A Message For Us All The Way From Romantic Florida

Darrell was in a complete state of flux when he checked our e-mails yesterday, as there was a very special one waiting for us, all the way from romantic and sunny Florida from our dear friend Christopher who emigrated there a couple of years ago after being very successfully adopted by our equally dear friend Dianne.

Christopher had e-mailed to wish us a Happy New Year and to thank us for his Christmas presents.

We have to say that the aforementioned romantic and sunny Florida really does suit Christopher, and Darrell was very envious of his glowing all American tan and extremely white teeth.

Christopher said that he loved all of his presents,  but he especially loved his Marmite keyring …… he said that although he had embraced the American way of life, he still had a hankering  for the spreading of Marmite on his toast in the morning, now and again …… peanut butter and jello was OK, but nothing, he said, really beats Marmite, as his savoury spread of choice! As Darrell so succinctly put it “You can take Christopher out of the UK , but you can’t take the Marmite hankering out of him!”

Christopher also included a picture of him after he had just finished the washing up on Christmas Day, showing us that the “typically English” tea towels we sent him last year were still going strong …. and were also a reminder of another great British delicacy, that he misses, bangers and mash …..  what he he like?  He is almost as fond of his tum as we are!!!  It was so lovely to hear from Christopher and we send a mahooooosive wave from across the pond to him ……. and have made a note to send him some “real” marmite comestibles in the near future to stave off his savoury pangs!

How Remiss Of Us ……..

We forgot to tell you in all the excitement of Christmas, we have now moved into our new office in the main school building after nine months in a demountables! 

I think Nigel is a little sad, because, as you know, he very much enjoyed dawdling over to us after his shift in the kitchen, his nose oft pressed against the railings watching the comings and goings of the various trucks and workmen and all the activities of a constructional type nature.  However the work is still very much on going, so I expect Nigel will soon adjust to a new dawdling routine!

 

Anyway, our office is very light and airy, but perhaps wouldn’t be considered as too romantic,  but we have settled in very quickly.  Darrell has a small cupboard to the side where his shredder has been relocated and he can also keep an eye on the paper levels in the photocopier and change the occasional toner.

Our desks and computers have also come over with us,  some people have found that some of their fixtures and fittings had been mysteriously replaced with shoddier counterparts,  but fortunately we have managed to keep hold of ours. Darrell was very relieved about this, as he had inadvertently left a half eaten pack of Hobnobs, some throat sweets and a Twix in his, which he had thought might be be lost forever!I have portfolio for bus booking, it’s a challenging role which demands both good organisational and negotiative skills ………….

…… but also reaps ample reward in the shape of several free calendars at Christmas time, including “Coaches Throughout The Months”, “Wild Animals of Great Britain” or “National Trust Properties”!  Rich plunder indeed, which can then, of course be re-gifted!!!!!

Darrell Un-Onsied ….

We are now back to work, which heralded a very  sad day for Darrell …..

……. as he had to finally extricate himself from his beloved onsie, I told him that in no uncertain terms that the powers would not allow him to wear such apparel……no matter how en trend or de rigueur it was, or that Father Christmas had left it for him.  Perhaps it might be permissible on the next  charity mufti day, but even then it might be deemed as the pushing boundaries!

There were a few robust sighs, and I think I detected a sob sniff or two, but I felt it best to ignore them.

To be honest it did need a good wash, and it isn’t as if he can’t change into it  after work and wear it all weekend, at his leisure, especially while partaking in a little languid Wolverhampton lounging. 

However, the way to work on the Banga bus, Darrell insisted on keeping his hood firmly up, a la onsie style, as he was adamant that having unfettered and cold ears after two weeks of ultimate cosiness had to be acclimatized to ……what is he like? 

Romantically Stormy Weather

Oh mon dieu, we just cannot believe the totally inclement weather we are experiencing at the moment. Darrell says it is undoubtedly down to a particularly virulent form of sun spot eruption or some other extra terrestrial influence of a very blustery and wet weather type nature.

We have taken to sitting upstairs and watching to see how long it takes for our large and very heavy ornamental palm pots to be blown over in the frequent storms. First thing in the morning Darrell puts them all upright after a squally night, and then we watch and time them.  Sometimes we even have a 5p bet on who can guess the time each one will topple!  What are we like?

