A Greggs Sausage Roll, Every Little Helps Now And Again

As you most probably know we are all extremely partial to the odd roule a la saucisse......

...... and Darrell, we have to say, makes a pretty mean aforementioned meaty pastry snack ......

....... however, sometimes, when we're in the zone, a bit like pancakes on Pancake Day, no matter how hard he tries, he simply can't keep up with the demand ........

...... which is why, to give the poor fella a bit of a break now and again from a well floured rolling pin and egg wash .......

...... we occasionally supplement the freezer with the odd box or two or three of Greggs sausage rolls, exclusive to Iceland (the shop not the country), especially when they are on offer, to help him out! 

Obviously,  they are not as good as Darrell's personally hand made version, but when demand is higher than usual and often unexpected, like if we decide to go on an impromptu picnic, they come a pretty close second.......

.......  and thankfully, it has to be said, that Darrell has never been one to be overly precious when it comes to shedding the comestible load now and again, as far as his sausage rolls are concerned ........

...... BUT ....... if we ever dared mention a substitute vol au vent of any shape, size or filling, we know we'd be heading for seriously troubled waters, Darrell's vol au vents are ............ sacrosanct and no one ever messes with them!  What is he like?

Check You Crackers Carefully!

Darrell, like we all do, had put away and forgotten all about the little "toy" he had pulled in his cracker at Christmas, until, that is, he stumbled upon it again when he was having a bit of a spring clean in his drawers.........

..... and now, he is like a dog that has found a bone, two balls, a stick and a muddy puddle, all on the same walk.

And, it wasn't a dice, a wiggly fortune telling fish or a single false finger nail, it was something far more exciting (and me thinks, expensive), to wit, one of those confidential, roller stamp thingys that hide your identity, address etc. when your discarding old mail!  How brilliant is that?

Needless to say, he's been rollering like there's no tomorrow, trust me our identity etc. has been pretty well obliterated and he's now champing on the bite for Rob our beloved postman to bring us all manner of other post!

So, a much more satisfying yuletide fairing than usual and a salient lesson to all, to check the things that pop out of your cracker at the festive table a little more robustly!  What is he like, except for a very, very happy bunny! 

Evesham Banksy?

We must have all walked passed this piece of street art, known locally as the "crying boy" a million times, but to be honest, I don't think any of us really took much notice, what with IKH's hedgehogs and all that!

Until yesterday that is, when Eric did take the time to stop to stand back and look at it more closely.

Was it? Could it be ...........

...... a real, life, actual Banksy in Evesham? 

Sadly, when he got home, it didn't take much research for Eric to discover that it isn't a Banksy, however he did uncover a little history about it ......... 

It's a Disney (no, not that one either) and when it first appeared, it was the subject of much debate in Evesham (none in Parliament, I don't think), again as to whether it was or it wasn't. Hey ho, a non claim to fame ....... but you never know what might pop up when you least expect it!

Artist reveals meaning behind new Banksy-style street art in Evesham | Evesham Journal

Click on above link.

Trouble Up Top .......

Oh dear, we greet you as very unhappy bunnies, after what started out to be a fine day yesterday.

We have a leak ....... it started at approximately ten minutes past two yesterday afternoon, unfettering itself as an unnerving steady drip, drip, drip ........

...... sadly coming from upstairs ....... and you know who lives up there!

Fortunately, it stopped after seven and half hours, in the end filling a half pint jug of brackish brown water. Suffice to say, we are dealing with the problem via a third party, to wit the lovely Chloe, our property manager ......

...... however, although "both parties" agreed to a plumber trying to locate said leak in order to fix it this morning, while we answered the door and welcomed Mr Derek with open arms and a steaming mug of tea (no sugar), the other party neither answered his door or phone, so we couldn't proceed, leaving poor Mr Derek carrying his wrench, without seeing any action!

Poor lamb (him upstairs), must have tired themselves out with all the loads of washing they did until one thirty in the morning, despite full knowledge of the dripping below!

In the meantime, we've allowed some time for the electrics to "dry out", but I'm sad to say that turning the switch on, trips the electrics, so all does not auger too well and we're at stalemate.

Trust us, questions WILL be asked in Parliament, as and when we resume normal electrical service, you, of course, will be the first to know!!

A Most Fortuitous Charity Shop Find!

All is very right in the world for Darrell this morning, he was truly gutted when his trusty electric diffuser decided, after many years of service, to pack in over the weekend. It wasn't in use twenty fours a day, seven days a week, just generally when Darrell fancied a fragrant pick me up, to add a little atmosphere or when we were expecting visitors. He considered the possibility of a new one from Amazon, but decided he ought to save up a bit first, our budget for personal spending being a bit tight this month.

So, imagine his abject delight when he stumbled upon a brand new, unused, still in its box one in our local Salvation Army shop for the princely sum of £4.50.  Well, it was a no brainer and said diffuser was bought in a huge flurry of excitement I understand!

It diffuses, humidifies, changes colour and is even betterer than the old one it seems.  Let's just say it was an emotional home coming! 

It's a pity this post doesn't come with smelly-vision as The Towers is currently thronging, neigh pulsating with the aroma of Dove Soap, Darrell's very most favourite diffuser flavour of choice.  What is he like? 

Not So Salubrious Of Places

It has to be said that Evesham's shopping centre is not the most salubrious of places to visit, in fact, embarrassingly, it has been named, in certain quarters, as one of the worst in the country, which is pretty shameful.

When we first moved it was quite a hub of activity, where we had the opportunity to met and great the characters from Ice Age with a very tiny Iris, in the shade of a most resplendent Christmas tree, but since then all but Home Bargains and a café remain from all the other shops we used to frequent and make considered purchases from.

At times it feels as if it is frequented more by pigeons and yellow buckets to catch the leaks than actual , real life customers.

However, word is abound that plans are now very much afoot to knock it all down to be replaced by new retail opportunities, housing and perhaps even some kind of entertainment facility. We of course will be bereft without our beloved Home Bargains, the nearest one, when it finally closes, being a goodly bus ride away. I'm not at all sure where we're going to go for our cut price confectionary, snacks and Darrell's cleaning products and candles locally in the meantime.

I guess we'll just have to suck it up, embrace the challenges and look forward to the retail experiences that might be.  As for the pigeons and buckets ............!!! 

Harry Potter Seems To Be Amongst Us

From the days when our dining table would be covered with an extra large throw and then filled with pillows, blankets, cuddly toys and emergency comestibles whenever our beloved niece and nephew came to play ........

......... it would now seem that young master Bertie, at least, has graduated to our hall cupboard to be our very own Harry Potter.  This necessitated the removal of our Henry (vacuum cleaner), the clothes dryer and Darrell's shopping trolley .......

 ........to be replaced by more blankets and cushions!  So, over the weekend let's just say we had a very contented little bunny, sat sitting in the pitch black with a torch and his tablet, left to his imagination, where no one would ever think of looking for him!!!!!!!

Obviously, all necessary health and safety precautions were strictly followed and adhered to the absolute letter ........

...... including Darrell being on the other end of a walkie talkie, ready for any request for extra cushions, books, drinks and snacks with the minimum of fuss!  What are we like if not totally devoted Uncles and Aunt!!