A Mutually Shared Hobby

Derek and Eric decided the other day that they would like to partake in a mutually shared hobby, something they could do at home or while they are out and about ..........

...... and it was a trip to Flying Tiger that sealed the deal, in the guise of two sketch books, a pack of coloured pencils and a pencil sharpener amidst great excitement.

To be honest, Darrell, Alice and I are just relieved that they'd chosen something relatively quiet (due to the concentration levels required) and it being quite a self contained sort of activity, rather than them taking up medieval battle re-enactment, high diving or bee keeping! 

They started off with portraiture, then swiftly moved on to "where the spirit and artistic temprement took them"!!!!!

Naturally, we shall be encouraging them as much as we can, but perhaps it's little too premature to start thinking about entering them in BBC's Artist of the Year........

....... despite all the ambition and pestering that's already started!!!  heaven help us, what are they like? 

Darrell Defines His Look With His New Firmoo Glasses

It seems that just recently our Facebook feed has been filled with really cheap glasses, which had Darrell wondering if they were any good ......

..... soooooooo, when a particularly lovely rainbow frame caught his eye .......

........ he decided to take the plunge, well, it would have been rude not to, especially when they had nothing even vaguely as fabulous to these beauties at Specsavers!  

He sent off his prescription and measurements and then pressed the pay now button with tightly crossed fingers and toes that this wouldn't a just a flight of fancy that would end in tears and regret.

Said glasses arrived about ten days later, the colours a little paler than Darrell would have liked, but he was still rather pleased.  He could see perfectly, they didn't slip off his nose or press painfully on the nerve behind his ears.

They also won Eric's seal of approval, so they are definite keepers!

Would he buy from Firmoo again? Most definitely, especially as spare holiday glasses, because at £21 a pair (less special offers), he could have a whole wardrobe of visual enhancement a la Sir Lord Elton John and it wouldn't be the end of the world if he lost or sat on them, as has happened in the past. So, happy days!

 Unisex Glasses Medium LKFS4126R | Rainbow Tr Square Frame | Firmoo UK

Doing Our Civic Duty Once Again

Yesterday, the little fella found something that shouldn't have been where it was, betwixt the footpath and the entrance to the scrap yard and bridleway ........

 ....... to wit an old, grubby sofa, without cushions. 

Needless to say, Eric was not best pleased, not best pleased at all!  He likes to "find" things, but certainly not this sort of thing, recklessly, abandoned, without and due care or consideration.  It would have taken a large vehicle get it there, so why not just go a few more miles down the road and dispose of it properly and above all legally sur la council tip and NOT on the cusp of our doorstep for others to fret or fall over!

However, Eric drew closer, he noticed something yellow secreted in its undercarriage, it was a school exercise book with quite a distinctive, double barrelled name written on the front ........ a clue as to who might have a penchant for fly tipping?

Needless to say, when Eric came home he got Darrell to help him report this unfortunate and unwelcome "deposit" to the correct authorities, adding an extra picture of said potential evidence to the mix and then Darrell and Eric did their own sleuthing, finding the village where the young lady was born and what church she were baptised in (with dates), plus the fact that she is quite probably a twin! 

After that they decided to leave any further identification of any probable parentage  to a higher council.  

What are they like?  

Well Chuffed With Ourselves

Derek and I are well chuffed with ourselves, we're really getting into our sustainable gift shopping (although, we know, for a lot of people it's FAR TOO EARLY to be mentioning the C word) ..........

 ....... but this morning, while out mooching, we found the perfect present for Darrell's best friend and mentor Hugh, he of Le Chicken Coop, hatcher and carer of any a posh chicken .........

...... only a copy of Beautiful Chickens (for only £1.50). It's a stunning tome, especially if you are an aficionado, like Hugh, of such birds. 

I mean, who knew, after flicking through it's pages, that such a humble, domestic type creature came is so many lovely and wonderful flavours varieties?   Hugh's going to absolutely love it! 

Nature Reclaims It's Own ..........

One of the consequences of the scrapyard at the top of our estate moving out .......

 ..... is that nature has begun to take over and reclaim what had once been kept in check .....

...... including part of our beloved hedgehog artwork ......

....... that we'd all got soooooo used to. I'm sure Eric will have something to say about it .......

