Oh Dear ………. A Cause For Robust Worry – Fishgate?

It has to be said that since we restarted feeding Andy’s fish this year they have been absolutely ravenous, they are up on the surface of the water waiting for us as soon as they hear our approach ……the water filled with a myriad of orange flashes and hungry mouths.But yesterday, we were greeted by quite a different scene ……. a scene of nothingness …… just murky black, very still water ….. not a single flash of aforementioned orange or any hungry mouths!  It was all very disturbing, it seemed as if every single one of them had disappeared, despite being there 12 hours ago, leaving their food floating untouched on the surface.  We just don’t know what to make of this ……….. our hearts tell us perhaps we have had a visit from a heron ……. but the nets, although a little tatty were still covering the water ….. and there was no obvious signs of disturbance …… let’s just say we are robustly worried by this turn of events!

Wrung Through The Emotional Wringer ……. Again!!!!

It has to be said that the past week has left us all a bit wide eyes and spaced out emotionally !!!!

We got back to Castle Greysquirrel on Friday afternoon utterly wrung out in a totally type way, but still with a tiny bit of energy in reserve to put up all the lovely cards we had been given …..

…….. well, it would have been the rudest thing not to have done ever!!!!

But then, just as semblance normality seemed to have returned, Nigel came in with an envelope he had found on the door mat.

We immediately recognised the writing as belonging to one of our most beloved of fans “Jan the Fan” and on opening it, knew that our wrung out wringers  were about to be wrung out some more, as the letter contained a set of tissues, each bearing one of our names!

Jan The Fan had written us a poem ……….

……… which has to be one of the romantic things that anyone has ever done for us ……………. lets just say ……..

……. we were very, very touched by this very, very moving gesture!

But now, seriously, it’s time to move on …… as one of the slides at Nigel’s last assembly said ……

…… and it’s time to now take ours …in a onwards and upwards westerly direction …..

……. and, it all starts now ……. for we our suitcases poised…… because towards the end of the week we shall be Worcester bound as guests of Hugh at his Country Pile “Le Chic-Kin Coup”, where we be sharing, for the first time, the pleasures of our televisual highlight of the year, all that is The Eurovision Song Contest …………. Happy Days!!!!!!

One More Step Along The Road ….. We Go …….

Our final day at work coincided with “Muck Up Day” ……..

……… a day of great and robust tradition when the Year 13 students run amok ……..

………… causing mayhem to a theme, before they leave to do their A Levels and then move on to their chosen universities……..  and this years said theme for mayhem was Zombies!

Let’s just say, that on such a day you take your life in your hands, just going down the corridors …….

……. but Darrell and Nigel risked it, wanting to embrace the day, even at the risk of great harm being done to their bodies and things!!!

Nigel was a little worried that the dining room had been taken over by zombies and several other entities of an unearthly type nature ……

……. and was obviously very concerned for The Cook Lady’s safety …….

……. and the fact that his normal and organised sauce rotation had been replaced by all manner of noxious substances and body parts!!!!

However The Cook Lady was safe ….. and glad that she had found Nigel amongst at the chaos ……. as she had something special for him, she had made him some of his very most favourite kitchen fudge and toffee as a leaving gift ……….

……. and she wanted to give him one last cuddle ……. before the parting of the ways …….

Not a lot was said between them, it was too raw and emotional … but sometimes you don’t need words to say how you feel.

It was then on to the hall for a final Leavers Assembly …… which Nigel also embraced (without any sign of any erm ….. wind)

There is still a little more to tell, however it’s been a looooooooooooooooooooooong week …….. but, as we all walked down the road together, away from the school for the last time Darrell spotted a white feather ………

……… and we all knew (again, without saying a word)  ………..  that someone is watching over us very carefully, as we continue on to the next stage of  life’s great adventure!!!!

More Emotion BUT Eased Slightly By A Smorgasbord Of Feastage!!!!!

All the other admin staff gathered together in our office yesterday to give Darrell, Nigel and I a small mid-morning soiree of a Bon Voyage To Evesham type nature. It was emotional ……. but there was a slight air of  romance …. with strewn balloons and a plethora of banners.

There was also a very ample sufficiency of buffet type comestibles……..

……. which helped divert some of the attention away from said emotion ….. even Nigel was distracted by a cocktail sausage or two  …….

…… the odd Pringle, a vegetarian option cheesy roll and assorted savoury coated nuts, not to mention chocolate brownies, carrot cake and chocolate chip Hob Nobs!!!

There was also a platter of melon and pineapple and several boxes of grapes in homage to our stringent and renowned 5 a day regime.

There were cards …….

…….. and presents ……… it was hard to take it all in …..

