A Beach To Themselves

Bless them, once they'd partaken in their inaugural Prestatyn caravan breakfast, it goes without saying that the ever fragrant Alice and Nigel headed straight for the beach ......

 ..... which was just a five minutes walk, if that, away, no wonder the waves had sounded so close last night.  Let's just say it did not disappoint.

It was absolutely glorious in a nippy, mid winters type way  ........

...... made all the more wonderful because they had the four mile stretch to themselves, there wasn't another person in sight, it was, I am told, emotional.  

No holey stones, though searched for and sadly no paddling, as Nigel's ears were still ringing with Darrell's forebodings of non-freezing cold injury, to wit, chilblains, before they had left The Towers. Nigel, it seems, would prefer to remain very much a stranger to cocooning, the old fashioned treatment for said malady, using Friars Balsam and cotton wool, funny fella!

Instead, they just sat in companionable silence for a little while taking it all in, embracing the peace and solitude, fresh air and the hot chocolate Alice had thoughtfully bought with them in a flask, before sharing memories of winter holidays past and their plans for the next few days ahead ............. happy days!

The Perfect Start To End And Start Of A New Month

When you're offered a cheeky few days away by the sea, well, it would be just plain rude not to accept  ......

..... which is how we find the ever fragrant Alice and the little fella embracing the charms of Prestatyn together for a few days.

They tell me they're in a lovely, cosy caravan, on a small site, so near to the sea they can hear the romantic lapping of waves, although they can't actually see it, but they've been told that its less than a five minute walk away.

Nigel says they've already established a caravan routine, to wit a bathroom rota, with Nigel giving Alice first dibs, as, he reasoned, one so fragrant is obviously going to spend a bit more time titivating themselves that his good self in certain self care departments .

It goes without saying that Alice has certainly packed a lot more interesting looking aromatic creams and potions than Nigel, but while she's preparing herself for the day, girlie style, Nigel says he'll use the time to tidy up and set the table for breakfast etc.

Alice has volunteered to do the cooking, although I think it'll just be a matter of pinging the microwave, as Darrell sent them off with a very fulsome basket of delicious meals and snacks from the freezer that he'd already had all pre-prepared.

And then, I believe, Alice will wash up (Darrell also packed a pair of rubber gloves for such occasions, to help protect Alice or Nigel's hands from the rigours of the soap sud and the odd spot of grease, what on earth is he like?), while Nigel dries and puts everything away.  

Oh ...... and each, I am told, is responsible for their own bedroom, so if Nigel loses his socks, it's up to him to find them himself!  

It all sounds wonderfully harmonious and organised.

I'm sure they are going to have a lovely, lovely time as they are such good friends, first port of call, once they are settled, I believe is the beach.  Happy, happy days! 

Seaside Karen's Spooky Top Tip

After our post about Nigel's new Milky Bar Hot Chocolate obsession, our beloved follower Seaside Karen posted this very spooky and prophetic comment .......

...... because, if not in tub form, Darrell had already found some Galaxy and Malteser white hot chocolate sachets in B M Bargains for the little fella, to see if they were, in anyway, as good a substitute for the aforesaid Milky Bar.

And, yes, Nigel was indeed a happy little bunny, because although it wasn't quite there, Milky Bar being quite a unique flavour chocolate, both varieties proffered still hit a certain spot!

And also, on Seaside Karen's fulsome recommendation, the very next time we are found embracing the pleasures of Worcester, we shall certainly be paying a visit to Hotel Chocolat, ordering their white chocolate quaffable confection options ........

........ and if it passes muster, no doubt a considered, if expensive, purchase will be made!  Many thanks Karen for your most expert, chocolaty insights, Nigel's quest to find the perfect white hot chocolate continues, just like Sir Lord Alan Sugar's search for a new business partner!!! (The Apprentice starts BBC 1, 30th January).  What are we like? 

Bubble Tea Anyone?

As you might have known, Young Master Bertie has a real fascination for the making of tea and by way of encouraging such interests, Alice treated the little fella to a very simple Bubble Tea Kit .........

...... thinking that if he was suitably impressed, it might, perhaps, lead on to a trip to a real bubble tea shop, to again, broaden his quaffing horizons ........

........ as it was a subject they had spoken of before with great enthusiasm.

After all instructions were duly digested and followed, it was all quite simple, Alice just had to supervise the initial boiling of water for the tea brewing process.

Alice wasn't too sure about the tapioca pearls, saying that when she was small she used to call school tapioca pudding "gubby lumps" or "frog spawn", however, these tropical flavoured ones, in her opinion, looked much more inviting.

With said instructions followed to the letter by ever the perfectionist Bertie, how did it all turn out?

Absolutely, blooming lovely, an inspired gift from Alice that is now guaranteed to keep on giving .......