..... though I doubt very much he'll be calling for questions to be asked in Parliament, well, for the moment at least. 

The stuff under the bridge appears to be pretty well protected and therefore safe for the next little while .......

Perhaps the rigours of the autumn and winter weather will help hold back the tide of growth a little and kill off the more weed like foliage ........

....... to reveal the splendours is hidden behind them again.  If not, perhaps it will all become completely overgrown and forgotten about and then, in years to come, when someone decides what to do with the land beyond the bridge, it will be rediscovered and world widely acclaimed ......... a bit like Tutankhamun's tomb!!! 

One Last Museum To Squash In ...... The Museum Of Brands

Although it was almost time to return to Evesham, Derek and Eric still managed to squish in just one more museum before having to catch their train  ........

..... and their choice?  The Museum of Brands in Notting Hill.

It did not disappoint, but there was a slightly unsettling moment towards the end!

Naturally, the Marmite display, our savoury spread of choice, was of great interest, conversation and nomming ......

...... as was a Victorian display where Eric spotted his money box shaped like a house/bank (but with a clock set in the front). He said it sort of gave him literal goosebumps to think that he actually owned something old and special enough to go in a museum!

As for the Percy Pigs (and chocolate) being there too, well, what a waste, as they'd all most probably be pretty stale by now, when they could have been eaten!

Another goosebump moment was seeing, in real life, one of Freddie Mercury's stage outfits (it was tiny) .............

........ as well as pages ripped from note books with their actual song lyrics on, in their own handwriting.......

...... a great deal of time, full of awe and wonder, I understand, was spent gazing at them, thinking of all that musical history that lay behind them.

They also admired a Monster Munch fabric picture that was for sale, Eric thought it might look rather lovely on one of our walls, but wasn't so sure as to what Darrell's reaction would be.  And the unsettling moment ......... ?????

Coming face to face with exactly how we greeted Derek when he arrived on our front door a month or so ago, complete with bath robe!  Trust me, it stopped them absolutely dead in their tracks.

However, they quickly worked out he wasn't a real live monkey like us, that would be too horrible for words ..........

........ he was just a model, all be it a very realistic one, thank goodness, otherwise they might have had to come up with an immediate rescue plan and goodness only knows where that would have taken them! 

The museum was a fantastical trip down Memory Lane and positive proof that at Christmas Quality Street tins in the olden days (as well as Roses and Lucky Numbers, (Mr D, do you remember these?) were, at the very least, three times as big as they are now!!!! What are we like?

Sky High Afternoon Tea At Duck And Waffle

What better way for Derek and Eric to complete their "tourist in their own country" visit to London than by partaking in a very special, sky high, afternoon tea .........

...... forty floors up at the 24/7 Duck and Waffle, next the iconic Gherkin!

It was, I believe, quite the culinary and panoramic experience, although not of an emotional type nature, for once!

After traversing up said forty floors in a transparent Willy Wonka lift and being shown to their table, they were greeted with a glass of proper, real life champagne .........

....... which was both Derek and Eric's very first time with the tipple!

They weren't sure if the high altitude would affect it's potency or their sobriety,  but the bubbles certainly went up their noses. For them, perhaps it was a little on the dry side, but then they'd both be the first to admit to being philistines in all matters of the posh beverage!

There was also tea, but that immediately seemed to go by the wayside, I'm afraid!

And what, do I hear you say, was on the menu?

Well, they started off with egg and cress: water cress puree with a pan fried, brioche soldier, which was absolutely, blooming gorgeous!

This was followed by a variety of delicate savouries, to wit duck and waffle, oak smoked salmon and coronation chicken sandwiches plus cabano ????? No, me neither!

And then for afters ........

...... scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, raspberry tarte citrons, jaffa macarons, sticky toffee waffles and dark chocolate delice! 

They said that they were stuffed to the gills and had to request a doggy box each to take what was left home with them and that, considering their robust appetites, just about says it all! 

They had a fabulous time, they said were so unbelievably spoilt, their every need was catered for, including several champagne top ups and being told that if they wanted, there were extra sandwiches in the back if they wanted, as the chef always make a few spares!  Regretfully, they just didn't have the room. 

Would they go again? Yes, most definitely and would they recommend it? Absolutely!

Sky High Afternoon Tea - click on links for details

Duck & Waffle London 24/7 restaurant