Nigel’s First Festive Find …….

With Darrell currently flouncy round The Towers in full festive décor mode, what did Nigel stumble across on the school run to make his little heart go pitter patter?  Only the most perfect fire surround of his yuletide dreams!  

Obviously, a bijoux flat such as ours  doesn’t have a chimney, something, at this time of year, since we left The Homeland, Nigel  has missed greatly, but with Darrell’s, flair for design, he could surely create a facsimile of the perfect fireside scene, that the little fella could almost imagine Father Christmas coming down, couldn’t he? Nigel could already see it in situ under the mirror in our lounge area.

Let’s just say, after several pictures were taken and long, beseeching texts exchanged between the two of them, Darrell sadly had to let Nigel down as gently as he could. It was indeed a wonderful idea and yes, he too could see it in his designer’s minds eye, but what would we do with it afterwards, there isn’t a single inch in The Towers left for any sort of storage, as Mr D is oft to point out!

Oh well, he thought, he’d tried, The Towers would still look every bit as magical under Darrell’s expert watch …….. and Santa’s Magic Key would once again be carefully put in Nigel’s “secret place” for the big man himself to find on the night  …… so still ……… happy decorative days!

Not Totally Unexpected

Several of our followers  have been wondering and concerned  about Nigel and the state of his adopted “vegetable patch” outside the Europa Supermarket along the school run.

So, I don’t think it will come as any great shock to you, when I say that “his” tiny tomatoes ………….. didn’t make it!

The plant itself is properly dead, all brown and shrivelled, with not a jot of life left in it  ……..

…… and, as such, the brave and courageous fledgling tomatoes have also gone to the great compost heap in the sky.

Fortunately, the little fella has been very philosophical about it all. December, he says, is a month of hope and the portal to a new year. The patch will continue it’s circle of life, where “Hope springs forth all paternal eternal.”. He’ll just have to be a lot more diligent in keeping his eyes on all it’s wonders and rescue anything  he thinks might be in danger!  What on earth is he like?

Quincessentially …….. ????

Aside from haunting us with images and articles on hedgehogs, our local, free magazine often gives us much thought to ponder and muse and this months November issue, it has to be said, is no exception.  

As we are on the very cusp of the festive season, having your ears cleaned out and perhaps even tested isn’t such a bad idea, with all that socialising etc., you really don’t want to be cupping your ear and saying pardon every five minutes, do you?

As for pest control, well, I can’t say I’ve noticed many wasps Chez Towers of late and we love our squirrels (Boris and Carrie) in the garden …….

…… but both Darrell and I are expecting plenty of the usual seasonal pester power from young Nigel when we’re all out and about and lusting over potentially wonderful things!

As for pondering phobias, well, that’s really Darrell’s area of expertise, I’ve just highlighted it for him to read at his leisure ………

….. along with the article on quinces ………

….. however, I can’t say that the word bulbous and knobbly actually spell out yumminess to me, thank you very much. I have to admit, I had all sorts of weird pictures running through in my mind as I was reading the post,  that I think I would really rather keep to myself to be honest!

Darrell wasn’t that impressed either, he said he thought knowing what a quince was and how to cook it was all rather pretentious, even Hugh his best friend and mentor of all things ….. erm …. knobbly and bulbous, who has dined all over the world, with stars so famous it would be indiscrete to name them, not to mention royalty, wouldn’t thank you for one poached, stuffed or for that matter pureed and assured me that they won’t be appearing on our festive menu this year either. What is he like?

Bird of the Month was the redwing …… sadly I don’t think we’ve ever seen one on our bird feeder, but now we know what it  looks like, you never know.

However, the monthly quiz was duly cut out and put in a safe place, along with the answers, just in case there is a lull in the festivities over Christmas week and an activity required  ……… and, trust us, when the special December edition of said magazine drops on our mat …….. you’ll be the first we’ll share it’s undoubtedly festive contents with.  Happy days!

They’re Here, They’re There, They’re Flipping Everywhere……..

Oh my goodness, can you imagine the slight furore that rippled through The Towers  when our free copy of The Vale magazine landed on our communal door mat ……..

…… as there was only another flipping hedgehog on the cover! Darrell has convinced himself that there is something very spooky afoot and all these hedgehog sightings have to be some sort of subliminal message, aimed at us, all we have to do is just decipher what they mean!

That being said, looking at the pictures at close quarters ……..

…… I feel we have done the local graffiti artists (?) a slight disservice in our critic of their interpretive skills, as it seems these much mentioned creatures (the hedgehogs not the artists) have a noticeably longer proboscis than we had imagined and the paintings we’ve seen are therefore more accurate than we first gave them credit for!

What are we all like?

The Calm Before The Storm?

It’s been a very fleeting few days in Poole for Lu and Nigel, but they’ve certainly collected enough sand between their toes …….

…… and taken in an ample sufficiency of invigorating sea air and views to, hopefully, carry them over to next year.

Yesterday, after perusing the odd charity and gift shop in town, flask in hand, they embraced a chilly but bright Boscombe beach from a perfectly positioned bench.

It was, Nigel said, totally blissful, as they sat in companionable silence, lost in the lapping of the waves, disturbed only by the odd squawk of a hungry seagull, wondering where all people with chips had gone, it now being out of season…….

….. as they reflected on the coming few weeks, when once December hit, they knew that they would hit the ground running.

Then, saving the best till last, they spent an hour or two at Sandbanks, with a cafe (sadly closed for their visit) so posh that they serve goujons instead of chicken nuggets, quiche in a basket and fish finger wraps in the summer.

The beach, Nigel tells me, has the most beautiful, soft, golden sand that it would put any Caribbean island to shame ……..

…… but perhaps it’s not the place to find a holey stone or piece of sea glass as Darrell had requested, if, Nigel happened to spot one or tuther,  however the little fella did manage to find some very lovely shells instead.

Then there was the stunning view over to The Needles on the Isle of Wight. In the ebbing sunlight it was all too wonderful for words ……

…… the memories of which will hopefully help keep them sane in all the Christmas brouhaha to follow on their imminent return to “real life”.

The Biggest B M Bargains in The World!

Oh my goodness, with Nigel’s latest report on his few days away with Lu in Poole, poor Darrell is beyond green with jealousy …… in fact, he’s a rather unflattering shade bright purple at the moment  …….

…… because Nigel and Lu have only been and perused the many aisles and shelves of the biggest B&M store in the whole wide world.

Nigel says it’s totally beyond mahoooooooooooooooooosive ………

………. as it’s even bigger than a proper, real life football pitch by 1,500 square feet and he is genuinely devastated that Darrell couldn’t have been with them to share in the experience …….

……. but he promised that he’d embraced it all, including it’s many Managers Specials, enough for the both of them!

Being on the very cusp of the festive season …….

……Nigel says the shelves were almost buckling under from the weight of ……

……….. the wearable, wouldn’t we look soooooo stinking cute as the cosy crew on Christmas Eve?

The seasonally practical ……….

…….with Nigel picking up a new  “gravy boot” for Darrell’s festive table.

As well as the comestible ………

…….. the necessary …… and the down right ordinary.

It was, he said “quite an extraordinary experience, on a scale almost to great to take in” …… on the shopping scale of things ……..

……. however, knowing how devastated Darrell would have been to have missed it, Lu has promised that next year Darrell will be invited to join their annual Poole adventure too, including B&M.

Happy, if a long way off at the moment days, but much for dear old Darrell to drool/dream about in the meantime.