Too Early To Be On The Very Cusp .......

Oh my goodness, how on God's green earth did we get to the very cusp of September?  

Where has the year gone? 

September always seems bring on change, the schools go back after the holiday, nights start to draw in, it becomes a little cooler and wetter and the light seems to be less harsh, more mellow and more golden  ......... and special times are on the horizon (i.e. the Christmas ads start to appear on the tele!), but it's all still toooooooooo early. 

BUT, what I really, really, really am not prepared for is that the trees having started to moult already!!!  Noooooooooooooooooo.

Now, I don't hold much to superstitions of a naturist type nature, but, for me, this doesn't bode well.  Perhaps I should adopt a more positive attitude to this unsettling phenomena and embrace it   ..... they say that catching a leaf on the first day of autumn keeps colds and sickness at bay throughout the winter and then catching a dozen leaves will bring a month of good fortune for each one collected ......... we shall see?  But I still don't like it! 

Offering Our Bodies Up To Science ......

We have received a letter of great import from the NHS ........

...... asking us to give up our bodies for "Our Future Health", the UK's biggest health research programme .......... in return for a £10 gift voucher for our time and effort in volunteering.

We are, of course, very honoured by such an invite, but on seeing that giving a sample of blood was a requisite, Darrell visibly turned a whiter shade of pale, he not being a great embracer of the (whisper) needle, especially when in a voluntary capacity! 

Let's just say, we are thinking about it for the moment ........ 

I may have to use all my well honed powers of persuasion to at least get him to practice rolling up his sleeve in a medical type fashion in order to prepare for such an event, should he wish to perhaps offer himself up ....... we shall see. 

Flipping, Flipping Bindweed .......

I have a theory that one day ............

........ Calystegia Sepium, more commonly known as flipping bind weed, will completely take over the world in some insidious triffid type fashion.  I absolutely hate it with a passion ..... and that's not like me! All it seems to do is take over and try to strangle every single tree I see and it's seems particularly bad this year.  I can't believe just how far it's managed to reach in some trees ....... aghhhhhhhh!

Perhaps, I am too unforgiving, as bindweed is not even classed as a weed (????), and our beloved No.1 fan, Jan the Fan and lover of all things nature, would no doubt be able to tell us that its leaves are a wonderous comestible for beetles and caterpillars and the flowers are excellent pollinators for  bees and butterflies .........  but that still doesn't mean that I have to like it! What am I like? 

Worcester Great Waddle 2024

Nigel decided to pop over to Worcester, not for any particular reason, just a mooch he said, adding that his trip to London had given him a huge dose of wanderlust and he thought he'd better make hay while the iron was hot because the end of the school holidays was fast approaching and then his attentions, once more, would be required for other things.

However, when he got to Worcester he couldn't help but notice the huge profusion of very jolly looking penguins everywhere ........

...... on every corner ......

....... outside shops ......

....... in front of buildings of great import to Worcester ........

...... and dotted all round the shopping centre. 

He then noticed lots of children (and adults) taking pictures, sticking stickers and ticking off lists.........

His interest piqued, he decided to investigate a little more .........

..... to find The Great Waddle Shop, filled with even more penguins of every description, in books, on cards, knitted, sewn, on coasters, flags and tea towels  as well as dangling on key rings.

There was also a poster and postcards featuring all of the penguins that were scattered around the town and a special penguin activity book for the children to mark down each penguin as they spotted it.

All organised by and to raise funds for St. Richard's Hospice.  It must have been quite an undertaking.       

https://waddleofworcester.co.uk/

Outside the shop, Nigel got a little excited when he saw a cordoned off area with people looking into it, he had hoped that there might be a couple of real life penguins in there, but instead it was more of an artistic installation, with a film of penguins seeming to swim through it. 

In all Nigel thinks there were 35 said penguins, all sponsored and decorated by schools, shops ..........

...... local businesses, playgroups, youth groups etc.

He then thought what a brilliant thing to have in Evesham (after all we have a St Richard's Hospice Shop of our own, much frequented by us all), but what animal to have? That was the question he pondered as he treated himself to a small snack (cheese on toast with two sausages, bacon and an egg, with a garnish of salad)  from Elgars https://www.elgars.co.uk/ before catching the train back home. 

In the end he decided that monkeys would be the perfect choice, and we, from our extensive wardrobe could/would be very willing models to help things along!  What is he like?

We Try Electric Blue Pepsi Max

To be honest, we don't often review "quaffables", of a liquid type nature, but when Darrell spotted the new Electric Blue Pepsi Max in Iceland (£1), well, it would look rude, if not a little remiss, not to imbibe in a cheeky sip or two.

On first impression it was certainly erm ....... blue.

And, from all the hype and blurb we could find, it's a limited edition, launched in May and only available for the next 12 months, sooooooo, we were already thinking ahead to Bertie's traditional and de rigueur Halloween, Christmas and New Year cocktail bars!

It's a sugar free, zesty citrus flavoured cola, marketed with the Gen Z shopper in mind (not sure if we exactly qualify, but who cares, we're pretty Neapolitan). However, on opening, we found "the nose" confusing as it didn't really give us any of the aforementioned "zest" or for that matter, citrus. It was rather weird and a little stale smelling (???), so not the best of starts.

However what it lacked in its odd bouquet was made up with it's effervescence, it certainly was bubbly!

As for the actual taste, well, it was OK, but nothing special. We think we could detect the slightest of slight hints of lemon, but it could hardly be described as tangy or anywhere near full bodied. Again it had a very curious edge to it, which I don't think any of us really liked, with no discernible coke flavour either.   It certainly didn't say "electric" to us, it was more of a damp squid squib!

