Nigel Finds – A Designer Leather Sofa

Nigel found a rather imposing leather sofa on the school run yesterday.

When describing it to Darrell, Nigel said he thought it might have been retro, possibly verging on the antique, but Darrell said that it sounded more, all be it slightly outdated, like a design of an Italian design type nature and quite possibly still available to purchase today ……

……. but Nigel’s “find” had obviously fallen victim to the rigours of prolonged and robust usage, judging from the additional strategically placed duct tape.

Nigel could see that it wasn’t Darrell’s style at all, far to heavy and clunky for his more refined tastes, however, Nigel noted that the storage drawers underneath would come in very useful for storing assorted televisual treats (i.e Maltesers, Revels, Galaxy Counters  etc.) saving the viewer from having to go into the kitchen to replenish supplies.  What is he like?

New Knoppers Nut Bar

What better way to spend an afternoon than by sampling one of Darrell’s latest supermarket finds ………

…… I mean, who doesn’t appreciate “milk chocolate with layers of wafer, smooth caramel, milk creme, soft nougat and chopped hazelnuts”?  Well, it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?

Let’s just say that the anticipation of a Masterchef final type nature that thronged The Towers as Darrell unwrapped the first bar was almost too much to bare/bear. They promised much, but would they deliver?

Oh my goodness, the totally anonymous unanimous decision from “the judging panel” was that they most certainly did …….. ok, sooooooo the chocolate covering wasn’t exactly Cadbury, but that’s being very picky ……..

……. the combined combination of all our most favourite components in a chocolate bar was a taste sensation that yielded and evoked the feeling of comfort, satisfaction and total and abiding nomicity!

I think you might gather that they were a stupendous success and Darrell dun brilliantly gud, so we felt that they were indeed worthy of a proper, chocker Knopper score of 6 layers of wonderfulness out of 6 on our world famous Richter Scale of Noms.

Thank goodness Darrell had the foresight to purchase  a job lot of three Knoppers because one was never going to be enough!

A New Spring Tide Tradition For The Towers?

Nigel had noticed two red and white ties hung in the trees, by the steps, on the way down to the river …….

To be honest, at first he paid them very little attention, but then he and Darrell looked up their meaning online after talking to one of our neighbours in the other block.

It turns out that they are Mărțișor, an old Romanian tradition celebrated all over Romania every year on March 1st. so we are just a bit late there. Mărțișor is a diminutive of March. It is believed that a person who wears the red and white string will enjoy a prosperous and healthy year and in the countryside, people used to celebrate the Martisor by hanging a red and white string on their gate, window, cattle's horn or shed to protect against evil spirits and to invoke nature's regenerative power.

In olden days, Mărțișor were made of small river pebbles, coloured white and red, strung on a thread and worn around the neck (a bit like Darrell’s seaside holey stones). They were worn, to bring good luck and good weather from March 1 until the first trees bloom. When the first trees were flowering the Mărțișor were hung on tree branches.

If we remember, Darrell has noted it in his diary, we are going to hang up a few Mărțișor of our own in the garden next year, because as you know we really love a tradition at The Towers and this one in particular as it appeals to our romantic souls, what are we like?

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder?

All through meltdown Darrell and I often found ourselves reminiscing about our very favourite chai latte of choice, partaken (pre Covid) when we are in town and want to spoil ourselves.

Well, yesterday Darrell found himself in the right place, at the right time and decided to break his Covid duck and indulge himself in said latte.

As he stood at the counter he couldn’t help but notice that the lady started to prepare a drink in a glass, this is when Darrell started to have reservations being a creature of habit and hoped that this was perhaps an exotic drink for another customer. He didn’t say anything, but found himself a table outside and waited for his drink to be bought to him.

However, the glass was indeed for him and not the large comforting cup and saucer of yore, but did it taste just as wonderful as both he and I had reminisced about?  Sadly no, chai latte should, in Darrell’s eyes be sipped slowly and indulgently, in the glass it seemed to cool quickly ……. and it tasted different.

He finished it, but said he won’t be returning for another chai latte at least ……. but all is not lost as Coffee #1 also in town do a very nice chai latte too, so next time either of us has a whim and a fancy while out, we will sample one of theirs instead and should it not to be up to our exacting standards then we must consider that it’s not “them” but us, after almost twelve months of enforced abstinence perhaps it’s our taste buds that have gone a bit haywire!  We will, naturally, keep you informed.

A Creeped Out Nigel

Poor Nigel, he’s had one or two spooky moments while looking in the window of the Georgian House emporium, so much so that he now feels compelled to avoid it at all costs.  What is he like?

There’s a manikin stood standing, rather ominously in the corner, according to Nigel, dressed as goodness knows what, in a shabby dinner jacket and bow tie, devoid of a shirt, let alone a vest but wearing one of those photograph of a famous person type nature masks …….

…….. except he/we don’t have a clue who the famous person is supposed to be.

All Nigel knows is that its “totally” creeping him out and until said person is identified to his satisfaction he’s going to have to avoid using that part of town, even if it means  zig zag crossing the road to avoid it and the gaze of those eyes.

All suggestions gratefully received as a creeped out Nigel is never a good thing ……… or questions will have to be asked in Parliament!

Farewell Old Friend

This morning Darrell went to pay homage and bid a fond farewell to the Aldi up the road, which is sadly closing at the end of the week. It was emotional.

It has seen us through three meltdowns, with Darrell visiting once a week, on a Thursday, for our essential shop.

