taking!  However, we hope we were excellent hosts ……

…… serving mid morning  tea upon their arrival and Aldi All Butter Scones with fresh strawberries and clotted cream, followed by taking them on a full and robust conducted  tour of Evesham’s finest charity emporiums, at their request.

Let’s just say they were very impressed and several considered purchases were made.

However, poor Darrell had to avert his eyes at one conjuncture of the excursion when the PE Lady pointed out the diversity in the size of certain ladies accoutrements (all new and unworn I hasten to add) in Oxfam. Poor Darrell is very much an avowed a stranger to such ladies “things”!

But, there was also a very unexpected bonus to the afternoon, as they walked past a bustling betting office, Chris from Finance mentioned that she would have liked to put a bet on The Grand National, but didn’t know how to.  Well ….. it turned out that the PE Lady is something of an aficionado and led the party into William Hill’s.

……. and showed Darrell how to make a £1 each way wager on Cocktails at Dawn, something we didn’t think we would have the time for due to our busy schedule …… Chris from Finance had a bet on number nine, but we can’t remember it’s name.

Darrell emerged jubilant, “with” he said “….. feeling in his waters!”

Sadly, on getting home and quickly turning on the tele, the aforementioned Cocktails at Dawn fell at the first.  However on the MUCH brighter side The PE Lady had backed One For Arthur, the winner, so much celebration, embracing, jumping up and down and tears at the finish for everyone. 

The visit was over all too soon …….. but not before an obligatory round of non alcoholic riverside cocktails in a jar with a guest interloper.  A very happy happy day for everyone with much reminiscing and catching up of news ……. the first of many, we hope, with our old friends now we are settled.

Rivals In Love

Nigel has a rival for Iris’s affections …….

……. it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I have told Nigel that Elmo is only a toy ………

A Change Of Tradition …..

Today is Grand National Day. Back in The Homeland we’ve  usually had a little flutter as we had someone who always would ask if we would like them to put a bet on for us, or there was a sweepstake we could join at work …… but this year …….. well, we will be far too busy and excited to even give it more than a second thought because ………

…….. the PE Lady and The Finance Lady from the days when we used to go to work, are coming to visit us. It will be an emotional reunion, as we haven’t seen The PE Lady for over a year, although the Finance Lady visited us last autumn half term.

We have a packed itinerary planned, including, at their request, a full and robust tour of the charity shops of Evesham followed by afternoon tea at an establishment of our choosing, and then, in the evening, if it is warm enough, Darrell is planning on taking the deckchairs down to the fishing platform at the bottom of the bank for Riverside Cocktails and Avonesque nibbles ……. what is he like?

Hmmmm, there is a horse called “Cocktails at Dawn” running in the aforementioned Grand National, perhaps ……. it is a spooky omen that we should have a “subliminal” wager.

Happy Days!

An Influx Of Ducks

The weather has been a tad unpredictable of late, it hasn’t really been safe to venture out without taking an umbrella or cagoule……..

…… and Nigel has noticed another phenomena infiltrating our estate

…….. roaming ducks!
Nigel’s theory is that it has got a little too wet, even for said ducks, down by the river ……

…… and they are seeking sanctuary in warmer, more sheltered climes ……however, I have to say, that I am not too sure about the trail of left over French stick that he has laid that runs to the front door of The Towers.

A Film For Lucy?

The Regal Cinema is offering Hidden Figures for this weeks cinema goers delectation ……….

Nigel was wondering if this sort of film would appeal to Lucy, especially as part of her job, as well as counting pigs and milk tankers, is to go through her clients accounts with a fine tooth comb (or sometimes even nit comb), checking that all the numbers add up to the penny and nothing nefarious has been hidden within!

Furry Waters?

Nigel is very curious about a sign he passes every time he goes to collect Iris from Nursery…………. without a dog (we are not allowed one at The Towers) it will probably remain forever a mystery to him, but spa type establishment for canine creatures does sound such a very romantic idea.  Poor Nigel‘s mind has been a whirr of questions,  wondering how long the pool is, does it have a shallow and a deep end, does it have diving boards,  ….. do dogs just float and chill on a variety of inflatables, rings, dolphins, killer whales, turtles or do they pound up and down in roped aisles doing lengths wearing goggles ……. and, do they have to go through the footbath before going in the water? 

Nigel Does The Cotswold Wildlife Park

While Darrell has been going up,down and everywhere with Lucy looking for high end materials for the upcoming renovations of Maison De La Lu, Nigel decided to take himself off to The Cotswold Wildlife Park, wallpaper and paint not particularly being Nigel’s sort of thing.

He says it was brilliant!  Never had he been able to get so close to a real life giraffe. He was there for feeding time, and though he was desperate to help feed them, the keeper in charge thought that Nigel’s diminutive size may be a bit of a health and safely issue and so suggested that Nigel might best watch said feeding from a distance, from behind the safety barrier, as giraffes tongues, he added can be very long, probing and agile.

There were also rhinos free to graze the manor house lawns …….

……. the obligatory sleeping lions …… sleeping …..

…….. and tapirs doing what tapirs do most!

There were regional pigs native pigs to Oxford ……

……. wallowing in thick, stinky mud, which made Nigel smile because when Lucy goes auditing, one of her jobs is to count pigs, she says you have to concentrate on their noses, and avoid moving too much!

There were penguins ……..

…… and meerkats …….

…… and even weird and wonderful hibernating banana trees.

But Nigel’s very favourite of all was the man who diligently picked up every single piece of poo in camel enclosure ……

…… but then went and gave all the camels a great big cuddle …….……. and then they proceeded to follow him round as if to say that they wouldn’t mind having another one!  Nigel said “It was very moving” and had Darrell been there he would have undoubtedly shed a tear! What a romantic job …… the camel cuddling more so that the poo picking, but nonetheless still romantic in its own way!

http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/

A Perfect Job For Nigel?

Nigel was in town mooching and is often his want, he likes to spend time reading the cards that are often put up in shop windows.

It’s seems an awful long time since his days of sauce rotation at the Girls School, and he still misses it a little bit …….

……. but though he occasionally hankers after sorting the odd sachet of tomatoes sauce or vinegar,  he had to admit that the prospect of feeding and lambing sheep sounded a far more romantic occupation ……. and wondered,  though without any real experience of sheeps and lambing, whether never missing the omnibus edition of The Archers on a Sunday morning might count if he phoned with his resume!     

April Fools Day 2017

Look what Darrell found on the internet ……..

……. only Invisibility Juice! I have to admit to being sceptical when it first arrived, but IT REALLY, REALLY WORKS!!!  How brilliant is that?

Most people would just think that this was a picture of three empty coffee mugs sat sitting on the table ……. but it’s really us behind the mugs, having just finished our morning coffee …… Darrell is on the left, I am on the right and Nigel is in the middle!

This is not just an unmade bed …… but, if you just squint a bit, it’s me having some peace and quiet, chilling and catching up with a podcast of Sunday’s Archers Omnibus which because we were very busy, I missed.And this …….. is us all watching tele, Nigel has the remote control and Darrell is proffering the TV chocolates!  This is almost as much fun as Christmas, although as we can’t see ourselves either, we have been doing quite a bit of bumping into each other.  Which explains this gratuitous picture of Darrell just getting into  the shower …….. oooooops!

We are not too sure how long the invisibility will last, but we vouch safe  that we won’t use our cloak of anonymity to any nefarious ends, Darrell’s prime find is just for our fun only, and what goes on in The Towers, stays in The Towers!  Happy Days!