Christmas Comes Early To The Towers

All I can say is that this morning The Towers just thronged with emotion .........

Rob, our lovely Postman, presented Darrell with a very large and totally unexpected package, but, when we saw that it was addressed to "The Boyz" we had a pretty good, Derek Acorah sort of feeling as to who it might be from ......... 

As we excitedly tore through the brown parcel paper, we were immediately greeted by a layer of bubble wrap, and through that we could see that this was a gift of a festive type nature. There was a label attached saying "Boyz ..... Open Today!!!" and we then absolutely knew that the parcel was from our very beloved No. 1 fan, Jan The Fan ....

....... and knowing Jan the Fan, we also knew that it was going to be a truly awesome gift ........

But, it was when we opened the reindeer bag that things began to get emotional ...... because inside was an Advent calendar, but not any ordinary Advent Calendar, this was a gourmet popcorn Advent calendar.

We were all so totally overwhelmed that a silence feel over The Towers as we all just gazed in awe at such a wonderful gift.

It took a while, but when we were all finally composed Darrell found the perfect place to set it up, where it could be admired, not only by us, but all our festive visitors ........

..... and then we gathered around again to muse and study a little more closely the flavours of popcorn that lay within.  

Nigel hoped that the first door would reveal "Say Cheese" - a Cheddar flavour popcorn .......

...... while Darrell said he quite fancied the Butterly Nuts, peanut butter caramel popcorn with roasted peanut pieces. As for me any flavour was bound to be lovely, but as I am very partial to a pecan, the Pecan Pie, a caramel popcorn with roasted Pecan pieces promised much.

With 1st December only one more day away we don't have long to wait until all is revealed and we promise that once we've sampled all six flavours you can be assured that we will bring you an in depth and insightful Popcorn Advent Calendar Review including the number of noms awarded to each flavour ........ well, it would be rude not to!

It's soooooooo exciting and to quote one of our most favourite of Christmas songs ....... "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ............"

THANK YOU JAN THE FAN

What's In A Name .......... The Marathon, Snickers, Marathon Debacle!!!

Now, we have to admit that we have never really understood why they changed the name from a Marathon bar to Snickers ........ to be honest we much preferred the name "Marathon", "Snickers" just sounds a little uncouth and unsavoury, especially when it rhymes with knickers!  That's just us I suppose but now the makers have gone back to calling Marathon/Snickers .... Marathons announcing that  they are  "retro editions" !!!????  Hmmmmmm

Now, it also has to be said that Marathon/Snickers/Marathons are not exactly in the top fifty of our confectioneries of choice, mainly because, although it says "get some nuts" on the Snickers packaging, there are rather too many (nuts) for our personal delectation ...... as they just seem to get caught up in the crevices of our mouths ..... and hit a nut at an awkward angle during eating and it can really spoil your confectionery enjoyment.

However, it would still be very remiss of us not to review this new development ..... and as such Nigel and Darrell were sent to town on a mission to find both a Snickers and a Retro Edition Marathon to see what all the fuss was about.

Let's just say, mission accomplished, the first thing we all noticed was that there was about 3/4 inch of empty air at the end of each wrapper giving the illusion that said bars are bigger than they actually are, other than that they tasted exactly the same ........ 

........ and still contained far too many nuts for our liking .......

........ so perhaps next time, the manufacturers think about changing the name (backwards, forwards or sideways) they should instead consider, following our recommendations, producing a Marathon/Snickers/Marathon bar proclaiming it to be the "new less nuttier type edition" ...... then we might be talking a whole different ball game!!!

Darrell's In The Mood For A Little Festive Cleaning

It has to be said that Darrell, for all his eagerness to start putting up all his festive frou frou, will not so much as pick up a single bauble until he has top and bottomed the whole of The Towers within an inch of its life...... 

..... and to that end he will not hear of using anything other than his (and Mrs Hinch's) beloved Pink Stuff .......

