New Years Eve 2024

Well, you find us safely, ensconced back at home, but leaving Christchurch and the coast behind was emotional, sweet sorrow .......

..... on the very cusp of 2025 and to be honest, you find us at a very different end and start to a year from our usual celebrations .........

...... because for the very first time, there's going to be no annual, traditional sleepover with our beloved niece and nephew. We've been sooooooo very lucky to have had them all to ourselves, on this special day/night, for so many wonderful years, but it really was inevitable that one year they would be extended another sort of festive invitation ....... 

...... and after we all got to be by the sea this Christmas with the ever fragrant Alice, we can only be thrilled that they will be spending their own New Year in Salcombe, Devon, in a house with spectacular views, within a few feet of the beach.

Just how romantic will it be for them to go on a different sort of midnight walk, to the watch, oooohing and ahhhing, as a milliard of fireworks burst forth on the stroke of twelve, to reflect in the sea, with the waves gently lapping their little wellies, as they sip hot chocolate made in a flask, seeing in a new year of wonderful and as of yet unknown adventure.  We'll miss they desperately, but we've sent them off with a mahoooosive bundle of sparklers, to add to the magic and excitement and hopefully a thought or two for us.

As for us ...... Alice will be coming round to share in one of Darrell's unbelievable smorgasbords of comestible delights, followed by our own midnight walk to watch the fireworks from "our" park, and sing auld lang syne at the top of our voices, as we look up in awe at them.  Then we'll come back to The Towers for a cheeky cocktail or two to reminisce about the year when Alice came into our lives, look back at all our photos and ponder what wonderous joys 2025 will bring ........

A Lazy Sunday Away

Just a very short post for today .......let's just say we had a very lazy Sunday yesterday, staying close to the pleasures of Christchurch, rather than embrace the sea for a third day onthe trot, especially as it's gone very noticeably nippier........ soooooooooo

..... Alice looked in estate agents windows to dream a while ...........

...... and then browsed some local art photography, still wistfully dreaming.

She and Nigel then tried to go to The Priory for a few moments of contemplative reflection and light a candle or two to remember all those loved ones who are no longer with us......... but sadly, it was very shut!!!????

So, they made do with running "giddy goat" up and round the castle to warm up and keep their circulation going......

........before going for the obligatory cheeky cocktail chez Captains Club at Wick Ferry.  There was more, but we've decided to keep a few things back for when we get home.  Tomorrow, there'll be more sea, a little charity shopping and perhaps a quick nip into the New Forest........ happy, happy days, thank you soooooooo much Santa, you dun unbelievably gud!

Mudeford Quay and Sandbanks At Christmas

All I can say is we all slept like logs last night, all the wonderful sea, sand, fresh air and walking has really hit us in all the right places!

Yesterday, we visited our beloved, tres "posh" Sandbanks ........

...... which we swear was busier than we've ever seen it in the summer and if you didn't have a bounding dog, catching balls left right and centre, you were just not part of the Sandbanks crowd!

We also saw a few hardy swimmers, but as of yet Nigel's toes have remained very much strangers to the briny, bless him!

Alice, one again, embraced every single second of it all ........

....... and though the weather can in no way shape or form be described as bracing, just a little nippy here and there, she still says she's glad she packed an extra vest or two, as it's often quite hard to appear fragrant, whilst trying to stifle a rampant shiver.

We all noted that The Isle of Wight and The Needles looked very romantic and shrouded in mystery in the distance, so perhaps, one day, we'll finally venture from English climes to explore its enticing shores, you never know.

Then, it was off to Mudeford Quay .......

...... for a coffee, mince pie and a few more photo opportunities, already thinking that perhaps one, among all the pictures we've taken, may very well make it as a very different, but memory fuelled Christmas card for 2025.

There's nothing like a little planning ahead is there?  What are we like?

THANK YOU Mr D for your pictures of your festive, underwater adventures with Mrs D, we'll publish them in a post when we get home, as we have many followers who are very curious as to what you actually look like in real life, if surrounded by a flotilla of fish!

We're Here .........

OMG, we're really, really at the sea at Christmas, in real life........

A long, felt, festive want for all of us ........

..... and thanks to our beloved, dear old Santa we're all here, together, one and all!

It goes without saying that yes ......... it was all very emotional, tears were shed, this  was heaven on earth.

Holey stones were picked up almost as soon as our excited feet hit the sand, a true sign that "someone" or "some persons" were, as always, watching over us.

There were people swimming, but Nigel wisely held back, claiming that on such a momentous and special occassion .......

........ it would be rude to peak quite so soon!  

There would be plenty of time later, he was sure.

As for our ever fragrant Alice ........

