OMG, We're Going To Met Our No1 Fan, Jan The Fan ..... In Real Life!

Oh my life, I just cannot express how we are all feeling at this very moment .......

....... our usual, laid back, sort of world has been turned upside down, in the blink of an eye, by the simple receipt of a letter!

From the writing and postmark on the envelope we had a pretty shrewd idea that said letter was from our No.1 Fan, Jan the Fan, but still, the letter had come out of the blue, with no birthdays, holidays or special events on the horizon, so we were none the wiser. 

The card within featured a map of Oxford, a town associated with many happy memories, to wit, it's where Tom the Scientist and The Lovely Laura were married, the scene of one very happy weekend, so there were lots of oooo's and ahhh's as we remembered all the places we'd visited. However, it was certainly not a place that we associated with Jan the Fan and therefore it seemed a little random .......

....... until we opened it and read further .........

OMG, OMG, OMG ..............

Jan The Fan, our No. 1 Fan is ONLY coming, in real life, to Oxford (about an hour on the train from us) in the summer and ONLY wonders if we would like to meet up!!!!! Our breath has never been more taken away or the wind taken so completely out of our sails, not to mention our stuffing being totally knocked out of us, we were completely stopped in our tracks, gobsmacked, flabbergasted and awestruck .......

........ and yes, the emotion began to tangibly and palpably throng throughout The Towers, with, we're not too manly to admit, a few tears shed, after all these years, through thick and thin, famine and feast, we're finally going to meet Jan the Fan, because, of course, our answer was a resounding yes, yes, yes! 

,

We have already sorted out a weekend, because, of course, we're going to stay over, it would be rude not to! We are soooooooo excited, there are tourist buses to arrange, coffee shops and eateries to research, charity shops to map out, evening and day activities to consider and the tourist map to study in great depth ........... not to mention our wardrobes to plan, plus fragrance choice, haircuts, facials, manicures, complete exfoliation and depilation, and a new, robust exercise regime to follow ........ we just can't be found wanting in ANY department on this momentous occassion!

........ IF and it's a BIG IF, we don't all spontaneously combust first! Happy, happy, happy days! 

Lovely .........

While Nigel and Alice were away embracing a few of the pleasures of Weymouth,  they managed to slip in a little successful charity shop shopping ........

........ and on their return Alice was really excited to show me a few of the new clothes she'd managed to find for herself ........

I have to say that, what that girl can find in a 50p basket is sheer mastery and I thought Darrell was the doyen of the cheeky mooch, delve and rummage!

Everything she showed me was "tres Alice"! It also has to be said that Alice really does love a bow and anything of a natural, vintage, feminine type nature, which Darrell informs me is Cottage Core and Alice can certainly rock it! 

I know nothing about fashion and all it's trends, however I think I have to agree with him, but then, Alice could wear a paper bag with a piece of string tied round her middle and she'd still look beautiful! What am I like, if not everso slightly besotted? 

Left Wanting ........

As they enjoyed the very last breakfast of their stay at The Heights ...........

...... with Nigel declaring that the creamy porridge to have been an absolute triumph each and every morning ........

..... he and Alice had already pretty much decided that they would like to return to Weymouth again, some time in the not too distant future .......

...... because there had been so much they hadn't had time to explore, that they had really wanted to.

They had very much enjoyed the view of the mini "Stonehenge" (The Memory Stones) from their window, which, according to Alice, were "Just too romantic and compelling for words." ........

She said she could feel them beckoning to her and yes, it would have been lovely to toddle over and take a closer look, perhaps even hug one or two of them, especially as the sun went down over the sea, but it had been soooooooooooooooo very, very windy, they just didn't want to risk being whisked away by an unfortunate and mahoooosive gust, to find themselves unceremoniously dumped on Chesil Beach ...... without a paddle! 

