Hopping On And Off The Hop -On-Off Bus

What better way to embrace all the pleasures of Oxford, while still clasping our beloved No. 1 Fan, Jan the Fan to our collective bosom, than taking the Oxford Hop On Hop Off Bus just like real life tourists do ......

..... obviously taking seats on the top deck, right at the front!

Oooooooo Oxford was almost toooooo impossibly romantic for words, with all of us us taking in every word of the running commentary via our earphones (fourteen languages available) ........ 

..... as we tried to take in all the beautiful, classical, limestone buildings, oozing with the ancient history of so many intellectualised and famous people  ....

...... and Nigel proclaiming that he couldn't help but feel extra super intelligent just by breathing in Oxford's "rarified" air!  

To be honest, it was too much to take in, especially after all the excitement of meeting Jan the Fan for the very, very first time. I think we were still a little  overwhelmed, so after completing the full bus tour one and a half times, the extra half because we couldn't find the stop button, which, in the end, turned out to be was right behind us, doh!

After finally hopping off said bus we thought we'd nip into John Lewis for a bite to eat in the guise of a cheese scone and mug of tea to relax our nerves. We could have stayed and talked for a million years, just sat sitting there sipping, but as Jan had travelled all the way down from Newcastle Upon Tyne it would have been rude to "hog" her, when there was so much to explore .........

So a cheeky meander round the famous covered market was next on our agenda, where Nigel was very taken by some hand painted guinea pig plates and no, they were not for the eating guinea pigs off Mr D, these were purely for decoration and celebration.

It was in the market that Nigel also discovered that where Worcester had it's penguin waddle over the summer, Oxford has it's OxTrail, 138 big and small cows scattered around the city.  "So many cows, so little time" he sighed sadly to Jan the Fan, who quickly led the little fella to Gulp Fiction https://gulpfictionbooks.com/ to make a considered purchase of a book she'd been hankering after for a while .......

.......  and although a hot drink was free with every book bought from one of the laden tables ......... 

........ time, tide ........ 

........ and the sights of Oxford wait for no man!  

However, despite all our good intentions to take in as much as we could, in the end four pairs of very weary feet had to finally admit defeat ........

....... but what better way of doing that but by unintentionally stumbling upon the house that Edmund Haley first spotted his famous comet from his observatory window .....

...... it was, emotional .........

As too was bidding a fond good night outside our hotel to Jan The Fan at the ebb of the day .......... if only until the next morning. where more adventure awaited.  

Nerves A Jangling, We Finally, Finally, Finally Meet Our No.1 Fan, Jan The Fan ......

I can't tell you of the raw emotional that thronged The Towers last night as we made our final preparations to meet our No.1 Fan, Jan the Fan in Oxford. We couldn't sleep, we couldn't eat, we couldn't really do anything.  Alice, bless her,  tried her best to soothe us with some camomile and blue cornflower tea, but sadly we were all too wound up to feel any of its calming benefits.

So, after what can only be described as a tempest tossed sleep, all we wanted to do first thing this morning was don our carefully curated outfits and get to the  station, even if we were two and a half hours early!

And then, once on board we found ourselves lost in our own thoughts, of a dream that had been such a long time in the making, thanks to flipping Covid!  Due to staff shortages there wasn't a tea trolley, buffet service to help quelle our burgeoning nerves, perhaps fortuitous in a way, because with all our shaking, we were hardly capable of holding a paper cup (double walled or not) full of steaming hot GWR coffee, so we sucked on Darrell's mint imperials instead. What are we like?

After a journey of about an hour, followed by a short walk from the station across to The Royal Oxford Hotel, there she was, sat sitting, waiting for us in the Olive Branch cafe and restaurant ......... she knew us instantly and we knew her ........

...... it was ....... E    M     O    T    I   O    N   A   L  !  What more can I say?

OMG, there was Jan the Fan, in real life, it wasn't a dream, she really, really really was there, in all her real personage. Let's just say there was very little said in those first five minutes or so, just manly, unabashed and heartfelt sniffs, a little wiping away of tears and a lot of hand holding, cupping of faces and dare I say cuddles. 

Oooooops, here I go again, my apologies, I'm so so sorry, but I'm beginning to fill up anew at the memory of the awe and wonder of that pivotal moment in our lives. I think I had best stop here ......... I promise there'll be more tomorrow, but for now I just need a little time to gather myself, please bare bear with me ...........

Oxford Bound To Meet Our No.1 Fan, Jan The Fan .......

Oh my goodness me, you just won't believe the palpable and tangible excitement that is thronging uncontrollably throughout The Towers today, because, tomorrow, we are going to meet, for the very, very, very first time our beloved No.1 Fan, Jan the Fan after goodness knows how many years of online friendship.  

It's been a long time coming, but now we are on the very final leg of our preparations.  We're meeting and staying over in Oxford, so our hotel was booked by Darrell a little while ago. It's described as having 17th character and charm with modern comforts, how romantic does that sound?

Our seats have been securely secured and reserved on the Paddington train for first thing in the morning   ........

...... as have our tickets for the Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing bus with audio guide in 14 languages (Nigel says he wants to try them all) and where we are hoping to get seats all together, on the top deck, so we can get a good view over walls into historical grounds and gardens and through the odd window or balcony or two. 

Nigel was charged with finding a small gift or two for our beloved friend, let's just say the boy dun gud, finding two tiny, ceramic donkeys which are perfect, as Jan the Fan has a very strong affinity to said beautiful animals.

