Christmas In August?

 Oh, heaven help us all .......

....... I don't think any of us can keep development this hidden from the little fella for too long ......

...... but, it would appear that our local Sue Ryder shop has started to ramp up for the festive season a little early this year, even for our usually enthusiastic taste ......

 ....... with a window and small table inside ..........

...... dedicated to the season of good will to all men, festooning and gay apparel!

Perhaps, it's to clear out their store room of old stock, before new donations come in, as people open up their cupboards later on, with thoughts of replacing old decorations with new etc .......

However, can you imagine the impact this is going to have on young Nigel, he's going to think they've done this especially for him, because this year he and the ever fragrant Alice should be in America, to wit Dunedin in Florida, during the lead up to said celebrations .......

....... goodness only knows what he'll be bringing home and begging for from now on, in order to still be yuletide ready ......... despite his absence! 

We'd Prefer To Be Strangers To Long Lartin.

It goes without saying that the ever fragrant Alice is a lady who should always be surrounded by fresh flowers and we, as true gentlemen, whenever possible, like to try to keep her well topped up as far as domestic bloomage is concerned.

However, the ever fragrant one couldn't help but notice that the hedgerows along our road and river are currently abundant with the most beautiful flowers growing unfettered and wild  .......

 ...... and so has been erm ........

..... availing herself of the odd bloom or two, or three ........

..... or four, well, she reasoned it would be rude not to!

However, Darrell being Darrell was a little worried, as he's heard of people getting into some pretty deep trouble for picking daffodils and bluebells, so to save Alice (our us) from any hefty fines (to wit £5,000) and persecution prosecution, he's genned up on the Countryside Laws, not wishing for us ever to find ourselves needing the services of the Evesham bus to Long Lartin! 

So far, he thinks she's pretty safe as she hasn't actually uprooted anything or picked anything of a protected type nature or ventured onto anyone's private land, but the thought of our lovely Alice in shackles, forced to eat gruel, behind prison bars is a thought too much to bear, so Darrell has very kindly offered to accompany her, should she feel the want to forage for wild foliage etc anytime soon, keeping  keep her on the strait and narrow and the right side of the law.  What is he like? 

Foraging On The Towers Bank

As you know Evesham is well famous for it's plums .........

...... and yesterday, I decided to inspect the trees on the bank, outside our window, to see if our trees had yielded, this being the season of le plum ......

....... and low and behold, they had indeed, not in huge abundance (at the moment) .......

...... but more than enough to supplement our rigid 5 a day routine for free, over the next few weeks, which has to be a bonus.  They are small, perfectly formed, sweet and flavoursome, what more can a forager ask? 

I suppose, it goes without saying, that the particularly tempting looking plums, in full flush as it were, are up high and/or out of reach on the steep bank, I'll try level best  to reach as many as I can, but what I can't, without putting myself in peril, I'll leave  for the birds.

We all love this time of year, especially Eric, who never fails to come home without a little something plucked on his way back from the school run.  I don't suppose the blackberries will be too far behind, Darrell is already thinking about clearing a bit of space in his carefully curated freezer to accommodate a crumble or two!! What are we like?

AND It's NOT Just Eric .....

Following on from Friday, we thought that it was only Eric, who on his many travels around Evesham has taken in the legend that is IKH (I Know Hedgehog) .........

 ...... but it seems that he is not the only one, as the aforesaided IKH has now made it onto the local pages on Facebook.

Although in this case, not in the usual, expected guise of IKH's "famed" iconic hedgehogs, but having seemingly diversified in what appears to be a cat and possibly pig type form? We think there's also a birthday greeting in there with a be-iced cake?

We haven't, as of yet, located where it is in real life, on first glimpse we thought it might be under "our" very own bridge, but on this occasion, surprisingly, it's not.......

When we do however find it, hopefully without the need for questions to be asked in Parliament on a slow debate day, as always, you'll be the very first to know! 

We Thought It Had Gone A Bit Quiet .....

We thought it'd been a bit quiet on the IKH (I Know Hedgehog) front of late.......

..... however, when Eric took a little stroll under "our" bridge .......

...... to check out the marina's new moorings .......

......what did he also go and find?

Only those all to familiar, immortal initials ......

...... accompanied by , you've guessed it .......

...... a depiction of Evesham's, all too common, flipping hedgehog ......