…….. and then Nigel surprised everyone by making a most wonderful speech, recounting his many happy memories of working in school and our most fortunate trips abroad, to The Czech Republic, Rome, Pompeii and Sorrento and finally Iceland…… and then thanked everyone for all their good wishes by inviting them all to stay with us to Evesham when we are eventually settled, at which point I felt the need to perhaps gag him ………. but he did do us proud!  Poor Darrell on the other hand was rendered incapable of anything, and had to have his buffet put in a Tupperware box for later when his power of swallowing finally returned!

We have one more day to go ……… I am not sure if Darrell will be able to get through it!!!!

Poor Nigel …… The Emotional Rollercoaster Of Leaving Has Begun…….

Oh dear ……… I think yesterday heralded the start of the emotional rollercoaster of our leaving. 

Alex, Nigel’s bestest friend in the Sixth Form, who has always made sure that he has been safe over the past few years, who can forget his hard hat and hi- viz vest? …… came to say goodbye and good luck! It was …… Emotional, with a capital E.  Alex had bought a card and a present, but although Nigel had opened both it was all too much for him to take in, and poor Alex, I am afraid, was left with a very, very, very damp and snotty cuff. 

Alex is leaving on the same day as us, so double the emotion really, to do her A Levels, and …….. if all goes to plan and she gets all her *A and A’s she will be going to Cambridge, one of the cleverest and most romantic universities in England to read Geography ……. we like to think that it was something to do with sharing our wonderful Icelandic adventures last year that swayed her subject of choice …… all those romantic waterfalls, geysers and volcanoes ……. ahhhhhhh the memories!!!Nigel promised with all his heart to keep in touch with Alex as he is now, he said, getting to grips with “sociable mediation”  …… he also promised to watch University Challenge every week just in case Alex was on it, answering geographical questions that could only make him go crossed eyed with wonderment!When Nigel arrived back home he was just about composed enough to show us the card Alex had written us …….

Let’s just say, we all filled up, despite Darrell’s and my robustly wanting to spare Nigel any more tears for the rest of the day at least ……

……. but when we looked at the mahoooooosive notebook Alex had also bought us to record all our further adventures ….. and found the bookplate, Nigel had missed …….

Well, that was it …… the floodgates were well and truly open ……….

The next few days are not going to be easy ……….

Thank goodness the Eurovision Song Contest is on the horizon, something for all of us to try and focus on within all this emotional!!!!!!

In His Dreams

Nigel always takes particular interest in all new posters that go up in school…..

…… and this one especially caught his eye. Now, we don’t actually have any boys in our school, only visiting ones to do A Levels …… so there really isn’t that much competition ……….

……. but Nigel he would really, really, really love to be thought of as the “fittest boy in school”, if only for a nano second before he leaves! What is he like??????

To Quote Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons ……… Oh What A Night!!!!!!!

Last night was a night to remember, filled with so MUCH laughter and …….. needless to say, a little manly emotion!  It was far more than we could ever have anticipated as hopeful genial hosts ……. plus much, much more ……

……… which all started off with an unbelievable dinosaur cake …… made by Jo,  the resident Mary Berry at work, and a present from Steph and Beccs ……

Let’s just say that Darrell was too overwrought with emotion and sobbing  to have his picture taken with it ……..

…….. and Nigel was totally hypnotised by it, but not enough not to ask if he could have the dinosaurs afterwards to “do something with” if they weren’t naturally edible!

Everyone entered into the spirit of our theme ……..

……… but we all agreed that our friend Dawn was the best in her cave …… took her about half an hour to get through the Castle’s portals and all the time everyone was totally helpless with laughter!

Our comestibles all went down very well too, our roasted faux pterodactyl was a triumph, and was reduced to its bare bones, partaken between a bap, with a sausage, stuffing, cranberry sauce and proper thick gravy …… nom, nom, nom, nom, nom!!!

There was a moment during the evening when everyone’s spirits seemed to falter ….. when the caveman and one of the dinosaurs seemed to be lost in their thoughts …… perhaps the realisation that we wouldn’t be around after next week had finally hit home ……..

……. so Darrell (now recovered from the emotion of the cake) suggested we go into the garden for a Hello Magazine type photo shoot …….

…….. and the spirits of our guests ………

…….. soared to new heights …….

……. which after a while I suggested to Darrell that perhaps we ought to go back inside, before things got too out of hand ……..

…….. and get out our Caveman’s sack of plenty, where everyone had deposited their £1 c**p present ……

……. and again much more hilarity ensued ………

……. with everyone thrilled with their gifts!!!!!!!!  It was a night that we won’t forget for a long, long time to come ……. and the photos of which we will show Baby Iris when she is old enough, probably when she is about 30!!!

As the laughter finally faded into the nigh after our last guest had gone and leaving our neighbours finally able to go to sleep ….. we made a fleeting attempt to tidy up …….

…… but decided in the end that it could all wait …… each wanting to be left with their memories of a wonderful night, with wonderful friends …… and the end of an era!!!