The robust wind can sound strangely romantic and all Wuthering Heights when you are all snug inside, and the tempest tossed seas must be a truly wonderful sight. It’s a pity Wolverhampton is famous for being landlocked …. because it’s a vista we would truly love to see, but only from a distance, not on a pier or promenade, that would just be plain foolhardy.

And then, all of a sudden, the wind dies down, the rain stops …. and the  sun comes out, equally as romantic …. but in a kind of opposite way, sort of heart-warmingly and dreamily romantic rather than dramatically and heroically romantic!

However, we hope this weather doesn’t last for that much longer, we are back at work soon and don’t particularly relish waiting for the Banga bus in such precarious conditions!

Hey Ho, Hey Ho, It’s Back To Work We Go …

Well,  that’s the Christmas break over and done with, and we are alas preparing to go back to work …… but much as we love it, we never seem to be able to sleep properly the night before the big return ….. and then, once we are back, it’s like we’ve never been away.

So Darrell, who’s latest toy is his slow cooker, decided that to christen his new pot, he would prepare us a momentous lamb shank casserole, nom, nom, nom, for when we get back from our first day …. “Something warming, something robustly comforting and something substantially satisfying and hopefully very delicious…. all in one pot!” he declared.

“Perhaps, this time next year you’ll be a celebrity chef!” said Nigel “And cooking in your onsie will be your gimmick!  They could call it Tiger’s Cook In One!”,  which for Nigel was rather clever ……

…… what is he like?

Darrell, At One With Nature?

Darrell has hardly taken off his tiger onsie since he unwrapped it on Christmas morning …… even when we went over to the Lovely Laura’s mum and dad’s house for lunch, he was still very tightly enveloped within it ……… by which hangs a “fluffy” tail …..

Tom and The Lovely Laura have taken in a cat, a cat called Jupiter, and had bought him with them for Christmas, to stay at the said Lovely Laura’s mum and dad’s house for Christmas …… and Darrell one hearing the news was very keen to make Jupiter’s acquaintance …….

……although I am not so sure that Jupiter was as keen……..  …… on making Darrell’s acquaintance!

Darrell proclaimed that in his onsie he sort of felt at one with Jupiter ……. being two “cats” together …… goodness only know what he was going on about, too much sherry in the Lovely Laura’s mum’s trifle I suspect!  I told him, I said ….  “Darrell, wearing a tiger onsie doesn’t make one in any shape or form anything like a cat !!!!” What is he like?

However, Darrell was having none of it, wondering  if Jupiter on seeing him looking a suitably stupid feline, would feel a connection or affinity with him …..

Sometimes I absolutely despair!

Celebrity Big Brother 2014 Launch

We have been very remiss with our televisual comment of late, but did you really think we would not “be there” for the Celebrity Big Brother 2014 Launch???  We all felt a little deflated in the come down from Christmas and the New Year, but now,  with Celebrity Big Brother we are up there on a  high all over again and ready for the roller coaster ride of emotion and all that is celebrity!

…. And as such we plumped up our Castle Greysquirrel cushions a la Wolverhampton lounging, cracked  open the M & S Turkish Delight, ready to embrace all that is our guilty pleasure, Celebrity Big Brother!

So …. the celebrities are only just through the doors, however we have already formed a very considered and robust opinion on who we like and who we don’t, helped along by the litigious  showbiz insider information, provided via text,  by our (celebrity) friend Hugh, who lives the showbiz life in Notting Hill …… but our lips have to remain sealed as to what he divulged!!  However, with a line up of a Nolan, Lionel Blair and Jim Davidson, a boxer, a serial bikini wearer, a bloke who wearers his crouch round his knees, a couple of wanna be’s, and Americans we have never heard of plus an Apprentice runner up who we detested all the way through the last series, is all a bit like our Turkish Delight ……. full of (eastern) promise!!!!!!!

A Very Smart Start To The New Year For Nigel

Although Nigel has loved wearing his Christmas Tree jumper,  it wasn’t the easiest of festive apparel for him to wear, bless him, it was rather long and he was quite prone to tripping over the hem….