Thanks to Aldi and of course Darrell, we have all remained nutritionally balanced for nigh on a year, our rigorous five a day  regime has not faltered and was the main reason for Darrell’s weekly visits, as he is rather fussy about his fresh produce ……

………. preferring to see it in the flesh as it were, however due to Covid he had to restrain and curtail all contact of a  feeling or squeezing type nature.

However, that being said, on this final visit he was tempted and indeed succumbed to the considered purchase of an iced finger or six!

We have lost the Co-Op and now Aldi, which were both within easy walking distance of The Towers, it looks like Darrell will be upping his steps in the future …….. to either Iceland, Tesco or Waitrose …….. He says he’s considering getting himself a natty little shopping trolley, because, as a monkey, his arms are long enough, he doesn’t need them to stretch any longer having to carry his shopping any further!  What is he like?

The Ice Cream Man Cometh

With the weather getting a little warmer and sunnier comes the arrival of the Ice Cream Man outside the school gates on the school run.

Well, it would be rude not to avail of his services ………

……… however, as Nigel is largely responsible for said school run it goes without saying that he has laid down the law and announced that any joining of the queue is strictly on a once a week, special treat type basis, usually on a Thursday, as a reward after Iris’s weekly spelling test …….

……. with a budget of no more than £2 each and the obligatory please and thank you’s while being served.

The usual go to is the time honoured Mr Whippy 99 with no sauce, thank you very much ………

……. and Nigel, on drip duty with wet wipes on hand.

Nigel, you may have noticed refrains from such pleasures, tempting though a double Skittles Knickerbocker Glory is, he says he can’t lick and concentrate when in charge of two small children, especially on some of the busy roads, though sorely tempted ……. however, if he ever sees said ice cream man and he (Nigel) is on his own, he says he won’t be holding back then!  What is he like?

Poor Darrell …… Lost and Now Found!

You might remember poor Darrell being flummoxed and not a little crestfallen when he couldn’t find his special little wooden festive tranklements anywhere when he was putting his Easter twig tree together? Believe me he would have taken the whole of The Towers apart if I hadn’t put my foot down.

Well …… he finally found them, (all be it too late), in the drawer he thought he had put them in, but, at sometime had decided to put them in a box within the drawer to save on space.  He said he’d looked in the drawer a hundred times, but not in the box, because he was absolutely certain that it only contained glass baubles, put away to be “creative” with at another time!  DOH!!!

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, I think, in the end, he did both …….

Now comes the conundrum, Easter 2022 is obviously almost a year away but with our Covid cancelled 2021 Butlins Easter break rebooked, like for like, for next year it could well be Easter 2023 before Darrell will need said tranklements again …………. after two years will he remember where they are or will we have to go through this whole palaver again??? Ohhhhhhhhh Darrell!

School Run Find …….

In some ways lockdown has been very good for Nigel’s “finds”, with people, because all the charity shops are closed, leaving their unwanted “treasures” in a bag or a box in front of their houses for others to have a mooch through. Nigel says it all goes to give the school run a frission of unexpectability in never knowing what the pavements might yield up!

And yesterday was one such adventure, with Nigel, Iris and Bertie, collectively now known as The Nibsters, stumbling upon a wonderful box of books ……….

Nigel, for some obscure reason thought I might appreciate The Works of Pam Ayres …….. so I’ll just leave that one there, without further comment  ………

…….. but Iris was completely captivated by her chosen book of Spike Milligan poems for children, Nigel said her little giggles as she read it made his heart soar.

Bertie found a little book, a diary of a doctor’s experiences while working in a hospital over Christmas (????), he liked reading all the dates and there were some lovely little drawings of festive garlands inbetween the entries which Bertie also really liked, he is a funny little thing.

Nigel said it took quite a bit longer to get home that evening, with the two little bookworms insisting on stopping at each of the tree stumps they usually like to jump off and on from for a little sit and read ……… they looked so cute ………… and there was no way a doting Uncle Nigel was going to say no, bless him.

Belgian Buns ……… From Aldi

Well …….. who doesn’t enjoy a cheeky Belgian Bun of an afternoon, when I am home alone ……..

…….. Nigel is on the school run and Darrell has nipped to the library ……….

……. this is my guilty pleasure ……

……… made all the more wonderful surrounded by peace, quiet and calm and a bit of The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency on Radio 4, bliss!

Non Essential Shops Now Open ……

Well, I have to say, Darrell has been absolutely brilliant throughout this last meltdown, doing all our essential shopping in Aldi and Iceland ……….

…….  but yesterday, with said meltdown easing and all non essential shops open he decided to treat himself to a little non essential retail therapy in the charity shops of Evesham.

He said town was pretty busy, all the cafe’s and pubs had open air seating outside and there seemed to be a buzz of excitement all around, It’s hard to believe that we’ve been more or less shut in since just before Christmas and now, relatively free once more, we’re already a quarter of the way through the year!

And did he return home triumphant?  You bet his cute little cotton socks he did …….

…….. in making the considered purchase of  ……. I’m not really quite sure how to describe it, a rustic animal knit, embellished with a fox/mouse/badger (???) it’s hard to say what, on the front, with a lovely cable stitch feature running down the arms……….

…… for the princely sum of 99p from the Extracare shop.  He really thinks he looks pretty special in it and it’s something he’ll definitely be packing when we can all finally and legally go over to see Hugh, his best friend and mentor in all things Haute Couture and a la mode, at Le Chicken Coup for our annual Eurovision Song Contest get together (last year accepting),  our televisual and cultural highlight of the year later in May.  He’s one happy bunny …….. welcome to the new normal and (fingers crossed) freedom!