Elvis Is Alive And Well …….

There’s a bloke ……..

……. up The Regal ………

…….. says …….

……. he’s Elvis!  What are we like?

It’s A No From Darrell Then ……

As you know, Darrell takes a very keen interest in all things of an interior decor type nature, having been tutored by the master, his best friend and mentor, Hugh, darling and doyen of each years, must have, statement piece and the oracle of all that is the eclectic scatter cushion.

However, yesterday while out mooching Darrell, for once, didn’t feel the desperate need to call Hugh for one of their zoom consultations when he spotted these very large (and not originally cheap) canvases displayed in prominent position in Evesham’s’ Salvation Army Shop.

Now, much as Heinz ketchup and baked beans are both the much loved and oft consumed staples of the The Towers kitchen cupboard, Darrell instinctively knew that there was no way I would ever countenance their artistic presence on our walls, be it in the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, lounge or hall

He didn’t even bother to look at what they were asking for them, that’s my boy! I’m also just sooooooooo grateful that it was Darrell who found them first, had it been Nigel, I strongly suspect either Darrell or I would be marching him back to said Salvation Army Shop and politely requesting a refund on the grounds of ……..erm, not being, to quote Hugh, “aesthetically suitable”!

An Appetite Than Holds No Bounds ……..

For a little fella, Nigel has an appetite and zest for food that seems to knows no bounds!

He was in town yesterday morning and at around lunch time was feeling a trifle peckish, so as he was just passing Tequila and Lime, he thought it might look rude not to pop in and treat himself to a small snackette from their dessert menu to tide him over ‘till he got home.

His dessert of choice…… after much consideration was a “Boom”, a prize confection consisting of a freshly made crepe, topped with Kinder Bueno pieces, warm chocolate sauce, white chocolate and caramel drizzle ……

……… followed by a Churros chaser with chocolate dip!

I don’t think anyone would ever dare to accuse Nigel of having eyes bigger than his belly, as he sunk the lot and then tucked into an ample slice of Darrell’s most excellent steak and ale pie, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots with a full bodied gravy for his tea, although, I have to say, he did decline the offering of a pudding, saying that bananas and custard with chocolate buttons on top might possibly be chocolate overload after his petit sojourn! What on earth is he like?

How VERY VERY VERY Dare They!

With our next Greek Odyssey all booked back in the summer of 2022, and our Co-Op travel insurance also in the can, the next logical step was to double check our passports, which were all found to have a mere six months left on the clock. Time to renew, but who would have thought that said relatively simple bureaucratic task would turn out to be quite such a traumatic experience for poor Darrell. 

We decided, for the first time to embrace technology and apply for our new passports online and take the required photos ourselves. Big, big mistake, as it quickly became apparent that the  photo verification on the GOV.UK website was not only unforgiving but also very exacting.

At first both Nigel and my pictures came out as “fair”, but after a couple more tries they finally got the all clear “good”,  which meant that we could then move on to complete our applications.

But poor Darrell, with his exacting personal standards of appearance, started off in the “poor” department, followed by goodness only knows many attempts in “fair”, desperately trying to “up” himself to “good”  …… before eventually hitting the spot, by which time he was, to be honest, beyond tears, leaving me, ably assisted by Nigel, to finish the rest of his application, while he went to lie down in a darkened room for several hours until he felt ready to face the world again. 

Next time, he declared wearily, we’ll simply all trot off to the booth in the Post Office and send off whichever is our best photo, without fear of judgement!  He’s really taken his afternoon of constant “rejection” very, very much to heart and personally. What is he like?

An Almost Impossibly Romantic Outfit.

Now and again, but not very often, Nigel feels the want to be not quite as diminutive in stature as he is…..

….. and yesterday was one of those such occasions when his eyes fell upon a  full Highland dress assemblage in the window of the charity shop on the corner of our road.

He has spoken of nothing else since he returned home. He was totally enthralled by everything about it, including the wonders of the kilt sock ribbons (??) and cuff links and a kilt pin in a real life, satin lined, presentation box.

He’s been overflowing with the thought of how splendid it must be to be garbed in a rufty tufty, lace up Jacobian shirt, where he’d probably feel like a real life lord of the laird, fair pulsating to toss any cable caber that dared to cross his path …… oh my life!

Not to mention the freedom a kilt would afford his never nether regions, though perhaps not on a windy day! And then, ……there was the sporran, oh how he’d swing it robustly with wanton and gay abandon! It was all the stuff of dreams.The little fella was, to be honest, completely overwhelmed by the adventure and romance of it all.

