Well, Someone's Buying Them .....

For all of you who have been wondering as to the status of the vast array of hairdressers mannequins found by the ever fragrant one in Vale Wildlife, our Evesham charity emporium of choice, the other day ......

..... well, it would appear they've been selling at the bargain price of £4.50 per excommunicated head, like proverbial hot cakes, because when I popped into the shop this morning ..... 

...... they are down to the last four.

I have so many questions, that will probably never be answered, like who, why, where and when, to name but a few. I am also just hoping against hope, that Eric didn't catch wind of their availability from Alice, making a considered purchase, to hide under his bed, until finding the perfect occasion to unveil them as " ...... unusual gifts, with endless entertainment possibilities to help fill all those fast approaching dark nights ahead of us"!  I'm scared! 

Darrell's Finds More Kerbside Treasure

It seems that the corner of the old Aldi carpark has become something of a kerbside treasure trove this past couple of weeks .......

...... and yesterday it was again Darrell's turn to be drawn in by it's irresistible lure.

Well, with a burgeoning box of delight to delve of it's pleasures, it would have been rude not to have a cheeky, little mooch and yes, Darrell did return home with plunder .......

..... but leaving the two carrier bags full of romantic novels proffered, unrifled, as they are not our sort of thing, even for Alice, who much prefers a juicy and gossipy royal biography/autobiography every day.

Sooooooo, he bought home a carefully curated, usefully pleasing, yet modest collection of bits and pieces .......

..... to wit ......  three doggy poop bag holders (empty), for Hugh, his best friend and mentor of all things of a canine type nature, one each for when his man that does takes Hugh's three bassets (Hetty, Tilly Watkins and Piccolo) out for their daily walk ......

..... plus the remaining door wedge from a pack of three, something I have to admit we've been desperate for during the season of open windows, the odd summer breeze and resultant slam of doors .......

 ..... and last, but not least, something he was particularly pleased with, two empty jars, the perfect size for his planned pickled onion peeling fest later on in September.  Happy, happy days ...... may the said Aldi car park corner keep on giving for a little while longer.

We Try Home Bargains Pistachio Laica

When you find yet another a new pistachio type chocolate in Home Bargains, well, it would be rude not to give them an expert once over a la Eric and the ever fragrant Alice.

So, a bag of Pistachio Laica was duly purchased for £1.79 for a 95g bag (available from other fine purveyors at varying prices, up to £4.35).

Sometimes, it has to be that that packaging can be deceptive, however in this case  both Eric and Alice were pleasantly surprised by the actual number of chocolates there were in the bag ........

....... but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the all important filling .......

...... where there appeared to be a bit of a discrepancy in the generosity of filling, although there was a little more than our own picture shows as the filling got squashed to the ends of said chocolate when halved by a knife.

But, how did they taste?  While well aware that pistachio is a very subtle flavour, they were disappointed, as the chocolates were overwhelmingly chocolaty in flavour, the pistachio was almost impossible to detect and the chocolate itself tasted a bit on the cheap side, if you know what I mean. Oh and they had expected, being called "praline", there might be a hint of crunch, but this too was sadly lacking. 

Overall, despite this, they felt that for £1.79 they cannot really complain, the chocolates were perfectly palatable and acceptable, but another purchase, one this occasion, unlikely.  

A Whole Motherload Of Bodyless Heads

Well, Alice found a first (for all of us)  in our Evesham charity emporium of choice, Vale Wildlife this morning  ........

.......to wit, a whole shelf full of bodyless, beheaded heads (in the style of Henry VIII), with all manner of unkempt hair and the same lack lustre expression! 

Usually, when we stumble upon a collection of the same sort of thing (elephants, cats, honey pots etc.) we will admit to reverently whispering that someone must have died, but in this case it was more likely that a trainee hairdresser has passed their exams or a salon was having a good chuck out of their training mannequins, having been primped and primed beyond the realms of any successful untanglement procedure.

At £9.50 a head, it was a no brainer for Alice, no considered purchase was made  .....

...... although she did say she couldn't help wondering how many would be left standing when she next popped into the shop and who would be buying them.  As and when we possibly find out, we'll  let you know ......

How Much?

Oh my goodness, now, we're very partial to the odd Scampi Fry or two, or three ......

..... however, with the discovery that they now currently cost 85p, yes, 85p a packet .....

It's unlikely that we'll be making a considered purchase of them anytime in the near (or distant) future, these, unbelievable though it is, are now classed as a luxury comestible item as far as The Towers is concerned, reserved and budgeted for high days and holidays only!  What are we like? 

Of Taste And Sensibility

Eric knows, full well, that at this time of year, after a long, glorious and chilled out summer .......

.....  and on the cusp of autumn

....... Darrell's thoughts are oft turned to uplifting The Towers décor with a possible Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen type makeover, however although the paint now awaits the decorator dans le bain, Darrell is still racked with indecision ......

...... something Eric is currently majorly capitalising on, in CAPITAL letters, in an effort to see how far he can wind up poor Darrell, as far as his (Eric's) outrageous suggestions and questionable taste are concerned!

