Hugh ….. Has Now Left The Castle ……

Hugh left us this morning to return to his showbiz life in Notting Hill. To be honest, it was all very, very, emotional and not really a pretty sight to behold, Nigel described it quite succinctly as a “snot fest”, consisting of much aforementioned snot, plus tears, tissues and blood shot eyes …… hence no pictures, at Hugh’s agents insistence, he said, that Hugh’s parting should be kept as a private moment!

Once we had recovered sufficiently, I felt that we needed something to occupy our minds, as I felt that there could well be further weepage in the pipeline if not carefully reined in …….. I decided, that with Hugh very much in our minds, we should perhaps give some thought to our Christmas present to him. There followed much robust debate ………..

Nigel suggested a set of fluffy, pink seat covers that he had seen in Motor World’s window and which were on special offer, a good idea, but as Hugh is usually “sent a car” or helicopter for most of his appointments, we felt that him giving them to his driver/pilot before every journey may take up too much valuable time and fiddling about.

We weren’t getting very far, what do you buy someone who has got everything and always insists that we are not to get him anything anyway …….. even though we do!!!  In the end Darrell said he was just nipping out, he’d had an idea.

He wasn’t very long as he’d only gone over to the village Tesco Express …….

…… and bought back …….. a tube of pink Smarties, totally inspired, not embarrassing expensive or pretentious ….. just something pink as it is Hugh’s very most favourite colour of choice. They could be decanted into any of his cut glass bon bon dishes, and put in any room of his house and we would know they would co-ordinate ……. and what better gift than chocolate, something to bring a nom to his heart and soul!!

Darrell, the boy dun gud!!!!

This Week ……..

This week …… in Moo Moos, our Evesham cafe bar of choice ………Darrell is mainly availing himself of a latte (with sprinkles and complimentary wafer roll) and a toasted teacake for his mid morning break!!!! What is he like????

The Online Order That Just Keeps Giving!!!!

Darrell has finally given in to Hugh’s absolutely flawless complexion ……….

……. and under the said Hugh’s supervision, threw caution to the wind, as far as his carefully saved up pennies are concerned and ordered a whole plethora of Hugh’s beauty products of choice! ……..

Well, they must work …. “I ‘ave to confess zat I ‘ave never ‘ad zee airbrushing or zee touch up on any of my pictures no? I have ‘ad zee make up artists cry zat I make zem out of work as zay can do nothing to what is zee perfection, just zee occasional dab on zee shiny nose, oui!  I am tres, tres blessed, I know, in zee ‘Ello magazine type way” 

However, it wasn’t just zee products that had both Darrell and Hugh squealing with delight when they arrived ……. it was “all zee packaging” …… large, foam type pellets that were all in beautiful candy colours ……… “Oh mon dieu at mon door, we can make zee dangly festive decorations no.  We can do zee Kirsty (Allsop)” sighed Hugh going all romantic. Helping Decopatch Iris’s bike really was a life changing moment for Hugh!!!!! “It will  just be zee toooooooooo toooooooo festive decor de rigueur, no?????

And then, Hugh realised that we probably wouldn’t have time to do anything of such a creative nature before he left to resume his showbiz lifestyle in a couple of days time ……and he welled up, he welled up quite a bit!!!! But then Darrell suggested that he could put a few of the foam pieces in a bag for Hugh to take with him ….. to thread into chains in his dressing room between scenes and then perhaps get a couple of principle dancers to help hang them up in a festive manner.  At that Hugh visibly perked up “Ahhhh Darrell, you are zee brains in zee operation no? I shall do exactly zat and when I do my ‘eart will fly back to zee Greysquirrel with you all doing zee same, no!”  

And to think,  all this started because of Hugh’s peachy skinned face, we do have a habit of going off tangent, but that’s what makes life so exciting ……. no??????!!!!!!!!!

Following On From Yesterday …..

There was MUCH twitching of curtains and excitement first thing yesterday morning, when a van pulled outside our portals, complete with three gentlemen wearing hi-viz jackets and woolly hats, carrying a very large ladder, who then proceeded to climb up onto the shop next doors roof ……

……… and attach two light festooned Christmas trees ……

OMG, Castle Greysquirrell is at the end of one of the rows of festive village Christmas lights!

This is just too exciting for words …… and the pressure really is now on Darrell to sort out our own lights, as he said he would, so that Castle Greysquirrel can truly become part of the village light spectacular ………!!!!

Castle Greysquirrel In Unison ……

It is possible that we may not be home in time to witness the “live” switching on of the village Christmas Lights Switch On, as we have other arrangements already planned  ……. although Nigel is pretty determined that we will and we shall…… by hook or by crook!!!!!

