Droopy Nosed Hedgehogs

Well, it didn't take an awful lot of sleuthing a few weeks back to suss that the erm..... "artistic friends of hedgehog" had a few more plans for our railway bridge, after Nigel spotted the embryonic startings appearing to be in progress.

The inside of the bridge looks like it has now been finished ..........

...... with a somewhat irate looking, be-capped hedgehog .......

........ surrounded by toadstools ........

........ which we rather like ....... 

....... and yet  another tag, this one though is pretty much undecipherable.

However, said artists may have left us a clue as to who they might be by leaving a handprint, which Nigel has decided needs to be carefully and minusculey photographed and then passed on to Tom the Scientist for his state of the ark, forensic lab to hopefully unmask the owner!

And outside the bridge, with it's very convenient brick canvas is yet another work of art, again started a few weeks ago .......

The nose, in Nigel's now expert opinion (perhaps there's a job for him on Fake and Fortune alongside the delectable Fiona Bruce) is too long and to be honest slightly on the droopy side, possibly due to it's length and having to hold it up for any length of time?

And ..... on the other side? 

Goodness only knows, obviously we have our suspicions, however, as soon as Nigel notices the stirrings of any further development, as ever, you'll be the very first to know .........

One Very Happy Bunny

This morning I made Darrell one VERY happy bunny.  I was mooching in Home Bargains, perusing the cleaning shelves when I thought I might just look see if they had any Method Daily Shower Spray, Darrell had availed himself of a bottle a little while ago and was very impressed, but sadly had never been able to find it again (at that price) once we'd used it all up.

And then ...... low and behold, there is was sat sitting right in front of me, I couldn't believe it and imagined the unbridled joy that would greet me if I took some home to Darrell.

However, knowing how hard it had been to find, I threw caution to the wind and rather filled my basket with three of said spray.

Well, the look on Darrell's face was priceless as I put not one, but three bottles of his daily shower spray of choice on the table.

Not quite tears, but certainly little raw emotion would be the best way to describe his delight ..........

It goes without saying that he rushed to the en-suite, where I expected him to simply leave a bottle ready to start using tomorrow, but while he was there he just couldn't resist giving the shower a good going over, despite having already done it earlier, such was his jubilation!  What on earth is he like? 

A Church With A Difference

Now, as you know, we all very much love a church, particularly a Greek Orthodox one when in foreign climes  .......

..... however, dans Evesham we have a very unusual church ......

..... to wit a wonderfully repurposed one .......

 

..... stood standing proud in the grounds of our community hospital.

What more wonderful and romantic place to peruse for corn plasters or haemorrhoid cream, should you be so afflicted, than in a church, in perhaps hushed tones  .........

........ because this one is actually a real life chemist in real life .....

..... complete with original, stained glass windows behind the till and dispensary area.

Nigel said it was quite a surreal experience while looking for some fizzy Vitamin C tablets .....

...... musing, what on earth would any ghosts make of it all, should it be haunted, as many churches are, in a late, great Derek Accorah (RIP) way?

"At least," he said, " ..... they'd probably be able to find plenty of surgical spirit, should they feel the want!"  What is he like? 

Quagmire City

Oh my goodness, after all the excitement of yesterday, with us officially now living in summer time hours  .........

I am afraid the river bank and our picturesque pathway into town, should we choose to use it, is to be found ......

 ...... wanting, very wanting indeed.

I'm afraid it's all a bit of an unsavoury quagmire down there at present.

Sadly, I fear, it might still be quite a while before we can chug our deckchairs down to one of the fishing platforms, accompanied by a cheeky jug of iced sangria to watch the sun set over the marina and feed the odd hungry duck or two ........ sometimes I think I am just a tad impatient in wanting to chivvy nature along, way before it's really ready!  What am I like?