Thank goodness said shop was closed (problems with the till I believe), otherwise I fear we could very well be searching for a very able seamstress who is up the the task of making all the necessary alterations on a spur of the moment and not at all considered purchase!  What is he like?

Oh No ……. It’s Tooooooo Late!

How on earth do you hide something that is …….

…… impossibly unmissable and more worryingly, unattended but fortunately keyless …….. innocently sat sitting there with all those enticing buttons begging to be pressed ……..

…… at the top of the our estate, just waiting for Nigel!

Unfortunately, it could not be done, because within seconds of Darrell spotting it and hurriedly making his worried way home, he passed Nigel on the opposite side of the road ……heading straight for it!

The inevitable was invertible, with Nigel totally entranced, and wondering what each and every glorious button could/would do …….

……. and what the view would be like from that magnificent basket!  Heaven help us all!

Gong Hei Fat Choy

Happy Chinese New Year 2023, The Year of the Rabbit, which this year fell yesterday on January 22nd ………

…….. and what better way to celebrate but a la River Avon, our utmost Evesham Chinese restaurant of choice …….

…….. which certainly did not disappoint, the menu having almost been ransacked by our table!

It did, admittedly, get a touch emotional towards the end of the night ………

……. but, if I am perfectly honest, that was down to Nigel’s trouser belt having to be quite significantly loosened, due to all the dishes he availed himself of and not wishing to ask for a “doggy bag” less it look rude on such an auspicious evening, instead he made it his mission to ensure that all the dishes on the table were almost, if not quite licked clean! What on earth is he like ….. other than a still rather full, but exceedingly happy bunny!  Happy Chinese New Year.

Trying To Eleviate The Boredom

Please forgive the below par quality of the pictures below  …….. poor Nigel was fighting to take selfies in the midst of a particularly cruel, wintery storm, including thunder and lightening …… and what follows are the best of a very bad bunch, bless him!

So, to alleviate some of the monotonous, plodding boredom of getting to school to listen to his beloved readers followed by the school run Nigel has taken to studying the names of some of the houses along the route …… they are an odd mix, of which he is  presently looking for a common denominator, Mr D, font of all obscure knowledge?????

So far he’s educated himself on the life of St Rene https://www.jesuits.global/saint-blessed/saint-rene-goupil/

…… and Belgrano, the ship, the town in Conwy and the city in Buenos Aires. Both names already having a familiar ring to them ………

……. but Pelistry? What sort of name is that? To the untutored, such as the little fella,  it sounded like some sort of weird off shoot of chemistry or even Palmistry? The study of Peli’s?

However, not wishing to been found “wanting” of an intellectual type nature, once Nigel got home he was soon Googling and it turns out that Pelistry is a particularly lovely bay near St Mary’s on the romantic Isles of Scilly!

Photo from - https://www.simplyscilly.co.uk/things-to-do/pelistry-p1154163/

……. with images that were a far cry from the tempest tossed gale Nigel had found himself in the middle of a few hours earlier, but at least the situation had its positive side as he’d once more increased his learning …….  you just gotta love him and his constant musings!

Love At First Bite!

Oh my life, I think my life may have changed forever of a personal confectionary discovery type nature………

…… because, yesterday, a little late to the table I know ……….

…….. I decided to treat myself to, until then, the unplummeted delights of the giant chocolate button while Nigel was on the school run and Darrell out mooching.

I don’t know about said buttons being giant, I would say they are nearer to being absolutely, blooming mahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooosive.

These, I have to admit, did not even get to the sharing stage …….. and I think I may be a little in love!  What am I like?

The Taste Of Memories …….

The days may be growing a few minutes longer each day, there’s still just a little light left at teatime and although the sun pops out when it can, the trees are bare, the sky often grey, there’s still a nip in the air  ………

…….. and the warmth and sunshine of our next Greek Odyssey on such a day feels a million, trillion, zillion miles away.

So, thank goodness for Darrell and his always looking ahead, saying thathe knew there’d be days like these tugging at our souls …….

……. which is why, when we were in Elounda last year he’d secreted a packet of Greek sweeties in his suitcase and then kept them hidden away in the cupboard for such a time when our said droopy winter spirits needed buoying.

What can I say …….. it was emotional, very emotional from the very first suck ……..

…… each of us transported and then lost in all our wonderful memories of our beloved, beloved, beloved Greek Isles

That boy “dun gud” with his furtive putting away, what can I say, except what would we do without him and roll on June 2023.