However, Darrell has been giving it some thought, musing that it would be nice to be, in some small way, part of it, in spirit if not in actual bodies (but not of a Derek Acorah spirit type nature, naturally)  ……

He “thinks” he may be able to “possibly” rig up a timer for the lights on the fir trees outside the portals of Castle Greysquirrel to go on at precisely 7.15pm to coincide with the aforementioned “switch on” ……..

Naturally Nigel, is now beside himself  at the prospect of being  “illuminatedly coordinated” ……….

I just hope Darrell knows what he is doing!!!

Nigel Returns …….. To Christmas!!!!

So, Nigel is back from Cornwall …… and in some ways he was safe and protected from “the elements” of a festive type nature where he was ….. because, I am afraid, Christmas has really started to rear its head in our village ….. therefore, I fear, trying to keep Nigel’s festive little feet firmly on the ground is going to be nigh on impossible from here on in!!

I tried my best to stop him from nipping to the shops for some bits and pieces, saying I would go later, but it was too late, he was gone …. and the first thing he saw naturally was the village Christmas Tree ……. full of untold magic

…….. then all of the new Christmas Trees perched over the shops …………

……… followed by the festively wrapped Warburton bread in the Tesco Express …..

……. and don’t even go there with their meal deal Turkey and Trimmings sandwiches!  I swear I could hear his nomming from the portals of Castle Greysquirrel!! My dream of keeping Nigel calm are now well and truly, if you pardon the expression, stuffed, like our Christmas turkey will be!! And as if that wasn’t enough ………

…… he also saw the  posters advertising the village Christmas Light Switch On …… three full days before we generally put on our festive garb, but now, thanks to this revelation Nigel says that as it must be officially Christmas in the village, his jumper will be going on on the 27th!!!

And, finally, he spotted Motor World’s window …….

……. well that, for Nigel, was it …… it looked pretty Christmassy ….

….. but had his beloved knitted nativity been set out yet?

……. the answer? Yes it had!!!!! The icing was now firmly set on Nigel’s cake, festively speaking, including all the silver balls that break your teeth!!!!

Heaven help me ……. however …….. (pause for breath), as this is more than likely our last Christmas in the village ……

……… I think I need to let Nigel embrace it all, no matter HOW exhausting!!!!

Nigel Finds A Holey Stone In Not The Usual Circumstance………

As is tradition, when any of us go on a holiday by the sea, we try to find and bring back at least one holey stone, however on this “”one” occasion Nigel, in all his great Cornish infused excitement, completely forgot when he was on the beach in Looe, and Darrell, who started said tradition, was not impressed!!!And Nigel, not wishing to face the wrath of Darrell’s disappointment  upon his homecoming decided to see if he had any other options open to him for finding a holey stone, of any description, that would pass “mustard”  ……

………. It was a long shot, but unbelievable as it seems, the answer was there in front of him, right outside Tyme Cottage. So leaving everyone in the car sat sitting twiddling their thumbs, Nigel announced that he wasn’t leaving until he found our ritual holiday talisman, a stone with a hole that went all the way through it ………

…… and as if someone was guiding him to it, he not only found one …..

……. but found another one in quick succession, talk about luck!!!!

He might sometimes fly by the seat of his pants …… but Nigel ALWAYS comes through!!!  What is he like??????

Outside Tyme Cottage

Following on from yesterday, it seems Nigel as equally taken by the surroundings of Tyme Cottage as the inside …….

….. but I have said that anything it may have, no matter HOW wonderful …

…… including the horse and two pigmy goats are not to find there way on to Nigel’s Evesham house bucket list …… ‘cos it just aint happening!!!

At the side of the cottage there is a small area of Christmas trees which Nigel is absolutely convinced leads to Narnia ……

……. it is magical indeed, however not magical enough it seems to stop Nigel from suggesting that since it was so close to the festive season, perhaps the absence of one small tree might not be noticed!

We had to have a few robust words I am afraid, and I have told him that, in no uncertain terms, was he was, categorically, not to return home with a purloined Christmas tree surreptitiously strapped on the top of the car, or he would face untold consequences!!!

But, with a indomitable spirit that can never to be put down for long, Nigel then came out with ….. that as Cornwall was steeped in deep and mysterious myths, legends and folklore, he thinks he may have stumbled upon a sacrificial alter in a copse, which was protected from the layman (to wit him) by a sturdy fence, I have told him that he has simply got an overactive imagination and has been watching too much Most Haunted with Darrell!!!!

There are also ponds to fish and winding lanes to explore ……

….. and places to just sit and enjoy the view,  with the farmyard cat for company , but as I said earlier …… none of which are to find their way onto Nigel’s bucket list ……..

…… and that also includes a full sized table tennis table!!!!