Cadbury Dairy Milk - Winter Orange Edition Giveaway ….. But No Nom Nom!

Darrell made a considered purchase of two of these Winter Orange Edition Cadbury chocolate bars for our comestible delectation over the Christmas holiday, because as you know we always like to keep abreast of any new Cadbury flavour combination that appears in the shops ………

…… but, as you can see, despite our love for all things of a  confectionary type nature, we still have one left, which is, I have to say, extremely unusual.

“Mais non, pourquoi?” I hear you ask,  well, to be frank, we just didn’t like it, hence the one remaining.  The chocolate itself was fine, but for us it was simply a mahoosive texture thing. We all have very texture sensitive palates, especially Darrell, who is a martyr to his!

The orange pieces in the chocolate gave us the total textural ebbie jebbies as they so reminiscent of the orange and lemon slices of Christmas’s of yore, when everybody had a box sat sitting on their sideboard …… but rarely, I suspect eaten! I am afraid we too never have been able to face them, after taking a sneaky little festive nibble when we were all very young.

We only managed about half a square of chocolate each, before looking at each other, pulling yukky faces and almost going “Eeeeeeeewwwwweeeeeee!” in unison.  So, no nom nom on this occassion Cadbury.

However, not wishing to rob others of the opportunity, if you are one of those people who really do appreciate the odd lemon and orange slice and would like to try our remaining Winter Orange Edition, just message us (nellxxxx@aol.com) ……..

……. and we’ll gladly send it to you, looking forward to your expert opinion ……… first one past the post wins the prize! 

Sorry Mr D, we know you very much hanker for the odd English delicacy in romantic Mexico, but we are rather afraid that it might melt in the post!

Boys And Their Toys

There was absolutely no doing with Nigel this morning, thank goodness he wasn’t on the school run  ……..

…… because he’d caught wind that The Towers was due to under go a survey of a building type nature ………

…… and well, it would have just looked plain rude not to go outside and proffer coffee and biscuits and while in the process, learn that the gentleman involved was going to employ a drone during said survey!

How romantic was that?

He was so excited (Nigel, not the surveyor)  that I thought he might spontaneously combust at one point.  The Towers ……. being surveyed by a real live drone ….. in real life, actually in front of him!

It was, Nigel said, both a little bit creepy, as well as very, very exciting, watching while it was up in the air, going this way and that and then staying seemingly motionless as it took pictures of The Towers intimate and nethermost regions, regions we’ve never even seen, while it buzzed ominously like an irate wasp trapped in a bottle.  It was like something out of Dr Who he exclaimed …… but Chez Towers!

How Darrell and I calmed him down I’ll never know …….

……. especially after the gentleman then showed Nigel some close up shots of The Towers hidden, secreted nooks and crannies.

And no Nigel, you can ask Santa eleven months in advance, as many times as you like, but you can’t have a drone for Christmas! Sometimes I simply despair.

Darrell’s Guilty Pleasure – Spam Fritters

Darrell came back from Iceland yesterday (the store not the country), looking a touch sheepish ……..

…….. he’d only gone for half a dozen eggs, sweet chilli sauce, fish fingers and a lettuce, but then ………

…… he said, a humungous waft of nostalgia swept over him recalling his school dinners of yore, when he spotted a pack of Spam Fritters in amongst one of the cabinets.

He then felt he had to make another purchase, despite it not being on his list, he couldn’t help himself, he JUST had to have them! What is he like?

And then he couldn’t wait until teatime, because as soon as he got home, one was in the oven with vigorous and robust haste. He offered to share, but I declined such pleasures and Nigel was on the school run.

Served on, what Darrell calls his favourite  “Queen Anne plate” for reasons best known to himself, I could see his hands visibly shaking as he cut into, in his eyes, this most illustrious of snacks.

I believe, said fritter did not disappoint! 

A lot less greasier than the fritters back at Holy Trinity, but the batter was nonetheless generous and exceedingly crisp and satisfied this until now dormant yen.

……. and with three still left in the box, a pink, battered pleasure that will keep on giving for a few days longer……….

Love Is In The Air …….. ????

With February known for being the month of l’amour and Valentines Day on the horizon, Nigel’s favourite shop of a display type nature has started to preen and prepare itself, much to the little fella’s pleasure.

They do love tantalise …….

……. setting out “their table” bit by bit.  

