It's A Mistawee!

Yesterday, something was afoot on the river, but with the trees very much in full bloom and the weeds rising, it was quite hard to make out exactly what was going on.

All I know was that I sawn a gentleman in full frogman regalia on the waters edge ......

......... after being tied to the end of a rope, which was held by another florescent clad gentleman .........

...... before said frogman lowered himself carefully into the murky depths, before swimming in the general direction of the bridge.

It was all very intriguing, but not very romantic, as the river has been rather chocolate coloured of late, but when/whether said frogman returned to land I can't say .......

....... because, well, I can't stand at the window curtain twitching all day can I? Unfortunately, Nigel was on the school run and Darrell was up town looking for something "different" for tea, otherwise we would have formed a relay "twitching" team. So what happened next will have to remain, to quote Toyah (Wilcox) " a mistawee"! 

Scent From Above - Alice Loves Dolly Parton

As if Alice wasn't fragrant enough ........

....... Nigel has just discovered one of the secrets of her most alluring mystic  ....... 

........to wit, she absolutely loves to envelope herself in a cheeky spray (or two) of Dolly Parton's eau de toilette, "Scent from Above".......

....... with its many notes of mandarin, blackcurrant, crisp pear, fresh peony blossom, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, vanilla orchid, sandalwood, fir, musk, tonka bean, amber and finally patchouli!

No wonder she wafts in and through The Towers like a gentle, ethereal breeze when she comes round each morning for a coffee and a rich tea finger.

She gave Nigel a tiny squirt, but the effects weren't quite as captivating on him as on her, especially over his Lynx Africa and Marmite body spray, however, with this little nugget of information imparted, Christmas and birthdays should now be a doddle when looking for a small present for our beloved and very, very, very lovely Alice. What are we like, if not totally besotted

Happy Days - Now Just Wait For The Complaints!

Yesterday, the garden and Kata's flat were a flurry of activity of a naturalistic type nature. Rebecca, our lovely neighbour upstairs, who makes all the exceedingly nice cakes, has offered to take over the bird feeding stations now that Nat and Dan, who used to do it, have moved on to pastures new.

I understand that it was homemade fat balls akimbo in Kata's kitchen as she and Rebecca .........

......... along with Kata's little boy, covered toilet rolls with melted lard and seeds,  then filled them with said fat ball mix. Peanuts were also duly strung in great swathes and new feeders packed within an inch of their lives with even more fat balls .......

....... before they all went outside for everything to be hung on the feeding stations and trees at the top of the bank ........ 

....... including the cutest, little nut bench for our scurry of squirrels to hang out. 

It's all going to be soooooooooo romantic once the birds and squirrels finally work out it's all for them.

However, no doubt there will be complaints from those who must remain nameless, re: the resultant increase in bird song volume, as our avian friends tweet their enthusiastic appreciation to Rebecca, Kata and Krisztian for all their hard work!  As always, should there be any developments on this subject, we will be sure to keep you informed! 

To Quote The Flower Pot Men ...... Weeeeeeed!

Is it usual to be just the teensiest bit proud of one of the weeds on our bank? 

Nigel spotted it first when it was around the three foot mark and already starting to stand out amongst the crowd .......

 ....... but it's continued to grow to at least seven foot tall and still counting, so tall in fact that the top has become intermingled in the foliage of one of the nearby trees, which can make it hard to spot.

From Darrell's research, we think it's a Common Ragwort or stinking willie, not that any of us is up for smelling the leaves to see if they actually do whiff! We're also not sure if there is an optimum tallness to which it will grow to, but think perhaps when it flowers, it might not get any taller ????

But, it's a big 'un, that's for sure. However, sadly it's days may be numbered as we're waiting, in eager anticipation, for our gardener to come and clear said bank completely, as our view of the river is fast becoming a little befuddled, unless the squirrels accidently topple it during one of their frantic chasing sessions in the meantime.

And, talking of squirrel antics, Boris and Carrie (amongst others) are reeking havoc with our solar light sensors, poor Nigel has a full time job putting them back in position following all their shenanigans!  The wonders of nature, what on earth is it like?  

Fragrant, Just Fragrant

Nigel came back from a bit of charity shop mooching in wonderful buoyant mood yesterday .......

........ as he said he'd found the most perfect present for Alice, that would not only protect her flawless, porcelain complexion from the harmful rays of hot summer sun .........

........ but also enhance her already very refined, gentile and graceful demeanour.

Let's just say that there was an awful lot of emotion thronging throughout The Towers as he duly presented Alice with the beautiful, embroidered lace parasol when she popped round for her usual morning coffee with French Fancy.  

Alice and said parasol looked exquisite together, with Nigel declaring that she was the true embodiment of a female character, strolling nonchalantly through a Calamity James  Capability Brown garden in a Jane Austin novel type way ....... and as such he would be honoured to escort her for a promenade  of "our park" later that afternoon. 

We didn't think Alice could possibly look any more fragrant than she usually does, but I have to admit, Nigel nailed his considered purchase today! Who would have thought that spending 50p could bring so much unbridled joy! What are we like? 

Lost Somewhere In Translation

As you know, we always try to be receptive to the odd new comestible .....

........ however, the Habiba Cafe, which to our shame we haven't visited for a while, always has us rapt with their daily menu posts, which pop on to our Facebook feed each morning.

It all sounds very wonderful and exotic for the adventurous epicurean amongst us .......

 ....... and tempting though the cake and rat soups, pig log, a carrot in the air and broth poured cake sound........

 ........ we feel that something might have got a little bit lost in the translation!

However, with the end of the school year looming, perhaps our usual celebratory after school treat with our beloved niece and nephew might prove to be very interesting, especially if bathrooms and legs from the grill are on the menu board!

Sorry Mr D, no, perish the thought, looks like Guinea pig isn't there! 

Bertie Gets A Very Positive Reaction On Nigel's Chin.

Ahhhhhh, the curious mind .......Young Master Bertie, in the guise of Charmander, was curious to know whether Nigel likes his butter or not.  So a suitable buttercup was duly selected and then delicately positioned under the little fella's chin  ...........

..... to reveal, instantly and so unequivocally, that indeed, Nigel does very much appreciate the odd knob of butter! 

To be honest, I could have told Berts that myself, without the aid of said buttercup, judging from the amount of slightly salted (usually Anchor) Nigel likes to slather on his toast in the morning or his lunchtime baked potato, but I didn't want to spoil this innocent, time honoured, traditional moment between them.  

No doubt Mr D, the fount of all complicated knowledge, will be able to enlighten us, in simple scientific terms, as to how a simple, common buttercup is able to recognise such a comestible passion????