Don't Panic Mr Mainwaring .............

Oh dear ....... I think I may have rather embarrassed myself this morning, letting my imagination run riot, before I'd engaged my brain.

I was embracing the little fresh air in our communal garden, when I noticed several patches of a shocking pink substance scattered hither and thither, but it was only when I noticed that our beloved squirrels Boris and Carrie and their little brood Wilfred and Romy tucking in unfettered that I panicked.

What if these piles were a noxious, rodent deterrent, totally unsuitable for the likes of Boris and family?  How could I live with myself if anything unthinkable happened to them, so early on in a new year?

It was then that I started running around the garden, arms flapping wildly, shouting "Shooooo, shoooo, shoooo, stay away, stay away" at the top of my voice, only for the new gentleman on the ground floor (with the lovely blue hair), opening his window and asking what on earth was the matter and was I all right?

I gave a good account of myself, only for him to burst out laughing, assuring me that said florescent, pink stuff was premium brand, Dawn Chorus berry suet pellets, which he, himself, personally had put out for the birds, explaining that his New Years resolution was to feed our garden wildlife more this year, especially at this time of year, when food was short on the ground and being pink they would easily be able spot it!  With that, I'm pretty sure I turned as bright pink as the pellets.

I'm just glad that I didn't actually collect a few pieces for Tom the Scientist to cross examine in his state of the art laboratory, under stringent hypothetical conditions, that would have been just too mortifying for words.  I returned to The Towers with my tail between my legs, asking Darrell if he could fix me one of his extra strong coffees, keeping a low profile for the rest of the day!  What am I like?

Strangers To A Lido

When a pile of "Wychavon News", (encompassing the Wychavon area) is dropped in our communal foyer, it would be rude not to take one to peruse, to be honest, making a pleasant change from our usual copy of "The Vale".

I'll be honest, the Evesham pages were a bit same old, same old .......

..... however, I have to admit, we've been total strangers to the nearby lido in Droitwich Spa for all the time we've been in Evesham, apart from parking outside once when it was closed, so my interest was piqued!  

This could be a wonderful day out in the summer with our beloved niece and nephew we've totally overlooked ....... even in its present form, it looks stunning, all white, art deco buildings, a large expanse of clear blue water and fountains.

Needless to say, whatever they decide to do in the end to improve it's facilities, we really need to go for a dip when it's all finished.

...... especially as none of us has ever experienced the lido ideal before, it sounds soooooo wonderfully old fashioned and romantic of a summertime, water borne nature and a bit great Gatsby!!!

The only other article that caught my interest was one on local apples, of which and I quote, Worcestershire has twenty eight varieties, five of which are linked to Wychavon .....

 .... to wit, Betty Geeson, Chatley's Kernel, Gwendolen, Lord Hindlip and Martin Nonpareil!  Now, that would be something, having an apple named after you, though I'm not sure we'd be able to find any of these in the local Tesco, Lldl or even Waitrose ...... perhaps we should start visiting a few more farm shops instead!

New Times For Nigel

 Oh dear, "new" times for Nigel .......

.......with a resultant quandary!

This morning he had his six monthly dental check up and scrape and polish and was naturally really looking forward to catching up with his very most favourite hygienist in all the world, Jo ...........

..... so, as per usual, found himself sat sitting expectantly by the stairs waiting for Jo to call him up......

..... but then, all of a sudden his name was called by a unfamiliar voice, to a new room whose portal Nigel never passed through before, on the other side of the room, rather than up those steps!  Nigel confessed his heart sank  where was his beloved Jo?

The new lady, Sachee, confirmed that she was indeed new because Jo was up to her eyeballs in work, so, if it was all right with the little fella, she would be looking after him today!  Slightly crestfallen, Nigel knew it would be simply rude to clamp his jaws shut and not embrace Sachee's polishing skills, so offered up his prized gnashers and let her do her work.

Half an hour later he was done.  Nigel was impressed.  Sachee had been very gentle, he didn't feel a thing and made sure the suction machine was doing its job, so he didn't find himself politely, silently gargling.

The quandary was afterwards, when he was booking his next appointment, when the receptionist asked if he was happy to book with the same people again (Claire being his dentist) and without thinking he said yes. He didn't want to hurt Sachee's feelings, especially after his/her first, very successful inaugural clean, but then again he'd also wanted to see Jo again, after all, she knew his mouth like the back of her hand, after all these years!

Life is sometimes soooooo complicated he mused when he got home, but resolved to ask if Jo might be free when it came to booking his next appointment after the booked one and then, perhaps, alternate between Jo and Sachee in the future, so he could have the best of both worlds!?!?

What is he like?  

An Odysseyless Year ........

Well, with Darrell full and robustly au fait and tres familiar with all the machinations of our new laptop, he's finally been able to announce that he's secure and happy enough to book "our" next summer sojourn.

However, you probably won't quite believe this, but after goodness knows how many years of an annual Greek Oddity, we're entering a new era of foreign climes, which finds us embracing the delights of Viva Espana in 2025!

Sadly, this year, our beloved Greek Isles have priced themselves out of our (European) budget, what with all the extras, i.e. air con, sun loungers and brollies, safes and local taxes, so Darrell was forced to look in new directions in order to get a better buck for our money, hence the beckoning of Majorca to it's shores. Though we're sad to bid farewell (hopefully only temporarily) to Greece, we are now very excited at the prospect of experiencing a new cuisine, language, culture and supermarket experience, as well as the obligatory sun, sand, sea and fresh exotic cocktails.

But, there's more, because it's only going to be Darrell and my own good self doing the embracing of a Spanish type nature ........ 

