New BEAR Apple and Pineapple Yo Yos–A Robust Review.

We have been asked by one of our many salubrious PR friends, knowing our influence,  if we would like to review the two new varieties of BEAR Yo Yos – namely Apple and Pineapple for her ………

…….. which is not only very, very exciting but also a great honour, because the packs she sent us are pre-production, which means we could be among the first people in the world to nom try them!

We have digested the blurb robustly and though hard to believe, a single Apple or Pineapple BEAR Yo Yo counts as one of your five-a-day, a regime, which as you know,  we pride ourselves on following rigorously.

They are made with 100% pure fruit and absolutely nothing else, which means that they are fat free and packed with fibre thus preventing a grumbly gut half way through an intensive rush photocopying and laminating team meeting!

On first impression, if we are honest, they do look like something Ant and Dec would give you in a bush tucker trial …. ……. but they really are nomtastic; the flavours are so “full on” and you can really tell that nothing extra has been added.

My favourite flavour of choice was the apple, which I liked to unwind slowly, tearing off little pieces to nibble at my leisure in a gentile manner

….. however both Darrell and Nigel liked to unwind their Yo Yos fully and then suck them up like a piece of spaghetti, rather uncouth, but then, what are they both like?!!!! Nigel very much appreciated the exotic-ness of the  pineapple flavour, while Darrell waxed lyrical about the strawberry flavour bringing to mind hot summers days (without the cream naturally)

In each pack there is also a free nature fact card which we gave Nigel to collect and help with his education …..

….. he now knows that to escape the grip of a crocodiles jaws he needs to push his thumbs into its eyeballs, thus releasing himself  instantly, not an every day occurrence in Wolverhampton admittedly, but forewarned is forearmed! (unless the said crocodile has bitten off your arms already!!)

Nigel has also shown an unhealthy obsessional interest in the Yo Yos packaging which appears to show a bear attired only in what seems to be a fig leaf …..

Oh Olivia …… what have you started?  Nigel now wants to forgo wearing his pants …… and assume an on trend, carefully positioned piece of foliage to accommodate and cover his accouterments ……….he says that it will make his “bits” feel “100% natural” …..  good grief, saints alive and heaven help us!!!

Fruit nibbles RRP 69p (30g) 100% softly baked fruit with no added nonsense. Under 100 calories and 1 of your 5 a day

Yo-Yo’s RRP 49p (20g pack) / Multipack RRP 2.29 (5 x 20g bags) 100% fruit rolls for kids –1 of your 5 a day with 75 animal family cards to collect inside. Available in Strawberry, Peach, Raspberry, Blueberry and now NEW pineapple and apple

Current BEAR stockists: Grrrreat Stores, nationwide! Asda, Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Ocado Tesco, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, Somerfield, Wilkinsons, Wholefoods, Planet Organic, and lots of small chains & independents

For more information have a look at the BEAR website: http://www.nibbles.co.uk/ - we couldn’t get Nigel off it,

Let Darrell Explain ……. Totes!

Mr D asks in comments ….. “Please explain "totes" as this says umbrellas and bags to me.

Darrell explains ……..  “Mr D ….. you got to get down with the slang, “totes” means totally ….. !!  You can sound even cooler when you add another shortened word to the “totes” like “totes amaz” – totally amazing, or “totes presh” totally precious! Our new temporary boss Lucy …… who is totes adorbs  (and, did we mention, worked on Doctors for the BBC) has taught us how to speak totes proper!!

And in America they even have a “Totes” cereal …… we are now writing to Kellogg's to see when we can get it here ……. choco rocks and shortbread, topped with raisins and squidgy marshmallows …… totes nom, nom, nom !!!

11A’s Charity Event

Last week, one of my favourite classes, 11A, had a charity event to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. 

There were posters akimbo all over the school advising us to bring in all our spare change as they were going to attempt to make the hospital’s balloon logo out of coins on the hall floor, how exciting!

Naturally, I wanted to be part of it all and robustly searched all my pockets (plus Darrell’s and Nigel’s) and Andy’s spare change pot in the kitchen, for as many coins as I could muster.

Positioning my coins was a precision operation!!

The girls had also made some very lovely friendship bracelets and since mine had worn out, it was an ideal opportunity to acquire a new one…….

But there was too much choice, and I am afraid quite a bank of anxious young ladies built up behind me all fearful that they might not be able to purchase one.

So in the end I told the young ladies running the stall that if there were any left over they could bring one to me in Resources, as I am sure whatever they bought me would be beautiful …… as indeed it was!

http://www.bch.org.uk/

Totes Overwhelmed!

This is our friend Charlie Beechey (above) who resides in the romantic sounding Milton Keynes, and who, out of the blue, sent us the most BRILLIANT present each.

Opening Charlie’s parcel revealed two little packages wrapped in Union Jack tissue paper, which is not only soooooo de rigueur at the moment, but, as we love the Queen so much, it is naturally our gift wrap of choice!

Inside each parcel was the loveliest monkey button

We were both totes totes overwhelmed and robustly overcome at such a wonderful present of an out of the blue type nature.

It didn’t take Darrell five minutes to find a pin so that he could wear his button as a badge, which he then kept on stroking.