..... whether it be in cream, spray or paste form .........

........ no area of the Towers, no matter how small, will go unscrubbed or unwiped.

Not wishing to shirk my responsibilities in this cleaning fervour, I have volunteered myself and Nigel,  to "do" the oven and if Pink Stuff did an oven cleaner I am sure Darrell would have presented me with some.

However I am as not daft as I am cabbage looking,  I nipped to Savers and got us one of those boil in the bag type oven cleaners ........ there'll be no putting down of newspapers and getting down on our hands and knees to scrape and scrub for hours on end to accommodate our festive bird if I can help it!

Curlywurlies v Curlywurly Squirlies

Curlywurlies may not be at the top of our confectionery of choice list, but, we still like to keep up with confectionery trends. 

Our "problem" with said Curlywurlies is that they are almost impossible to eat with any sort of finesse without leaving a trail of chocolate bits everywhere. There is nothing worse than standing up after a chomping sess as Nigel calls a night on the confectionery, to see a cascade of chocolate pieces fall from your clothes on to the floor or find melted clumps on your clothes some time afterwards that clung on unnoticed  ......... and don't get me started on melted bits on the sofa!  Once Darrell, as a treat, decided to put a couple in the freezer for our delectation ....... that my friends turned out to be the ultimate chocolate nightmare scenario!

However, when we saw that Cadbury had bought out Curlywurly Squirlies it would have been very remiss and rude of us not to try them out. Nigel's first observation was that they looked like little chocolate worms/snakes, ideal for scary but tasty Halloween treats ........

....... but the biggest bonus was that they are small enough to pop in your mouth and enjoy in one go, well, except perhaps for Nigel, but he was well up for giving it a jolly good try in order to prevent any more melted chocolate catastrophes, bless him. So, it looks like the occasional Curlywurly Squirlie may make the occasion appearance on The Towers sofa, but I think I would still prefer it if Nigel, as a precaution, sits on a towel while he eats them ......... just in case!!!!!! 

Darrell Starts His Festive Scheming

Darrell's copy of his much awaited for Christmas edition of Country Living finally arrived yesterday morning.

Let's just say he pored over it for hours ...... I did attempt to initiate some sort of conversation with him, admittedly totally unconnected to said magazine, but in the end I gave up because it was obvious that he was in a world of his own!!

There was much hmmmmmming however .......

...... and the making of copious and what looked like very detailed notes, some underlined several  times with gusto.

His tape measure was also pulled out from time to time and regarded very seriously, accompanied by several painful looking quizzical expressions and head rubbing.  

Then this morning....... I came into the lounge, somewhat bleary eyed, to discover that our shelves appear to have been plundered ........

......... Darrell isn't giving much away, he's just humming a lot, but from past experience I know when to say nothing, and just leave the "maestro" to get on with it.

.......however Nigel is beginning to worry about his tummy, because when Darrell is in full Laurence Llewelyn Bowen flounce flow not a lot of cooking goes gone!

B & M Bargains

Hmmmm,  I am wondering if B & M Bargains is en-trend and de rigueur enough for Darrell?

I was in there yesterday afternoon, having a mooch when I spotted a rather fetching leopard print door mat which, if he and Hugh had spotted in a posh emporium in Notting Hill, would have had them squealing in the showroom ....... I can almost hear Hugh saying now  " Ooooooooo it's just too tooooo kitsch for words, tres Bet Lynch, I adore her   ..... put it on my account!"

As for their blush, faux fur stools .........

......... and pouffes, well, what can I say? ......... Whatever tickles your fancy??!!

I have to say said "blush" or grey are not really my colours ........however the thought of getting out of bed and stepping onto one of B & M's soft faux sheepskin rugs, especially now the mornings getting colder, is really rather tempting ........I am sure I could find one that would blend into Darrell's carefully chosen decor.

What Are They Like.......?