Then, there was the "Breezer" Open Top Bus Service, which again, sadly, would not have been the most sensible idea, considering the blustery conditions, however, the delights of No. 40 "Purbeck Breezer", taking in Poole, Wareham, Corfe Castle and Swanage or the No. 70 "Beach Breezer", with, among other stop off points, Alum Chine, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Mudeford, sounded like the most wonderful adventure .........

....... all favourite haunts of ours from past jaunts, but, as of yet, strangers to the fragrant Alice.

Weymouth had indeed left them wanting, in a best possible way, so with Nigel wondering where he could get hold of a 2025 calendar so early on in the year, they were determined to start planning their next Dorset escapade, as soon as they got home.  

What are they like?

https://memorystones.org.uk/the-memory-stones/

Perusing ........

As Nigel and Alice's stay in Weymouth and The Heights draws to a close, they sort of wish they'd availed themselves more of the impressive lounge area ........

..... with it's ambient and chilled holiday atmosphere, faux ammonite casts ........ 

...... and large and very comfy chairs from which to admire said ammonites and local art work that were available for sale ..........

........ but sadly their schedule hasn't really allowed it.  

However, after they'd enjoyed another very lovely three course meal and nightcap, Alice in mellow mood, thought she might like to peruse the appealing and enticing retail cabinets ............

....... just in case there was a small something she could bring back for the little ones and Darrell and I, she is such a sweetie!

However, after a lot of two and froing and consulting with Nigel, she decided that where two snugglies would be perfect for Iris and Bertie, tempting though a pair of matching lamas were, once back home in Evesham, she/we might not look at them in quite the same way, especially as Darrell and I can't really be described as soft toy sort of people, even of an ornamental type nature, so she decided something comestible might be a more suitable gift, so an extra large box of Dorset fudge with a postcard of Weymouth on the top was duly purchased, bless her.

Then, back in their room, with the little ones still on Nigel's mind, he decided to gather up all their unused complimentary hot drink products for young master Bertie, for his little tea bar, because although they might seem an odd "gift", he knew Bertie would be over the moon with them, particularly the coffee bags as Nigel didn't think he hadn't actually ever had any.  What on earth are they both like, Nigel and Bertie, not Alice!

One Of Life's Mysteries .......

Nigel tells us that when he pops in to take Alice a cup of tea in the morning, she looks just as fragrant first thing as she does for the rest of the day! 

I'm not sure if the same thing can be said for him though!

However, although he knows its really none of his business, he's totally fascinated as to whether Alice sleeps all night in her ribbons or bows or if she wakes up extra early to look radiant, ready for his knock!  What on earth is he like? 

On Chesil Beach

Chesil beach is the most wonderful and mesmerising place in the world, so it goes without saying that Nigel and Alice just had to spend some time there .........

 ...... and despite the wild, whistling, gusts of wind that surrounded them while they were there  .........

...... Nigel was again fascinated to see that Alice's hair ribbons still managed to stay very securely in place and she remained unflappable and delicious!

They spent their time in companionable silence, simply tossing the smooth, rounded stones, seeing how far they could throw them, though not many actually reached the sea, surrounded by the unique and eerie sound of the huge waves breaking on the beach, followed by the sound of the pebbles shifting as the waves went out. It was hypnotising.

However, though naturally drawn to look for a cheeky holey stone or two, even if he had found the most perfect holey stone in the whole wide world, Nigel knew that taking just one stone, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, was strictly verboten, risking a £2,000 fine and a criminal record, which would result in his precious DBS check being revoked and then he would never be able to read in school again ....... and no pebble, no matter how beautiful the memories attached, would ever be worth that, hole or not!  What is he like? 

An Untimely Appearance

With Nigel away on his little jaunt with Alice, embracing the pleasures of Weymouth, Darrell has ably taken over the school run on his behalf, and it has to be said, all was going well, until yesterday .......

...... when the Ice Cream Man finally returned to the school gates after his autumn/winter/spring hernia hiatus, however, with Uncle Nigel not there, Darrell was thrown into a quandary, as the first "Whippy" of the season has always been a very special occassion for the little fella to plunder his treat money, but with two excited little ones pulling at Darrell's shirt sleeves, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, would they really want to wait another week before Nigel's return for enjoy such delights?    