I don't think any of us have ever seen her more glowing or as happy as today, with so many wishes coming true all at once ......... and it don't get any betterer than that! Santa "dun gud, VERY, VERY gud"! 

Thank You Seaside Karen

While we are otherwise occupied in travelling down to the sea of a Dorset type vicinity, courtesy of Santa, a HUGE, MAHOOOOSIVE "thank you" to Seaside Karen .........

...... whose present we kept back, under the tree, until Christmas evening, to make the anticipation and excitement of the most wonderful day of the year, last just that  little bit longer

It was emotional .......... there were photos of her own Christmas tree, with little bits and pieces we'd sent her over the years and said present  ........

..... which revealed two exquisite coasters, featuring the stunning pier in Lytham St Anne's dans le winter time.

It's absolutely beautiful, one of the most beautiful piers we've ever, ever seen, if not in person, in actual real life ........ and we've seen and been on a few!

Let's just say it got Darrell Googling ......... we've now put it on our bucket list of places in the world to see!  Thank you soooooooo much Seaside Karen and look what you've gone and done!!!!

We're Seaside Bound ......

Well, what can we say, Christmas Day was just too wonderful for words! We breakfasted like kings, went to see what Santa had left our beloved niece and nephew, followed by a stroll along the river to help build up a fulsome and hearty appetite in readiment for Darrell's triumphant Christmas lunch, which, as always, was out of this world. Never has a turkey been so lovingly basted to absolute perfection. His pigs in blankets were second to none and as for his stuffing balls, they'll be legend for many a Christmas to come! As for the brandy infused Christmas pudding ......... let's just say, we're still finding it a little difficult to move around with a modicum of grace and agility!

But, move we must, for we have bags to pack, as we're bound for the sea for the next few days, all thanks to Santa. It's been such a long felt want of all of us that we have to keep on pinching ourselves to make sure it really is finally happening. 

We're actually going to be sat sitting on a beach, in real life, at Christmas, well tomorrow to start with. Whether we'll go for a paddle is another thing, but I'm pretty sure Nigel will be up for it. Will we have festive fish and chips in their paper while we're there? You'd better believe we will, if the chippy is open!

However, we're packing, as you can see, for all eventualities. It's all going to be very emotional, but it goes without saying that we're going to embrace the experience for all it's worth and no doubt some very special holey stones will be found.

We should be back for New Year, we're going to try to post while we're away, if only a few pictures, but if not, we promise to post something on Monday 30th, all being well.

So, in the meantime have a very wonderful, what's left of your own holiday .........  see you very soon .......

It's Christmas Morning 2024........

Oh my goodness, it's finally Christmas morning at long, long last .........

..... and the most wonderful day of the year, where you find us all truly, truly blessed in a limited edition, Hello Magazine, celebrity special, type way.  We've been soooooooooooooooo very, very spoilt!

I can't even tell you how emotional it's been, because Santa has absolutely knocked the snowball right out of the frozen Lapland park!

We'd asked for a shared surprise, but what he left us is almost tooooooooo much, because ......... we're going to be "beside the seaside" for part of the Christmas holiday, a long felt want for all of us, in particular the every fragrant Alice. 

Can you imagine our reaction as we opened Santa's card and read his letter?

He said he knows that until our beloved Iris and Bertie are a little older, we wouldn't ever want to be away from them on Christmas or Boxing Day, BUT, as it's still counted as being Christmas after Boxing Day and before New Year's Eve, he's sending us to our beloved Christchurch in Dorset, first thing on Thursday morning, for three whole days of sand and sea, in a hotel, with wonderful pre-booked meals and cocktails on tap at various locations.  Let's just say we were absolutely and totally overwhelmed and rendered silent for well on five minutes!

Tears shed of happiness and joy were shed, Christmas time by the sea, can it get any better and more wonderful than that?

Once we'd recovered there were lots of other presents to open, like the beautiful box of milk shake making bits and pieces from Jan The Fan, so it will be milkshakes akimbo later on today, probably sometime between lunch and tea and then after tea, inbetween Darrell's festive alchofrolic beverages!  What are we like?

There were hair bedecklements to adorn Alice's silky, soft hair, lot's of chocolates, socks, shower gel, after shave and silly bits and pieces ........

........ and then, Darrell couldn't believe that Nigel had actually managed to smuggle in one of the beautiful bicycle ornaments that had caught soooooo his eye when we were away on our Greek Odyssey back in September. More tears ensued, before he had to pull himself together in order to get our turkey in the oven at the optimum time for maximum succulence!

It's been quite a morning, thank you everyone so much, especially Santa.

We hope yours has been just as wonderful wherever in the world you are.  Have a lovely, lovely day xxxxxx