The little fella has been online and pulling up all manner of over the top bathroom accessories that he's told Darrell he thinks would be absolutely perfect to erm .... elevate said bathroom to almost palatial standards ......

..... all with a dead pan expression, accompanied by a whole raft of cogent arguments in the face of any adversity! 

So far, thank goodness, Darrell isn't having any of it.

Alice and I are just praying that Eric doesn't actually manage to break him ...... otherwise goodness only knows what we'll be faced with when we have to ascend the throne ....... no matter how handy the pockets, intricate the embroidery or delicate the frill.  Heaven help us all!  

If Only We Still Had A Garden ........

The ever fragrant Alice nipped into Home Bargains yesterday and it seems they are having a bit of a sale on the garden front, to make way for all the Halloween and Christmas stuff stored in the back no doubt.

As soon as she entered said establishment, she couldn't help but notice the biggest ornamental hedgehog she had ever seen, reduced to £6.99, a bargain she thought, ....... if only we had a garden.

It had such a cute, let me come home with you type face, certainly not of the haunting type nature we've spotted a few times in various charity emporiums ....

But there was more ........

....... at the end of the aisle, there was another display, this time with £19.99 hedgehogs on offer, which was absolutely humungous, dwarfing the original by at least once, perhaps even by thrice, with the equally appealing, come hither, I could be yours expression.

Poor Alice was sorely tempted, our communal lawn could have been made to look unbelievably adorable and never fail to raise a smile, with the addition of a mummy, daddy and three baby hedgehogs in the corner, especially on those dismal days in the coming months when everything is just grey and dank.  However, rules is rules and a deflated Alice had to steal herself away, as no amount of cuteness, no matter how well intentioned, is worth a cease and desist, forthwith and henceforth letter from our management company, with demands for the immediate removal of! Sometimes, just sometimes, we really, really, really miss our old garden, back in the homeland!

Darrell Finds .......

Well, I have to admit, it's usually Eric who finds treasure or the unusual on his travels, but yesterday it was Darrell's turn .......

...... in the guise of a whole cornucopia of unwanted bits and pieces, marked "free" at the top of the hill, on the way into town.

Thankfully, Darrell was a little more circumspect than Eric, who I'm pretty certain would have tried to haul the whole lot home with him before making any considered choices.

That being said, the only thing that caught Darrell's trained eye and imagination was a huge, wooden Marks and Sparks charger, the likes of which we could never dream of affording to buy new.

It was indeed a magnificent beast, which cleaned up an absolute treat. Darrell says he's got designs for it, he's thinking he might decoupage it with some of the exotic papers he has had put away forever, waiting for such a project .........

...... however, he may leave it as it is until he next visits Hugh, his best friend and mentor of all things of an DIY, ornate, decorative platter type nature to see what he thinks he/they could/would/should do with it.

In the meantime, Eric is champing at the bit to go see what Darrell left behind, heaven help us all! 

Alice's New Top !

Alice treated herself to a new (to her) top, she was absolutely thrilled with it because finding anything in her diminutive, extra small, petite size isn't the easiest of tasks.

It's in dusky pink, with all shades of said colour always being on Alice's radar of fashion choice, even down to her socks and gloves.  To break up the background, there was a sprinkling of very delicate brown leaves, which she thought would be perfect for the autumnal season ahead. It's purchase, it goes without saying, was a no brainer (50p). 

Then, while admiring it, Alice took an even closer look at the pattern, only to find, in between the leaves were ....... tiny hedgehogs!  

It was completely unintentional but poor Alice was then horrified to think that if Eric saw her in it and looked closely, he'd think she was trolling him, what with all the hedgehogs he always seems to find around him.

I've told her not to be silly and embrace it for what it is.  Eric loves her whatever she is wearing and he'll probably just see it as her affinity for his affinity ....... and I have to say, she does look particularly lovely and seasonally pertinent in it to boot........

Darrell Gets The Hint

With our walk up to and back from town ........ 

....... plus the river bank being abundant in berries.....

....... and all manner of plum variety  ......

.

Darrell says he has a fizzy sort of spooky feeling in his water ........

...... that the charity shop gods are telling him ........

....... that it's really time he got on with his annual jam making fest in the style of Meghan Markle!

A Proud Donation.

It's really weird finding stuff that you've donated to the charity shops of Evesham sat sitting nonchalantly on their shelves, as was the case for me earlier today when I nipped into town for some brown parcel paper and stamps and decided to have a little mooch while I was up there, only to find ........

.....the large Denby charger we'd dropped off a week or so ago, in amongst all the bric a brac in Relate. Sorry it's a bit hidden, it's the round, diamond patterned plate at the back, but you'll get the gist.

It was priced, wait for it, at £30 (we originally paid £4)  ....... at that, let's just say we couldn't afford to buy back our said donation even if we wanted to!  As and when it sells, be assured, you'll be the first to know.

NB ....... it's since been reduced to £15 but still available!