.......I know, shock, horror......., because this time round Nigel will be staying home with Alice ......

........ however, fear not, they will be off, together ........ on a sunshine holiday of a lifetime towards the end of the year and let me tell you, if Nigel doesn't burst before then, I'll be very, very surprised.  More details later, as there are one or two things still to iron out before we divulge all....... so watch this space! 

Look What We Found, As Recommended By Seaside Karen ........

It may have taken a little while, but look what Nigel finally found in Home Bargains, after a tip off from Seaside Karen a couple of weeks ago .......

....... only, as highly recommended by our beloved Karen, as a substitute for Milky Bar hot chocolate, Galaxy white hot chocolate!!! 

Needless to say, a considered purchase was duly made by the little fella, not quite clearing the shelf because it would be rude not to consider other peoples wants, but, he said, it was very tempting!  Happy nom nom days.

A Perfect Fit

It was emotional chez Towers, when the tea cosy Nigel had bought as a treasured memento from JellyPickleJam was out of the wash, dry and ready to try on our best vintage teapot 

It had been well used, but that, for us, was all very much part of the magic of our many memories.

How many times, we wondered, had we been served with it when we've shared the odd pot or two of Rosy Lee at said JPJ over the years?

Needless to say, it was the most perfect fit .........

....... guaranteed to keep our customary afternoon refreshment piping hot for many a year to come, as well as become the stuff of many a family legend...... over scones, Swiss roll, iced fancies and the odd sausage roll .......

........ the little fella had "dun gud" and chosen well, very, very, very well indeed!

Sad Goodbyes And Fond Memories .

Sadly, one of our very most favourite ports of call for lunch in Evesham, especially when our beloved niece and nephew were in tow, JellyPicklesJam has now closed, allowing the owner, Lisa, to move on to exciting pastures new.

..... however, with the prospect of being able to buy a memento or two from said teashop, it would have been rude not to say a last, fond farewell to a place we've all loved and visited from when Iris was just a few months old.  A place filled with magic, with it's bird cages, circus top draped ceiling, individual, vintage cups, saucers, plates and teapots, decoupaged tables and chairs, a comfy sofa for nattering and knitting on and quirky bits and pieces filling the walls.  

So, armed with a card and a few "thank you" trinkets for all those happy memories, Nigel popped in for one last, lingering time .......

....... in the hope of being able to find one of Lisa's handknitted tea cosies, one, fingers crossed, he would recognise as having kept warm one of our many pots of tea during the years.

I am happy to report that he did (now in the wash, pictures later).  There were also so many other familiar and beautiful things that have also played parts in our visits, and, believe me, Nigel would have bought them all, but he had to be sensible.

  ....... he was sure they would find new homes with many of Lisa's other loyal customers, but it was emotional ......

..... especially when reading the menu board for the very last time, something we'd all pondered and mused upon over the years.  Iris always asked for a sausage roll with salad and a coke,  Bertie a dinosaur shaped jam sandwich, with crudities and crisps and a chocolate milkshake, while we varied our choice, once even partaking in a glorious, celebratory afternoon tea for one of Darrell's birthdays!

Then, it was time for one, final heartfelt hug and a last thank you for soooooooooooooooooo many wonderful memories, even a visit to the loo, down the rainbow stairs, was magical for the little ones, with its Alice In Wonderland theme. Nigel also promised to keep in touch, via Facebook, so that Lisa could continue to watch I and B grow up.  There were chocolate gifts too.

It is indeed the end of an era, the teashop now has new owners, we will pop in and no doubt review and who knows, perhaps it'll become just as beloved as JPJ xxxxxxx.

Forever In Our Hearts

Snowdrops were always Granny Shelia's very most favourite flowers, every year we would always buy her small bunches or flowering pots of bulbs, especially around her birthday. 

And now they are starting to bloom again .......

...... leaving us in no doubt that she is and will always be constantly in our hearts and watching over us wherever she may be.  We feel her kind, guiding hand in everything we do,  we miss her soooooooo much.

More Hedgehog Graffiti To Come?

Nigel was passing "our bridge" yesterday afternoon and thought it looked as if there had been a few more artistic developments there within underneath.

So, it would have been rude not to take a close look. It wasn't much ........

...... a bit of "colouring in" of an aerosol type nature, to what had already been started a few weeks before ........

...... plus, a very possible new incarnation of yet another hedgehog, all be it one with a very droopy nose and in what looked like to be in somewhat of a hurry, in Nigel's growing graffiti expert opinion.

An undoubted work in progress, to be followed closely!

However, "the tag", Nigel mused, currently leaves an awful lot to be desired, so, it will be interesting to see if our resident, local graffitist can bring it back from the precipice of indecipherest disaster!

February Ticks

We're half way through February and we've already got a few ticks on our Bucket List Calendar.  This being the month of love, there's quite a few suggestions of a romantic, loving and fun type nature for us all to embrace here at The Towers.

We got one everso slightly wrong, as we read it as take a picture "of" a loved one, when it really read "with", but as you know pedantic isn't a word rich in our familial vocabulary, we're too easy going! 

So, Darrell took a picture of me .......

..... I took a picture of Nigel .........

...... Nigel took a picture of Alice .......

..... and finally Alice took a picture of Darrell.  What are we like?

We have also bought flowers for ourselves, Darrell and I have learned to say "I love you" in Spanish "Te amo" as it seemed the easiest and watching a romantic comedy with a mahooooosive box of chocolates is certainly be on the cards before the month is through.  Oh, happy and glorious February days, with still more to come!