Woo Hoo We've Sprung Forward

I know it's hard to believe, as I think I'm holding up well and looking pretty fresh, but last night we all lost a whole hours sleep because ..... ta da, the hour has gone forward and we are now officially, in real life, summer time!   Woo hoo hoo!

 

We did cheat, as no one wanted to set their alarm to get up at the "official" change over time of 1.00am, but we soon sorted them all out this morning before breakfast, admittedly, slightly bleary eyed having lost an hour of precious slumber ......

..... but knowing that from now on, we'll really begin to see that the days are getting longer (and hopefully warmer) and we won't feel quite so hunkered down and cocooned by the long, dark nights.

And at last ...... Nigel will be able to put his headlight beanie away for a while, because he'll finally be coming home in the light after the school run. 

 Trust me, once we've worked through the "time lag" (what are we like?), I just know our spirits are going to soar to a whole new level ..... summer time begins here and now!

Easter Comes Early At The Towers

Easter came early yesterday morning in the guise of a mysterious package found in our mailbox, with no clue as to who it was from .......

...... however, it did come with the distinct instruction that it should not be bent ......

...... which, in turn, only added to the tangible and palpable excitement that was thronging through The Towers!

On carefully opening the envelope, ensuring no bending occurred during the process, we were still none the wiser when we found a beautiful, bowed bedecked box under which there was another envelope which we were sure would reveal all.

We all laughed as said envelope was opened as it was then obvious that it was from someone who knew us very, very well, as it contained a card with a hedgehog on the front!

It was from our beloved friend Pharmacy Michelle in romantic Southport, wishing us a happy Easter.  

It was, as you can imagine emotional.

Inside the box we found a very beautiful and delicate Easter card for all of us ....

...... each containing a special and pertinent message. 

Let's just say by the time the last envelope was opened and ohhhed and ahhhed over, there wasn't a dry eye in the house .........

....... especially as we remembered those very special absent friends who won't be with us this year to celebrate the season of chocolate eggs.

Then, when all eyes were finally dried and sniffles gently wiped away .........

....... Darrell carefully curated our beautiful collection of cards upon our mantle, making him think that perhaps he ought to get out our other festive decorations over the weekend to help compliment them and get us "in the mood" for the happy days to come.

And the ribbon on the box that had tied everything so lovingly together? Well, that was quickly snaffled by Alice, thinking that if cut in two she'd be able to make a couple of her now trademark hair clips to wear as a heartfelt memento of a special morning, spent with special friends.

Thank you Pharmacy Michelle, you made our morning with your kind thoughts that will now stand resplendent for several weeks to come and no doubt be very much admired.  

XXX THANK YOU XXX 

Happy Ever After

Yesterday, out on the school run, Nigel saw something rather odd looking, crumpled up on the pavement, it looked like a hat, but then again it looked as if might have arms. So, venturing nearer and picking it up, he found it was a little ones, very loved, snuggly elephant. At that Nigel decided to lay it out carefully across the top of a bin that was nearby, taking a picture on his phone, thinking he might put it on the local Facebook page, as he's often seen before with such lost toys. However, Young Master Bertie became visibly distraught, asking if they could move away as he getting upset, knowing exactly how he'd be feeling if he had lost such a loved toy. Nigel obliged and noticed that as they stood waiting for Iris, Bertie would deliberately avert his eyes from looking in the direction of said comforter.

Then, after five minutes or so a lady with a pushchair came rushing past them, her little boy fast asleep, unaware of her panic, stopped, picked up the elephant and turned round, this time with a huge smile flooding her face.  The elephant had been with her little boys since he'd been born, it went everywhere with him (yes, we've been there, twice over) and her heart had dropped when she realised it was missing!  She thanked Nigel profusely for putting it somewhere safe and was soon back on her way. 

The look of relief on Bertie's face said it all too, as Nigel knew that his young nephew would have worried all night about the elephant and the little boy not being able to sleep without it. Bertie was back to his old self and all was right in the world again.  Happy days!