..... because, as they both quickly decided, their next stop just had to be an aforementioned bubble tea shop and all it's unbridled pleasures!  Happy days and new adventures and if we move to April on our Bucket List Calendar for 2025 - a new tea tried (if not herbal) ......... so TICK!!!!  What are we like, if well ahead of ourselves!!!!

Milky Bar Hot Chocolate

Heaven help us, while we were away in Christchurch over Christmas, Nigel found the hot chocolate of his wildest dreams, to wit, Milky Bar Hot Chocolate, with a small, milky bar chocolate on the side. He says he hasn't stopped dreaming about it since ....... every single night, he says, it comes to haunt him! What on earth is he like?

Darrell and I have promised him we'll phone the coffee shop in question to see if it's something that's available for the ordinary man on the street to buy, sadly it wasn't!  Our other research has lead us to believe that it was originally available in Australia and New Zealand, cost £9 for a box of ten sachets (???????) and is currently out of stock on all the sites we've looked, however, we've left our details to be alerted should it be re-stocked, such is our love for the little fella.

Thank goodness he savoured it for all he is worth in real life, as he might have to wait an awful long time before he can enjoy its pleasures again, especially as trips, every weekend, to Christchurch are not an option! 

Not On Our Bucket List Calendar

Now, although you would have expected that painting a picture/work of art would have been one of the activities suggested on our bucket list calendar for 2025 ........

....... surprisingly, it isn't .........

...... but, that hasn't stopped the ever fragrant Alice, who has harboured a long felt want to "paint" for quite a while now ........

...... however finding the idea of being faced with an open blank canvas in real life a little daunting, she thought she would ease herself in gently with a paint by numbers set.

She's thrilled with the results so far but she's not going to rush it, as she says, she's finding some of the smaller numbers a touch on the challenging side to differentiate .......

....... so she's going to leave them until she can get a pair of magnifying/reading glasses from Home Bargains to see if they will make things a little easier, as squinting isn't really a very good look!

Hmmmmmmm, I think she might look even more alluring in specs!!!!  What am I like?

Nigel Finds ........ No Civic Duty Required ..........

It seems that we, well, the road leading to our estate, has, yet again, become a dumping ground for the unwanted, but this time for something a little more substantial than the odd tyre or shopping trolley .........

...... to wit one travelling caravan ............

..... in well passed it's sell by date state!

Nigel did admit to coming over a little whimsical, thinking of all the stories said caravan could tell of its previous owners and adventures, remembering all our many happy caravan sojourns over the years, but seeing it's very sad, unsalvageable condition, it was a million miles away from Nigel's romantic idylle.

Naturally, we would have done our civic duty and reported it, but fortunately, on this occassion, someone had got there before us .........

 ...... a notice for its destruction had been posted on the front window, should it not  be claimed within the next two days, though I think it's pretty doubtful now that anyone would really come to redeem it or even erm....... steal it? 

It's always a running joke with Nigel and I that Darrell likes to go round our holiday caravans (and hotels) to appreciate the artwork within, however, it seems that the artwork from this one will be going the same way!

So, we're only a couple of weeks or so into 2025, goodness only knows what Nigel will just "happen upon" during the coming the year, hopefully nothing quite so large or wantonly abandoned as this, especially as Darrell is a little wary of gaining a reputation with the council for being a serial reporter of discarded flotsam. He really doesn't want questions to be asked in Parliament.  What is he like? 

Hedgehog Revision?

We're only a few of weeks in, but I've got a spooky sort of feeling that 2025 is going to be a very odd sort of year, to wit .......

..... in the wake of our recent post (13th January) when Nigel found new hedgehog graffiti under our bridge, followed by our subsequent critique of said art work, I'm wondering if "the friends of hedgehog" are now trailing us .......

....... as it seems that they have indeed returned to add highlights to their art work, thus making Hedgehog a little more recognisable, if still a little jowly!

It's hard to know what to think .........

...... especially when pondering the panda/hedgehog connection.

We suspect that the artists will also be back again ........ as they appear to have some toadstools left to finish too!  Where will it all end? 

Here We Go Again .......

 Well, we've got our new laptop, it needed to be done .......

....... but have to honest, it's scaring the living daylights out of Nigel and I!

It's all set up, very, very slowly, carefully and meticulously by Darrell, accompanied by me watching and making notes ......... 

....... and we think everything we need is all there, but a few in different places ......

....... but even the simplest of tasks don't feel as if they're quite flowing at the moment. 

Nigel says he's not going to touch it for the time being and if we don't mind, he'll leave it all to Darrell if that's ok,  bless him ......

Darrell says it'll probably take a touch more patience for the next little while, but when he says he's just booked our next holiday, we'll know he's got it back to pat!

 What would we do without him?  

N.B. Holidays???????? Oooooooo, though a little apprehensive, I'm very excited at the mention, obviously Darrell has a plan!