...... and, to be perfectly honest, not one of the artists finest! 

But that wasn't the end of it, because as Eric continued his circuit, encompassing the bridge from the opposite side .....

..... what did the little fella stumble upon daubed on the iron fence protecting the scrapyard? 

You've guessed it ......... yet another hedgehog or mused Eric, perhaps a very rough and basic lion????   It was hard to tell, but the odds from past experience Sherlock would most likely lead to the former.

 

When/where will it all end, poor Eric pondered aloud, surely there can't be many more blank "canvases" left in Evesham for the friend(s) of Hedgehog to embellish?

A Holiday Experience At Home?

Would you believe, upon our return home to The Towers, it's only flipping Spanish Week at Lidl ........

..... and to celebrate Darrell and I being back in the bosom of our family, it would have been rude for Eric not to participate and avail us of  ........

...... a box of mini chocolate filled churrus, bless his little cotton socks! 

Let's just say it was emotional, just being able to share a little of our Eviva Espania Experience with him and Alice in almost real life! 

Said churros slipped down exceptionally easily, very easily indeed, which gave Darrell another idea for our festive celebrations this year (????, well, you know our Darrell, he loves a plan) ........ to go with our very carefully curated and safely put away bottle of Sangria!  I have a strong feeling in my waters that our jubilations will have a taste of the exotic about them this year ....... even if it is really too early to even contemplate at the moment!

To Quote The Late Great David Soul ........"Don't Give Up On Us Baby"

Eric and the ever fragrant Alice have gallantly done a sterling job with Richard, Darrell's beloved amaryllis, while we've been away ......

....... but sadly, upon our return, it was obvious that "he" was struggling to keep hold of his very last trumpet for Darrell.

Their reunion was ............ emotional.

They'd been together for sooooooooo much longer than anyone had ever expected and, it has to be said, Richard had given of his finest ......

...... but it was evident, for all to see, that from the state of his now withered bulb, Richard could give no more. 

Darrell knew what he had to do, so gently, out of sight, he administered his final act of kindness, removing Richard's once proud stem, then putting him, once more, in a dark cupboard. Though his bulb appeared totally depleted, Darrell isn't giving up on Richard, when he can get hold of some compost, he's going to repot his dear friend in the silent hope that perhaps, if he doesn't put any stress on him at all, Richard just might bloom again.  

Many's A Mallorcan Comestible Review Ahead

Oh my goodness, Darrel and I are now home, safe in the warm, embracing bosom of our family once more, it was emotional!

Our carefully selected fridge magnets have been hung in the manor born, in curated type manner by Darrell .....

 ...... and our bundle of much considered comestibles admired, stroked and mulled over by the ever fragrant Alice and Eric ...... 

...... including a bag of huge watermelon ball type confectionary, our beloved Risketos snacks, Filipinos biscuits, traditional Spanish nougat and some pistachio cornet, biscuit treats, well, it would have been rude not too .......

....... all ripe and beckoning for insightful review in the coming weeks/months, on those slow news days when nothing much is happening. Happy, happy times with, hopefully, much appreciative nomming and outstanding world famous Richter Scale scores ahead!  What are we like?

At Last ..... For Our Final, Final Spanish Breakfast

What can I say, except our patience paid off, when we finally found churros being served for our very last breakfast on Spain soil ....... it was emotional!

Needless to say, we helped ourselves of a very ample portion, it would have been rude not to, especially when who knows when we'll ever be able to experience them again in their homeland .....

..... and this despite our pre-flight tummy flutters, when we usually prefer to be quite sparing in our comestible consumption, however, this was an exceptional circumstance, in which sacrifices had to be made ........ 

...... but with Darrell very sensibly opting out of an après holiday weigh in, on the scales in the hotel foyer. 

Then, before we knew it, we found ourselves on the transfer bus, taking a long, last, lingering look back at our hotel and resort  ......

..... before sitting back, lost in companionable silence, each with our memories of a glorious holiday ......

....... and wondering whether, in time, we'll return to Spanish climes again, perhaps introducing Nigel and Alice to all it's pleasures ......

 ...... or will our beloved Greek Isles lure us back.

It all seems such a long way away at the moment, we just need to get back to the bosom of  our family and The Towers first ........  and then see perhaps what the future will bring.