With the buttons was the tiniest weeniest envelope with an equally tiny weenie letter from Charlie telling us about the badges, which his mum makes, he must be very proud.

xxx Thank you Charlie (and Mum) we LOVE them xxx, and we will be totes wearing them all the time.

If you want to see more of Charlie’s mum’s buttons have a gander at:- http://www.etsy.com/shop/SusibeesButtons?page=1

I Blame Danny Kaye!

Nigel and Darrell …….  they really are absolutely quackers …….and if I hear them hum ugly duckling again ….. I’ll go mad!!

……. As I go with a quack and a waddle and a quack, in a flurry of eiderdown!! …….. aghhhhhhh they’ve got me at it too now!!

Darrell’s Weekend Televisual Viewing In A Nutshell

Though we like to be “current”,  it is often impossible to post about everything that catches our attention and interest during the week ….especially of a televisual nature, but with Britain’s Got Talent back and The Voice just started ….. it would be rude not to make comment, so we decided to get Darrell to sum things up as succinctly as possible on our behalf!

The Voice ……

Darrell says “Total pants ……….. …. what was all the judges singing and dancing at the beginning all about ?? ……. Awful set, trying too hard and too much red, looked like the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise in a Porn Film  …….. very much liked Jessie J’s hair ….. goooorgeous, but will not be watching again”

Britain’s Got Talent

Pairing David Walliams up with Simon Cowell was inspired and genius! David will bring out the softer side of Simon, in fact I suspect Simon is in under David’s thrall already ……

And as for Jonathan and Charlotte …… they have got our vote already, I have to agree with Simon that Charlotte could hold Jonathan back as she is not quite a Sarah Brightman,  but with a bit of extra coaching they could do well.  When Jonathan sang his first note it was a chills down the spine moment. What a voice!! WE LOVE HIM!!

Park Your Yarn–Wolverhampton

Well, we managed to get a few knitted strips done ready for our visit to Park Your Yarn,  but we needed a LOT of help as there was more to it than we first anticipated

Yesterday, Wolverhampton was bathed in the most glorious sunshine, so when we got to St. Peter’s Gardens we found that we were sitting under a tent without any sides ….. and there were custard creams on the table as well as wool, knitting needles and hooks!

Everyone was very friendly ……… and one lovely lady called Mandy even recognised us ……  we were totes amaz and overwhelmed when she asked if she could have her picture taken with us …… we felt very famous! We know this is a common occurrence for our friend Hugh  who lives in Notting Hill living the showbiz dream, but this was a totes new phenomena for us.

As we have only just unravelled the mysteries of the knitting needle we were dubious as to whether we would get the hang of the crochet hook, but where I was all fingers and thumbs and just got all knotted, it seems that Darrell was something of a natural and he whipped up a square under Mandy’s supervision, just like that!!! 

Even my antics whilst helping to wind some balls of wool couldn’t distract him from the task at hand, he proved to be a most diligent and able student of the woolly arts.

So much so that he declined an aforementioned custard cream, because he said that he didn’t want his work to become all crumby and tainted, now that was a first …… what is he like??

Anyway, we have done our very small “bit” and can’t wait to go to the park again to see all the benches and steps covered with the strips and squares everyone has made and we are sooooooo proud to be part of it.

On our way home Darrell asked if we could just nip into the wool shop as he said that wanted to peruse some patterns …… he announced that he has dreams of making a reindeer sweater for himself for Christmas ….. and if he starts now it could be ready by 1st December ….. !!  Good Lord, what new monster has been unleashed on our lives now?

Spring Hath Sprung And Poetry Doth Filleth Our Hearts …… Robustly

Darrell and Nigel were wandering lonely as a pair of clouds …….that float on high o'er vales and hills and the school grounds,  when all at once they saw a crowd ……

……. a host, of golden daffodils; beside the gym, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze …

…. for oft, when on their couch they lie, in vacant or in pensive mood, they flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude; and then my heart with pleasure fills, and dances with the daffodils…….

Hmmmmm,  not sure if Darrell sporting a daffodil behind his ear is on trend or very Gok Wan. I think  we’ll just put it down to him being momentarily in touch with his usually well hidden feminine side!

Happy Birthday To Our New Boss Lucy!

Though we miss Sandra greatly, the world of rush photocopying and laminating takes no prisoners and our work continues at a robust pace. ……. We make sure we still see her every day and in turn are gradually getting used to our new (temporary) boss Lucy, who is very lovely and used to work on “Doctors” at the BBC……..

…….. though we try to pretend that we are not at all star struck, we can’t help but hang on her every word whenever she mentions her romantic TV past!!

Anyway …. we found out that it was her birthday yesterday, so we decided to dress up her desk in festive manner …. (just like they do at the BBC, we have since learnt!!!) ……

………  we also purchased a few iced comestibles of a cake type nature to celebrate the said Lucy’s nativity …….

….. and finally left a few cards and small presents to surprise her on her arrival to show a small measure of our growing esteem and affection for her!  Needless to say, she was very touched and had go to blow her nose in the copier room ….. then it was nom akimbo when she opened her cakes, upon which we feasted greatly for the rest of our shift!  xxxx Happy Birthday Lucy xxxx