A Beach Almost To Ourselves At What Seems To Be The Crack Of Dawn!

Iris was up at 6 o’clock on the first day of our long weekend away …………… and we were on the beach for 9.30am!  It’s not often we have a beach to ourselves ……. but this weekend is all about Iris, and all she wanted to do is go the “seaside” to build sandcastles.

…….. hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them, and then cover them in shells and stones.……. and I have to admit Nigel has become quite the expert, though he says, he strongly suspects his arms may have stretched a little owing to all the many buckets of water he has carried up the beach to fill the moats!

Picnics are also de rigueur, with ham sandwiches and lashing and lashings of apple and blackcurrant squash.  However, Nigel had to sacrifice his bag of crisps to Iris after her Pom Bears were carried away, unopened by a very large seagull!!  After that I kept a very careful eye on Nigel, because if a seagull can lift a bag of crisps, Nigel might also look very tempting, and that idea be too terrible for words.

Although sandcastle building afforded very little rest, Nigel did have a tiny window opportunity to muse about how romantic it would be to gallop across a deserted beach (well, except for us) on horse back ……. he says he is going to put it on his bucket list.  I did suggest perhaps a donkey ride, but he just looked at me and said that though donkeys were undeniably cute, they did not cut such a said romantic swathe on a beach as a thorough thoroughbred!  What is he like?

Nous sommes arrivés sur la Cliffs De Devon.

Nigel and I, along with Iris and Lucy (Lu Lu) have arrived safely at Devon Cliffs for our first £9.50 Sun Holiday of the year, and look at the blue sky that was there to greet us ………

It may however be our last said £9.50 holiday, because Lu Lu (who is an accountant of the very highest calibre) says that after you have stumped up for all the extras, your £9.50 suddenly becomes more like a £100 holiday.

She says, perhaps next time she will investigate a website where you can book directly with a caravan owner and thus cutting out the middle man, the said The Sun!

I would describe our caravan is bijoux in its fullest sense, The Towers is bijoux …….. but 19 The Elms could be described as being on the bijouxesque side.  I expect Nigel will give you the guided tour at sometime.Bedtime will be very interesting, as will be first thing in the morning.  Iris has her own room, as does Lucy, but Nigel and I are sharing the convertible sofa in the lounge ……. let’s just say the dining table and the accompanying bonkettes banquettes have to be dismantled and stacked up against the cooker to make enough space so that our concertina bed can be released from the very bowels of caravan. Not that I am grumbling, Nigel’s constant effervescent and buoyant spirit never fails to lift my own spirits, as he said “When a man is tired of a Sun £9.50 caravan holiday, he is tired of life!”  …… I think that just about sums it up, onwards and upwards.

A Temporary Parting Of The Ways

The Eurovision Song Contest, our Televisual Highlight of the Year  is all but 5 days away, but we won’t all be together to share This Night of Nights this year as we had originally planned as we all received some tempting offers, and we all gave each other the space to do exactly what we wanted without any emotional pressure ………

So, Darrell is going to spend the weekend in London with Hugh, his best friend and mentor who lives the showbiz life and flaunts the style in Notting Hill.  Darrell is very much looking forward to seeing Hugh, although they FaceTime, all the time, none of us have actually  seen Hugh since before Christmas, and that’s far too long.  Hugh is planning on battening down the heavy, antique velvet curtains, there will be no requesting of insightful sound bites, no calls from his agent, and definitely no papping! He has arranged cocktails and canapés to be served by his man that does to anyone waiting outside his gated portals, with an impassioned plea for privacy for this one night ……. even for Hugh, everything stops for Eurovision.  Darrell said he might tweet a little during the evening, but not if it disturbs Hugh.

And Nigel and I? Well, we are off on a Sun £9.50 holiday tomorrow morning to Exmouth, we’ve been fully packed for at least two weeks now.  It’s also been far toooooooooooooooooooo long, we used to live for collecting our Sun Tokens! Lucy organised it a while back and asked if we would like to go along. We just asked if she would mind if we forwent the Bingo and cabaret on Saturday evening so that we could firmly ensconce ourselves on the convertible sofa bed to see how The Ukraine interpret and present all that is Eurovision, and then pray that Sweden win again, because no one does Eurovision like Les Swedes. In fact we think Sweden should be given it permanently to host, no matter which country wins.

So that's us all sorted ……. Happy Days!

A Very Very Kind Present From Jan The Fan

Nigel is keeping an ever watchful eye on “his” swans, but, at a discrete distance as advised …….

 

……. and all seems to be going well ……..