…. and to be honest seeing a small mobile Christmas Tree toddling round both at work and at home has been a little disconcerting!

So there was robust excitement when Nigel decided to put Christmas behind him and change into one of his new outfits from our dear friends Dianne, Doug and Christopher in Florida, especially as Nigel has fancied himself in a puffa jacket for ages.

It fitted him perfectly, and I have to say that the little fella looked very, very cute in it indeed.

I had hoped that seeing Nigel looking so resplendent in more “normal” attire might persuade Darrell to perhaps divest himself of his onsie (during the daytime at least)  ….

However, he is having none of it …… There is no way he will be able to wear it once we are back at work, I fear that I shall have to cut him out of it in the dead of night!!!  I blame Father Christmas!

Celebrating Our 1st January 2014 Feeling For Just A Little Longer …..

Yesterday,after a long and luxurious lie in, we didn’t much feel like coming down from our Italian New Year Celebrations, so we decided to prolong that devil may care, reckless  party feeling for just a little longer and put together a celebratory New Year spread!

You will have no doubt noticed we availed ourselves of an ample sufficiency of red peppers and carrot battons, in the form of  crudité, as we most keen to continue to maintain our rigorous  5 a day regime into 2014  and beyond ……….

…….. but to make them a just that little bit more exciting and risqué, we served them up in our illuminated, dancing party bowls, as Darrell tells us,  is all de rigueur in London Lounging Society …… what is he like?

We are soooooo party!! However we do apologies for the "Most Haunted/Derek Acorah spirit coming through" type soundtrack to our very short but illustrative film, we had wanted "Agadoo" but something went very wrong in the mixing!!!!!!

Happy New Year Dans Le Italian Style ..... Woooo Hooooo C'est 2014!

We LOVE a party and were all therefore most honoured and tres excited to be invited to Luci, from works, Italian New Year Soiree.

OMD, the food was magnifique…..  though we were a little embarrassed to admit that we are strangers to cuisine of a particularly Italian type nature, except for the occasional tin of spaghetti hoops or a cheese and pineapple pizza ….. so antiseptic antiplaster antipasti was a most wonderful revelation, and we all tucked in and nommed with great robustity, vigour and gusto ……. well,  it would have been rude not to!

…… however, I did have to remind Darrell and Nigel several times that the breadsticks were NOT for the jousting with, what are they like?

The table was laid beautifully and at each setting there was a pot of amazing New Year treasure for us….

……. Nigel emptied his out there and then, which I am not sure is entirely de rigueur at a sophisticated Italian do …..

However, nobody seemed to notice, though we did have to tell him to rein in some of his natural exuberance and not to yell out every time he found yet another wondrous thing, like a chocolate reindeer and coins, candles, a hanging decoration, a candy cane and some Hershey thingies, with his voice getting higher and higher!

There was also a Secret Auld Langs Syne….. and I “won” some mini chocolate covered gingerbread men ….. nom, nom, nom. Darrell “won” a spotty, plastic rain hat, a most useful gift for when it is raining and he has just had his hair done, and Nigel “won” a bath bomb ….. heaven help us!  He was very excited as he thought he would be enjoying an explosive bath time of volcanic proportions, until we told him that his bath water would probably just fizz a little for a few minutes and nothing more!

Anyway, we had a most brilliant time embracing the customs and culture of an Italian New Year, ending with a most rousing and emotional rendition of Old Langs Syne dans Italian, we were a little worried about the words but as the Italian for "auld lang syne" is the same as in English we were able to bellow out the key words with great gusto and feeling  …..

Se auld conoscente essere dimenticato,

E mai portato alla mente?

Se auld conoscente essere dimenticato,

E Auld Lang Syne!

Per Auld Lang Syne, mia cara,

Per Auld Lang Syne.

Prenderemo una tazza o 'gentilezza ancora,

Per Auld Lang Syne.

We came home feeling very full, a little weary, very happy and remarkably speaking almost fluent Italian   ….. and vouchsafed that from now on French sticks dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar will be a staple food at Castle Greysquirrell ……. no one can ever accuse us of not being totally cosmopolitan, metropolitan Neapolitan!!