Since these pictures were taken, according to Nigel, the faux grass has been strewn with “a million and one faux rose petals”. It’s all very romantic.

Nigel would, when the time is ready to give his heart, very much appreciate a single or even a fulsome luxury bouquet of red roses……..

…….. however, in the meantime it appears he has cast his eye on another thorny variety of flora that has set his heart all of a flutter …….

……..What on earth is he like?

Spooked On The School Run

Nigel is still very much spooked by the random triggering of the sensor light in his and Darrell’s bedroom ………. and yesterday the school run didn’t help one iota when ………

…….. as the little fella was nonchalantly walking past a fallen street sign …….

…… something caught his eye, that made him do a double take and take a sharp intake of breath……..

….. it was a tiny, weeny spectre of a ghost, that sort of, he said, appeared to be winking up at him, which only then went on to further convince him that he might be a unknowing and unwilling vortex to beyond the realms of the unknown!  Stuff and nonsense,  I have had to tell him in no uncertain terms to pull himself together and that it was nothing but a cheap, novelty crisp, no ifs or buts ……. and to pull himself together and eat less cheese!

Some times I despair of his (and Darrell’s) susceptible  and over imaginative type imaginations!

A Robust Gusset Clean

It’s always exciting moment when one, tuther, or all of us, spot a gentleman with a long pole in the communal garden ………

…… and yesterday, as it transpired, was time for our annual gutter cleanage ………

…… or as Nigel, who is always in his element on occasions such as this ……

… so inelegantly describes it “ … a good old roger round our gussets ”

It was all I could do to keep the little fella inside, a hose, a long pole and a tank of water may hold a certain frisson for a young monkey, but never the train twain shall met, especially in Nigel’s case!

Nigel Finds ……….. A Source Of Motivation.

The charity shop at the end of our road is currently closed due to “staff illness” which is sad in itself and also because it’s a bit of a mooching spot when Nigel is on the school run ……

And also, sadly, despite several very clear notices on the window and door, people are still leaving their unwanted stuff outside.

Yesterday, Nigel found this motivational canvas left outside, such a pity as it could have raised valuable funds, as well as  adding a little something to someone’s interior décor, but was now destined to be simply taken willy nilly or  put in the bin! However, before disappeared Nigel totally embraced the sentiment ………. 

……. because just the thought of one of Darrell’s full, robust and comprehensive weekend English breakfasts really does put a skip in the little fella’s step of a Saturday morning  and changes his whole outlook for the whole day.  What is he like?

Untoward Nocturnal Goings On …… Of A Sensory Light Type Nature

We have a sensory light in Darrel and Nigel’s bedroom for “night wees” when Iris and Bertie stay over, if we were writing an Amazon review we could say that “…..it is indeed sensitive to movement and so does the job!”

However, the other night Darrell and Nigel were palpably, tangibly, as well as robustly spooked, when although the whole of The Towers was still, nothing stirring, the light was triggered “by something unseen” at least four or five times.  Neither was brave enough to actually get up to investigate, so instead just clung to each other until they eventually fell asleep, convinced some sort of entity was within our midst.

In the morning, recanting their “tale of unknown terror”, I told them that logically there was probably a very simple explanation, to wit, the batteries needed changing. This indeed seemed sensible, however they still weren’t 100% convinced, so in order to rule out the presence of any roaming, lost spirits I have had to sleep in their room and they in mine, while I check to see if anything untoward should manifest on my watch.  What on earth are they like?

Needless to say, nothing happened, zilch, rien de la plume!   The light triggered only when I needed to visit the bathroom, as per its function.  With Nigel having convinced himself that he must be some sort of vortex to the nether regions, I had to firmly tell both of them to pull themselves together, as I changed all four batteries in front of them. Needless to say there have been no further nocturnal occurrences and everyone is back in their proper bed, nuff said!

Well Done Nigel……..

Embracing my idea for using old souvenir tableware spanning our beloved Queen’s reign to celebrate this years the Platinum Jubilee ……..

……. Nigel has excelled himself, only finding a genuine, real life, 70 year old, original coronation mug ………

…….. for just 50p, plus a silver jubilee one for the same price, so we now have a mug each, plus a spare!

We are so proud! 

Spoons are next in our sights. Plates and bowls are proving a little more elusive ………

……. but it’s upwards and onwards for our quest, no charity shop basket, box, or shelf, no matter how high or low, will remain robustly unscoured……… we are monkeys on a royal mission!