We just wished that the first sight to greet the baby swanlings wasn’t going to be an purple bucket!

Anyway, Darrell and Nigel had to pop up to the Post Office last night to collect a parcel as we’d had a card saying that the postman couldn’t deliver it as it  was too big for our bijoux letter box.  We couldn’t think what it was and so just assumed it was Darrell’s contact lenses, how wrong we were …………

It was a present from our dearest No.1 Fan, Jan The Fan …….. and the mysterious box contained a mahooooooosive bag of swan and duck food, so that all our visitors (of a feathered nature, naturally) can be feed properly.

It was an emotional moment, especially for Nigel, we had to give him a minute or two, before he was his usual self again and planning his next visit to “his” swans.

What can we say? Our fans are so very, very kind and the loveliest people in all the world  Thank you Jan The Fan, we LOVE you xxxxxx

The First Eurovision Semi Final of 2017

We just can’t believe yet another year has flown by, and yet, unbelievably last night we settled down on our sofa at The Towers to once more embrace Eurovision.

As you know, last year Darrell and Nigel were actually there, in real life, in for night um, in Stockholm, but this year we find ourselves, for the very first time, in Evesham watching and voting in the semi finals. Let’s just say the air was rank filled with the sweet aroma of a year of pent up anticipation.  

…… it also provided me with the atmosphere in which to test out the “romantic” picture feature on my new camera!

We weren't too sure about the “Three Amigo” hosts ….. not wishing to blow our own trumpets, but I think Darrell, Nigel and I could have done as good job, but we would have insisted on cascades of fireworks whenever we appeared as our “rider”.  Nigel wondered if our names would look as complicated to the Ukrainians as theirs did to us!

Darrell sorted out some most excellent Eurovision nibbles for when the votes were counted, verified adjudicated and confirmed and the boring acts were on ………  The votes from the Evesham Panel went to Belgium and Portugal ………. who both got through to the finals on Saturday.  We’ve now got to do it all again on Thursday, with Nigel in charge of refreshments this time …….. happy days!

A Most Romantic Whiff

Nigel has discovered and become entranced by the lilac that is currently blooming in the hedgerow along our walk up to Iris and Berties.

He says …… he is totally intoxicated by the wondrous aroma, it is, he proclaimed “…. the most romantic smell he has ever smelt ……….
……. just like he imagined the luvvvvvvvvvverly Duchess of Cambridge would smell on a Royal visit…….. what is he like?

He has hinted that he would really like to pick a little bit to “aromarate” his bedroom, (….. and disguise the whiff of his socks me thinks) ………

……. But I am a bit superstitious, I know that really old wives tales are a load of bunkum, but I ever since I was little I have always been told that bringing lilac in to the house can bring bad luck ……. I don’t want to burst Nigel’s bubble, so perhaps I think I need to griddle my lions, and risk it all …….for the sake of romance!!!!

Nothing Does It For Nigel Quite Like …….

Nigel knows that I am very partial to a latte and piece of cake as a treat at the end of the week in one of Evesham’s many cafes………

…….. but for Nigel ………

…….. nothing hits the spot better than a Moo Moos Baguette, on a Friday morning especially at the end of our first month of looking after Little Miss Iris and Young Master Bertie during the week ……… nom nom nom Nigel, you deserve it!

Nigel’s Swan Nest

I went and had a look at Nigel’s swans nest yesterday afternoon……….
I was very, very quiet, so as not to disturb them or cause any angst of a parental swan type nature.

The male swan was very attentive finding twigs and branches for the nest, and although I am not the emotional one of the three of us, it was very moving. I can see why Nigel is totally entranced, although I have had to tell him that I didn’t think camping over the fence in the tent he had for Christmas was a very good idea.  The male swan knows exactly how to protect the female and her eggs without his help,

I think he (Nigel) may have been watching too many vet and midwife type programmes of late, and is secretly fostering ambitions of delivering the chicks himself!!

There are, I think, at least four eggs in the nest, I have told Nigel that he can keep his eye on developments, but to keep at a safe distance, and let nature, take it’s course. 

Poor Nigel ……..

Poor Nigel …… after doing his civic duty on Tuesday in returning a rogue shopping trolley back to Aldi …….

…….. he says he now has a haunting Derek Acorah type feeling that all the lost lost and abandoned trolleys of Evesham are seeking him out him, wherever he may be, in the hope that he will return them from whence they came.He says he feels heavy with the burden of responsibility, musing as to whether there is  a Patron Saint of Abandoned Trolleys, because if there isn’t ….. the Pope could patronise him and make him one ……. what is he like?

Our Votes Are Cast …….