And finally, we need to pack, Darrell has been fretting about what to wear for weeks now .........

...... however, I've suggested we all go for a formal yet casual vibe, to wit our best bib and tucker t-shirts and Nigel his Buckingham Palace attire, as befitting meeting someone of a very special type nature.

I'm not sure whether any of us will be able to get much sleep tonight due to an excess of exhilaration and anticipation, mixed in with a little trepidation and inevitable impatience, but you can be sure that as soon as we land and finally rendezvous at the Olive Branch Cafe, you'll be the first to know, but you can be absolutely sure that it'll be a roller coaster of rife and naked emotion (but with our clothes on).

Demure And Mindful

Jumping on the "demure" trend/buzzword, started by beauty influencer Jools Lebron .........

..... if there was anyone who epitomises the very essence of demure and mindfulness ........

....... it has to be our very own, much beloved and fragrant Alice .........

...... the word was invented for her, nuff said! 

Pets Of A Non Edible Nature Mr D .......

The sale of a few baby Guinea pigs in Evesham has come to Nigel's astute attention .......

 ...... not that he would be ever be allowed to keep one Chez Towers, what with its bijouxality and Darrell being a martyr to his various allergies of a fur type nature .......

..... but he was still very thankful that our much beloved and without fail, daily commenter Mr D is safely ensconced in far away Mexico ........

...... because the said Mr D, on his many world wide adventures has been known to look upon such cute, cuddly and squeaky creatures as a valuable source of protein, not that there would be that many to the pound and we would imagine quite bony ..........

There is even, we understand a mural in the cathedral in Cusco that depicts Jesus and his disciples eating guinea pig at the Last Supper ........

https://steemit.com/@jennwyant

........ all of which, for poor Nigel, is just tooooooooooooooooooo awful to contemplate, even if Jesus did give us Christmas! So no, Mr D, before you even ask, the little fella won't be phoning to enquire whether they would consider posting abroad!  

Darrell's New Loo Go To .......

As you know, Darrell is very particular when it comes to all household chores and it also has to be said that he really does love and appreciate a good cleaning product to help lift the load and make any task that bit easier  .......

...... and so, with the gradual change of the seasons, he's been casting a careful eye over The Towers sanitary fittings, in particular the loos. 

Now as a household of three erm...... gentlemen, we have to admit that at times our aim isn't what it could/should be, if you know what I mean and with the ever fragrant Alice spending so much time in our company, we certainly don't want to be found wanting in certain departments ..........

...... so Darrell, with this very much in mind, decided to make a considered purchase and ordered a pack of Calsolve from ebay!  Let's just say he was more than thrilled by it's performance. "OMG, this stuff" he informed us after it's first usage " ......could strip the paint from a rusty battle ship from 100 yards!" and that was only with the smallest of doses!

Soooooooo, one very happy bunny, keeping our reputation of a hygienic type nature in tact and the lovely Alice none the wiser!!  What are we like?

A Random Biscuit Review - Unicorn Sandwiches

We know not where hence forth these biscuits originally came from or what they even cost (it wont have been a lot). They must have been a random and obviously not very considered purchase, when one of us was out and about mooching and caught our eye.

However, it would be rude not to review them, even without a history ..... so today, before us, we have a pack of Eat N'Joy Unicorn Sandwiches ..... with, looking at the packaging, enough E numbers in the pink biscuit base to keep Nigel bouncing for a week!

Inside the outer wrapper we found four smaller packets, a most excellent idea to save on wastage, should we not wish to open/eat them all in one go and so alleviating any risk of them going stale.

On opening one of the small packages, they were indeed, as suspected, very pink but, on the other hand, I would say they were the perfect size to pop in your mouth in one go if you so wished, leading to less crumbage!!

The cream filling, we have to say was on the exceptionally measly side and therefore found to be wanting!

However, we did like the subtle strawberry aroma and flavour of the biscuits themselves.

Sooooooo, after some deliberation, the score on the door, on our world famous Richter Scale of Noms for said Unicorn Sandwiches is an acceptable eight strawberries short of a full punnet, losing one point for the filling and we thought they could have been a little more on the crispier and crunchier side for our discerning palates.  Would we buy them again? Perhaps not, but we've kept the other three packets aside for when Alice pops round for her elevenses, as pink  really is her colour!  What are we like?

Evesham's Likely League

This months copy of Evesham's free magazine has yielded little of interest this month, unless, of course, your ears are in need of a good syringing, have an avid interest in vintage sports car racing or want your oven cleaning, although I do believe Darrell is seriously contemplating such a task later on in the year, rather than getting his large soaking bags out, because, to be honest, spending an afternoon on his hands and knees, wielding his Mr Muscle to get ours in pristine condition no longer holds much thrall, no matter how exciting the occassion for which it's being prepared, in this case our Christmas dinner! 

But I digress, what did catch my eye was the opportunity to win £2,000 in February 2025 by partaking in Evesham's Football's Likely League.

Now, I will admit to being a total stranger to the beautiful game, but  £2,000 would come in very nicely towards a Greek Odyssey or two, one perhaps later in the year? Well, it would be rude not to especially as entry was free.

Sooooooo, said form was duly filled out without no clue as to what I was doing, putting each of the 20 runners and riders in the position I thought they would end up at end of the season.

Once complete, I put the form safely in a stamped envelope, now on the side, waiting for Nigel to post when he nips out later.

I now need to forget all about it until next February when the results will be announced and if we should win, you, naturally, will be the first to know to share in our joy!!!!