And then......  Darrell noticed the blue ring it left on the table, our having forgotten to put out coasters in our eagerness to getting reviewing, let's just say it needed a sizeable measure of Darrell's "Pink Stuff" cleaner and a certain amount of elbow grease to remove it!  So, with that, Electric Blue Pepsi's fate was sealed..........

........ as being totally unsuitable for any sipping on the sofa, should an elbow be inadvertently knocked or when wearing a pale t-shirt or sweater and certainly not going anywhere near Bertie's Bar, as blue mayhem could ensue should any accidental spillage occur.

So after very little debate Electric Blue Pepsi Max was consigned to the reject bin with a sad and woeful 5W out of a possible 60W bulb on our World Famous Richter Score Of Noms. It promised us much but left us wanting a lot less!  What are we like?

 

More Disappointment And The Odd Titter!

On leaving the Power Station, Nigel and Lu decided, as it was by then lunch time, to look for a Scooby snack to tide them over for a while. They perused and scrutinized each and every eatery in the vicinity very carefully, as this was to be their last celebratory treat before returning home.  However sadly, once they had made their selection of a chicken tikka and cheese naan and hyderabadi lamb keema paratha, with drinks, they found themselves very much wanting!

Does this look like something that you would wait patiently for almost an hour for, especially when the restaurant wasn't particularly that busy?  Needless less to say, they did not leave a tip or heap any praises.  Naming no names, questions, Nigel suggested, might need to be asked in Parliament.

However, to lighten their mood, Nigel and Lu decided to have a cheeky nip in to the very lovely, high end supermarket (the posh peoples version of a Tesco Express) that must be the local go to, for all the people who live in all the exclusive apartments on the site, a development where if you have to ask the price then you certainly can't afford, but must be in the millions!  It was an emporium where it was reassuring to know that even a millionaire might like to grab a bag of Monster Munch now and again .......

...... or perhaps enjoy a frozen, chocolate covered banana while watching Googlebox, however eating them in an unsuggestive manner might be a little, erm ..... hard if you know what we mean!

There was also no shortage of Charbonnel et Walker chocolates, not many to the box (or pound), but Nigel remembered Darrell telling him once that they were to be  nibbled slowly and savoured as their esquisitivity demands and not scoffed like a common or garden Hero or Celebration.

Then finally, it was time to get back on the bus, via the world famous Borough Market .......

...... where any comestible gaps left by their unfortunate lunch could be satisfied in abundance.

The market, happily, did not disappoint in any way, shape or form .........

...... with several considered purchase made to eat in the car on their way home.  Happy, happy days! 

A Very Rare Disappointment .......

Following on from yesterday, the final port of call on our two intrepid London tourists  Thames "cruise"  was Battersea .......

....... primarily to visit the iconic Power Station. 

Let's just say .........

..... for the first time on their adventure, sadly, their expectations were dashed.  It erm ...... disappointed.

It was just a glorified shopping mall and entertainment complex for people from a completely different walk of life, with shops way too posh for their likes, with price tags to match.  There seemed to be little that reflected the stations past history (there was a pop up exhibition, but that was only about it's development since its closure). It all seemed very sterile, devoid of personality or atmosphere, that made them not want to make linger and explore more. Perhaps the Lift 109 might have ignited some interest, but as they'd already been up The Shard, to be honest it held no real thrall.  It was weird Nigel said, he wanted to see/smell the grime (????) press the buttons and hear the echo of tales, told of those that once worked there ....... not look at designer labels

He was quite taken by the windows of Venchi (an Italian Gormet Chocolatier, no us neither!) with its beautiful, glass ice cream cones (not unlike Christmas tree type decorations), but, they were not sufficiently tempted to enter its climes to try their gelato (posh ice cream) made each day in their "boutique lab"!  The Mr Whippy outside school on a school run day was ice cream enough for Nigel. And then, even Hugh, Darrell's best friend and mentor of things of a fine confectionary type nature, would blanch at the thought of a box/bag of pistachio chocolates at £76.50 a kilo.

The building was pretty much empty of people, what it needed, Nigel thought, was a good Primark, a Poundland and few good charity shops to help draw more people in, but then, he wasn't sufficiently engaged enough to even think about why questions hadn't been asked in Parliament yet!

So, it was a no ........

...... on this occassion from the judging panel, Battersea Power Station wouldn't be seeing them again anytime soon or getting any recommendations.

Nigel Cruises Up The Thames.

Next on Nigel and Lu's birthday itinerary was a "cruise" up/down (they weren't really too sure which way) along the Thames from Greenwich to Battersea, via the Uber Boat Thames Clipper 

Nigel didn't know quite what to expect, but he certainly didn't expect what he got.  The ship was mahoooosive, perhaps not by cruise liner standards .......

........ but big enough to accommodate at least 220 passengers in roomy, posh, pleather seats with optional seat belts, should it get a bit choppy Nigel surmised .  There was also a buffet bar for light refreshments (and souvenirs), but which Nigel decided not to avail himself of, just in case, on his hours journey, his sea legs let him down (as sick bags were not included).  As it was, he reported, the waters were calm and he held onto his breakfast.

It was, he told us, just the most romantic way to travel, seeing London and all it's many pleasures from a different angle and thought questions might need to be asked in Parliament as to why Evesham doesn't have a similar, wonderful mode of  transport ........

..... it would certainly cut down the school run by at least 35 minutes, although not with such breathtaking and iconic views. 

Then, needless to say, as they passed The Shard, Nigel just couldn't help tapping Lu's arm, pointing upwards and saying ....... "I've had a wee up there!".  I don't think he'll ever get over it ..... heaven help us all!