Well, yesterday we all voted for the very first time as fully established and recognised official citizens of Evesham in the council elections, I think we all felt a little overwhelmed by the significance of it all, and our journey to get there ……….!!!!

Our polling station was at the Methodist Church next to the river, which has a completely tiled downstairs for if/when it floods. It also does a “Shoppers Tea and Biscuits ….. All Welcome”  on a Tuesday, an Evesham delight we are yet to partake in, mainly because we generally shop on a Friday!

Anyway, we had to vote in front of the altar, so the eyes of the almighty were very definitely upon us, as our witness, so it was important that we all gave a good account of ourselves …….

I think poor Nigel felt it the most, not knowing whether to genuflect or simply bow his head, make his confession before he voted or simply go the whole hog and lie prostate and take Holy Orders …… the only thing he was certain of was that he wasn’t going to get enrolled as an altar boy, as he doesn’t suit broderie anglaise!?!? And … next time, could he vote in a school as he felt it would be less intimidating!

Anyway, no one can criticise us for the formation of our own personal crosses (on our ballot papers) they were perfectly executed, with no way that they could be deemed as spoilt.

Nigel’s Random Spotted Object ……

Last night, on his way back from Tom and The Lovely Laura’s, Nigel spotted ………

…… a large, lone and forlorn looking potato on the lawn of the flats just down the road.Due to the distance it was from him and his not being that bothered to look any closer, he was unable to ascertain what make/brand it was …….

He said, that to be honest, it looked quite old and, most probably, no longer had any real nutritional value! And how did it get there? Well, he hypothesised, it may have been dropped, in flight, by one of the Canada geese, who found it a little too cumbersome to carry to its nest in his beak or feet, which ever they use!  What is he like?

There’s Always A Poster For Us To Peruse Dans Evesham.

The posters we spot in the shop windows that we pass on our long walks back and forth to nursery etc. with Little Miss Iris and Young Master Bertie always help to break up the journey for us, always giving us something to ponder, muse or inspire.

Yesterday Darrell spotted a poster for a painting competition ……

…… he was tempted, but after careful consideration he announced that artistically he didn’t yet feel sufficiently knowledgeable or bonded with the Bengeworth area to “create a work of art of note”. He could take his inspiration from Moo Moo’s, as it had the historic significance of being the first café we ventured in for a sausage sandwich before we had even moved to Evesham …….

……. but he didn’t think a painting of  said sandwich, no matter how well executed in acrylic and emulsion, was what the judges would be looking for.  However, he did say that his not entering wouldn’t stop us actually going to The Fayre, especially as he knew how much Nigel had missed the village Easter Fayre and Carnival back in The Homeland this year.

He also spotted a poster for Emily’s Jams and Pickles and thought he might like find out where he could obtain a few choice jars as Hugh has invited Darrell down to London to share the Eurovision Song Contest together. Hugh is exceedingly partial to both a pickle and a chutney accompanied by a gourmet cheese and tube of Pringles for his supper, so “Emily” might be able to provide a most excellent gift for Darrell to say “Thank You” with.        https://emilysjams.co.uk/

Oh …… and for those readers who have wondered what happened after Darrell saw the poster in Mr Chills Sweet Emporium looking for a Sunday Person …… well, we all applied, with what we thought were really good resumes, but sadly none of us were called for interview. Perhaps our suggestion that we could all job share and then for staff training  it would be very beneficial, if not vital, that we sample each and every single sweet in the shop to familiarise ourselves with the products we would be selling, had them worrying about their profits ……. and our motives!

Tsk ….. Tsk

There’s a shopping trolley that’s been left just as you get to our estate …

……. and no matter how romantic the setting, it’s still not funny and it’s certainly not clever …..

If it’s still there in the next day or so I will probably persuade Nigel to do his civic duty and take it back to Aldi, it may not be theirs but at least its better off there than on the cusp of The Towers!

Nigel Thinks Ours Is Bigger ……

As I have said, Evesham is a town that likes to embrace a theme with it’s shop windows and Nigel, as you know historically, very much appreciates the embracement of a shop window display too  ……

…… and with Easter now done and dusted, some of the shops are now looking to the summer for their inspiration, which really isn’t helping me to keep Nigel calm with our own Greek Odyssey to the romantic Island of Corfu but only a month and a bit away…….

However, he did make me laugh today when he said he wanted to measure the size of the jumbo rubber ring Darrell had bought us back from The Homeland, as he reckons ours is bigger than the one Mr Chills has in their emporium window!  What is he like, if not …..erm, competitive in all matters of a rubber ring type nature!