I knew Darrell and Nigel were up to something when I found them pouring over the Internet amidst much oohing and ahhing, followed by Darrell getting his bank card and Nigel handing him some cash saying "That's for my half!"! Then, about four days later, the postman knocked on the door holding a mysterious parcel! 

It seems they have treated themselves to a Pick 'N' Mix dispenser, something they have both hankered for since "partaking" in Hugh's tres en trend, Hollywood style version at his Notting Hill pied de terre  ...... and as if to justify their considered purchase even more, they both excitedly said that they thought it would also be something really special to share with Bertie and Iris when they came over for a sleepover!  I am no arguing, as I expect I will also share in all its pleasures too!  Once unboxed and admired with loving hands, they disappeared off to town to look for suitable sugary comestibles with which to fill it ......... what are they like? You just have to love them for all their wonderful and joyous sense of fun, I'd be lost without them!

Dramatic Activity Sur La River

Well, we are happy to report that the river had gone down and is almost back to normal and that The Towers now has a very ample supply of sandbags waiting in the sidelines should there be any risk of flooding in the future, heaven forbid.

However, over the weekend there had been much activity in our communal garden and ont' river as there appeared to be some question as to the safety of the railway bridge that lies to the side of us and the back garden proved to be a most excellent vantage point for network rail from which to make their observations, we felt so proud!

Darrell found out, through a conversation via the kitchen window that it was something to do with them keeping a close watch on a gauge at the bottom of the middle pillar, and if it went over said mark it could be serious ..... and as such the bridge was closed over the weekend, therefore there were no trains to London or Worcester, thus causing chaos at the station with intermittent buses being laid on.

Then on Sunday morning the big guns were out, with the launch of a motorised dingy to face the tempest tossed torrents. Well, what can I say? We upped and ceased any housework that was going on and just stood at the window, mugs of tea and coffee in hand, watching the proceedings.

Darrell reckoned that they had some sort of complicated sonic laser radar device fitted to the back of the boat and were using it to detect any "invisible, to the human eye, cracks in the bridge or signs of any rampant water absorption in the bricks" 

Needless to say it was all very dramatic, but was probably too serious to be regarded as romantic ...... even though the dingy did perform some quite exhilarating tight turns with resultant spray and bow waves.

I am afraid we were all so gripped that the washing up, vacumming, dusting and laundry was left to be done another day.

However, all must have boded well, because about twenty four hours later the trains were running again.

........ Life, as we know it on the river, was slowly becoming more run of the mill again ...... and for that were were thankful.

Hard Shoes To Fill

Yesterday Nigel "found" a pair of the most ginormous shoes he had ever seen, he says the pictures really don't do their size any justice at all, they were absolutely mahooooooooosive!

Young Nigel quickly suspected that this was not your typical Cinderella type scenario, largely because there was a pair of them and not just one. 

His second  impression was that said shoes, despite their size, appeared to be those best suited/styled to that of a female type lady ..... 

....... which lead him to further ponder, but not wishing to appear rude, just how big said lady who had discarded, lost, left them, actually was!  A fabled Evesham Giantess perhaps?

It was all very much a mystery, and one we will probably never know the answers to as the shoes had disappeared by the time Nigel passed by on his return journey, but their size was truly the stuff of legend according to the little fella.  What is he like?

Our Confectionary Of Choice For This Week ......

Although we very much appreciate the Malteser and would never ever dream of giving them up as our confectionery staple and must have, sometimes it's nice to have a bit of a change, which is why, this week we are experimenting with a mix of Lldl apple and peach rings.

It was Darrell's idea after he spotted their amply filled bags in said Lldl ...... and well, it would have been rude not to have bought one of each home for us all to try ........

Let's just say, they did disappoint ..........

...... and as Nigel pointed out so succinctly ....... as they could ".... on a technicality" be regarded as fruit ..........

.......they could legitimatley be included as part of our rigorous and robust five/six/seven/eight a day regime. What is he like?