In the end he decided to throw caution to the wind and a simple tub with a flake and an "extra large" (a double cone, with whippy filling each half, two flakes and chocolate sauce) were duly purchased. Nigel would understand, and more than like, was probably enjoying the same in Weymouth, if the ice cream could stay long enough in the cone before a huge gust of wind took it away!

The only question now is, where on earth does a tiny, little thing like our beloved Iris put such a humungous ice cream (Bertie going for the tub, but still leaving Darrell to finish it off for him)? Even the Ice Cream man has questioned, at least once, Iris's ability to polish an "extra large" off!!!  What is she like, if not an absolutely mahosssive ice cream demolishing machine in tres petite form!

Just A Simple Spooky Coincidence While Charity Shop Shopping in Dorchester.

Although both Alice and Nigel absolutely love being so close to the sea, with all the blustery weather, yesterday they decided to head inland for a day spent in Sherbourne and Dorchester, with a cheeky bit of charity shop shopping thrown in between a cream tea, Dorset Apple Cake and historic and romantic looking buildings.

Sherbourne was very beautiful and quite posh, where locals wear muddy, upmarket wellies and carry baskets to do their shopping and the shops are the sort that ladies like Alice like to peruse, with their fragrant and luscious sounding candles, purses and pencil cases with foxes and hedgehogs on and pictures and cards painted by local artists and where, on the other hand, Nigel prefers to drool outside a proper, local, for locals bakery. 

The charity shops were very lovely too, more like carefully curated boutiques really, and while Nigel and Alice left no shelf or rack unexplored or basket undelved, they found no treasure, so their money stayed safe in their pockets ..... except for two proper, fulsome pasties Nigel bought from an aforementioned bakery, while Alice was sniffing candles! 

They then moved on to Dorchester, where they (well Nigel, really), had a spooky find of sorts.

It started off with Alice spotting a board advertising a ghost walk through the town the following evening, if it had been that night, while they were in town, I think they would have been sorely tempted to join in.......

....... however a return journey, on such a tight schedule, really wasn't feasible, perhaps another time.

And then, spookily, in the very first charity shop they alighted on, low and behold Nigel found a small collection of Most Haunted DVDs, in its hey day, back in the homeland, it was our most favourite viewing of choice, we even had a  few said DVDs of our own, plus books and a signed photo of the late great Derek Acorah (RIP), we've since moved on, but Nigel, being Nigel, wondered if the aforementioned walk and then spotting the DVD's might be some sort of omen! 

So, thank goodness Alice, who had missed the DVD's entirely, but had spied some very nice knitwear, was able to persuade the little fella that it was just a coincidence and nothing untoward or foreboding .......

  ....... and perhaps he should concentrate on the lower bric a brac shelves instead!  What is he like? 

Portland Bill

Yesterday, the ever fragrant Alice and Nigel decided to embrace Portland Bill, one of Nigel's most favourite places in the whole wide world ...........

..... a place that the little fella was keen to share with our beloved Alice.  

........ and, it has to be said, it did not disappoint.

However, it was, they said, bracing to the extreme ...........

...... with any remaining cobwebs left lingering from the winter well and truly blown away ......

...... it was truly exhilarating .........

...... and as wonderful as Nigel remembered and described to Alice .......

...... and despite at times being pretty hard to actually stay upright .........

....... according to Nigel, Alice still managed to look beguilling, even with her ribbons flying in all directions with great abandon!  What is he like?

Sadly, due to the weather conditions, they didn't linger and explore as much they would have liked, even the café was battened down, however, Nigel still couldn't help pondering on how romantic it must be to live in the small group of houses sited so close to such a tempest tossed sea, with the wind gusting all around them, rattling the windows and whistling through the letter boxes!  

I, on the other hand, am not so sure ...........although I loved their videos!