One Step Closer To A One Stop Shop?

After goodness only knows how long since young Eric first noticed and reported  the poster proclaiming the change of usage from an abandoned Bathroom Showroom (Bertie's most favourite place in the world when he was tiny, where he'd while away many an hour, get given a pack of crayons on every visit and choose to spend his pocket money on pipe fittings, before it then became an unfortunate casualty of Covid) to a Tesco One Stop ....... 

..... things, at last, appear to be moving ......

...... with traffic lights and much barriar-age and scaffolding .......

...... leaving Eric a little bit worried about the upheaval for the poor people living right next to the building with all the general kerfuffle .......

..... but also excited at the prospect of another shop on the school route with the potential for considered purchases or just a good mooch to break up his journey!

As and when there are any further developments, rest assured, you will be the first to know, well, apart from the aforesaid poor neighbours of this new venture! 

Untold Delights From Lidl

I very much appreciate it when Eric brings back the latest seasonal flyer from Lidl when he is passing and this weeks copy encompasses all that is Valentines Day, being as we are now in the month of February.

They are doing a special Valentine's meal deal, starter, main, side and dessert from only £12.95 and very tempting it looks too .........

......... but I think Darrell already has plans of his own, although I think Eric might be sent for a heart shaped pizza and a bag of similarly shaped pretzels as a special treat for our beloved niece and nephew to celebrate the day when it comes.

However, what particularly caught my eye, is something I don't think Darrell, despite his undisputed culinary skills can replicate, to wit the rose ice cream cones, in flavours that can only be described as truly romantic sounding, blueberry and cheesecake, vanilla and choco hazelnut and strawberries and cream. 

I think It would be rude not to make a select, considered purchase on this occasion, to avail ourselves of, as a treat, perhaps, during our Valentines Day seasonal viewing and then a chocolate rose for the ever fragrant one????? 

Hark at me, spending money like its water, but after that I think we can leave the other profferings,  like cushions, throws and fragrances (no matter how erotic exotic the name) to others ........

...... and I may hide the heart shaped pancake pan from Darrell, just in case he has festive aspirations!!!  What am I like?

Late Tales Of Dunedin Some Things Best Left A Mystery?

As you know, a cheeky supermarket sweep always plays a huge part in any of our holidays in foreign climes, perusing at all the exotic stuff we've never seen before and, forgive us, guffawing over some of the funny names we see ,on what appears to be, just simple every day products, what are we like?

And, dans the US of A it was no different for Eric and the ever fragrant Alice......

..... however, sometimes the scale of some of the stores they visited, coupled with the mahooooooosive choice was a little overwhelming at times and occasionally they had to admit defeat at the end of a long day by the sheer length of the aisles ........

....... which, as a result, left some glaring questions unanswered, to wit, the summer sausage, left to remaining a complete mystery to our intrepid pair, probably forever. In the UK a sausage is generally a meaty comestible for all seasons and it is now with much regret, that If they hadn't been quite soooooooo tired, they would probably have made a considered purchase for curiosity's sake ...... but for now, I guess we'll never know!!

GO55 - NEVER say NEVER!

You may remember, way back sometime last year, Eric pondering whether he ought dare mention to Darrell that they'd finally turned our much lamented Aldi (left vacant due to a leaky roof) to open up a storage facility ........

...... not wishing, in any way, to encourage Darrell's propensity to fill every single crevice, nook and cranny of the bijoux Towers with all manner of decorative items of a seasonal type nature, causing even our beloved Mr D in torrid and exotic Mexico to remark that we must be living in a real live Tardis ......

Well, it was only a matter of time  ....... and you can never say never!!!!!!!

Soooooo, Welcome to Unit G055!  Our all singing, all dancing, very generously proportioned, telephone box sized lock up,  To be honest, we feel like characters from Only Fools and Horses with this new development, we'll leave you to decide who is who. 

It's a long and complicated tale with, unfortunately, a sad story, that we decided to keep under wraps our beloved followers. Too long and complicated to go into detail here, but, let's just say, it's only a temporary measure while we try to sort through a mahoooosive collection of Lego (I know ????), that we inherited from a family member, which we decided, after a full and frank family debate (none of which got heated) to sell, as we don't really "do" Lego.

However, I think you can imagine Eric's excitement at "possessing" such a property, especially when it's all managed solely by app ........

......... there's absolutely no one on site, you just open said app on your phone and it's like "open sesame", from the main gate outside, to the sliding front door and even the lock to our unit! 

It's quite something to behold and let's just say, that the little fella needs no excuse to go up there to wander up and down all it's endless, long, faceless yellow corridors, not really good idea if you're feeling a little off colour yourself and help collect the latest set of boxes.

Our only worry is that he might well wear out the mechanics before we actually vacate the building!  What on earth is he like? 

Eric Finds Sunny D En Angleterre

You may remember a little while back, when Eric and Alice were wholeheartedly embracing Dunedin in Sunny Florida just before Christmas, when the little fella was quite taken when he found Sunny D alive and well and selling in Dollar Tree ......

..... well, look what he stumbled upon in our very own Iceland up town ........

..... only flipping the aforesaid Sunny D.  However, on this occasion no considered purchase was made, he's really more of a Tropicana with bits sort of a guy to be honest .........

...... and though no stranger to trying something "different", he says he's really not sure about either of their colours, to wit the Blue Raspberry and the Sour Apple flavours. They are, as you can probably see, quite disturbing, in most peculiar hues of blue and deep turquoise green (?). He said they reminded him of painting with his beloved niece and nephew and the odd colours they would make in the brush cleaning water ......... what is he like? But I think I have to say that I agree with him? No nom nom!

National Hedgehog Day

Fanfare of trumpets please  ....... for today is, would you believe, National Hedgehog Day and needless to say we are celebrating it with great aplomb.

We've dusted and rearranged our beloved Pharmacy Michelle hedgehog "thank you" cards and displayed them with pride for such a day. They are perfect, duel purpose greetings, who'd have thought! 

Eric and the ever fragrant Alice had to go into town, so it was another chance for them to "admire" our local artwork, depicting said cute, prickly creatures, as they walked along the road.

It has to be said that no trip up town is a proper trip up town, without nipping into our charity shop of choice, Vale Wildlife and it just so happened that the dynamic duo had a bag of bibs and bobs to drop off there after Darrell had a bit of a spring clean.

Alice said it was a bit emotional as they gazed at the pictures of some of the tiny baby hedgehogs the charity had rescued and saved, while Eric pondered the way all manner of hedgehog seemed to have an affinity for finding him (it's never been vice versa) and how they had eventually wheedled their way into all our lives. It would seem to us that although Eric swears his spirit animal is the manatee, we would humbly beg to differ!

A Subliminal Message From Eric's Spirit Animal???

At the very start of February, the month best known for love, with Valentines Day slap bang in the middle, it seemed only natural for Eric to just happen upon this little beauty, up at the Relate shop in the run up to the big day ....... 

.... to wit a hedgehog on a heart shaped dish, an unusual representation of love perhaps, but not entirely a surprise for Eric, "It was", he said, "...more of a message of a subliminal type nature." reflecting his affinity with such creatures!!  What is he like?  

However, at £4.50 it was a little steep for his wallet, so no considered purchase was made on this occasion!