Great Malvern Railway Station

Out and about ....... 

...... according to Derek and Eric Great Malvern railway station has to be the most romantic station they have ever arrived and departed from.

It is, they say, truly beautiful ........

......and in their expert opinion, the most perfect setting for emotional fond farewells and passionate reunions of a GWR locomotive type nature!

They said they felt as if they had been captured in a spooky time and film warp, somewhere between The Railway Children, Harry Potter and Brief Encounter, with a splash of the Orient Express 

What on earth are they like?

Malvern's Lost Railway: Great Malvern Station

It's A No From Darrell, But Thank You For The Thought!

It has to be said that Darrell has recently been contemplating the possible considered purchase of a new vacuum cleaner ........ 

...... saying that while he absolutely LOVES our faithful old Henry, he's not getting any younger and has thus been wondering whether getting a lighter, slim line, upright cleaner might be easier to store, handle and use especially with regards to any possible future planning.

However, when the little fella stumbled upon an Electrolux, going entirely for free, Darrell's current conundrum immediately sprang to Eric's mind, perhaps it could be kept as a spare or act as an experimental test model which Darrell cogitated some more. 

It was a very sweet, considerate thought, but on this occasion it was, to quote Sir Lord Alan Sugar, "with regret", a no when he phoned home to see if he should bring it home. "Best....." Darrell told him, ".....leave it for someone else who might be in greater need than us and not so vacuumly undecided" 

A Mutually Shared Hobby

Derek and Eric decided the other day that they would like to partake in a mutually shared hobby, something they could do at home or while they are out and about ..........

...... and it was a trip to Flying Tiger that sealed the deal, in the guise of two sketch books, a pack of coloured pencils and a pencil sharpener amidst great excitement.

To be honest, Darrell, Alice and I are just relieved that they'd chosen something relatively quiet (due to the concentration levels required) and it being quite a self contained sort of activity, rather than them taking up medieval battle re-enactment, high diving or bee keeping! 

They started off with portraiture, then swiftly moved on to "where the spirit and artistic temprement took them"!!!!!

Naturally, we shall be encouraging them as much as we can, but perhaps it's little too premature to start thinking about entering them in BBC's Artist of the Year........

....... despite all the ambition and pestering that's already started!!!  heaven help us, what are they like? 

Darrell Defines His Look With His New Firmoo Glasses

It seems that just recently our Facebook feed has been filled with really cheap glasses, which had Darrell wondering if they were any good ......

..... soooooooo, when a particularly lovely rainbow frame caught his eye .......

........ he decided to take the plunge, well, it would have been rude not to, especially when they had nothing even vaguely as fabulous to these beauties at Specsavers!  

He sent off his prescription and measurements and then pressed the pay now button with tightly crossed fingers and toes that this wouldn't a just a flight of fancy that would end in tears and regret.

Said glasses arrived about ten days later, the colours a little paler than Darrell would have liked, but he was still rather pleased.  He could see perfectly, they didn't slip off his nose or press painfully on the nerve behind his ears.

They also won Eric's seal of approval, so they are definite keepers!

Would he buy from Firmoo again? Most definitely, especially as spare holiday glasses, because at £21 a pair (less special offers), he could have a whole wardrobe of visual enhancement a la Sir Lord Elton John and it wouldn't be the end of the world if he lost or sat on them, as has happened in the past. So, happy days!

 Unisex Glasses Medium LKFS4126R | Rainbow Tr Square Frame | Firmoo UK

Doing Our Civic Duty Once Again

Yesterday, the little fella found something that shouldn't have been where it was, betwixt the footpath and the entrance to the scrap yard and bridleway ........

 ....... to wit an old, grubby sofa, without cushions. 

Needless to say, Eric was not best pleased, not best pleased at all!  He likes to "find" things, but certainly not this sort of thing, recklessly, abandoned, without and due care or consideration.  It would have taken a large vehicle get it there, so why not just go a few more miles down the road and dispose of it properly and above all legally sur la council tip and NOT on the cusp of our doorstep for others to fret or fall over!

However, Eric drew closer, he noticed something yellow secreted in its undercarriage, it was a school exercise book with quite a distinctive, double barrelled name written on the front ........ a clue as to who might have a penchant for fly tipping?

Needless to say, when Eric came home he got Darrell to help him report this unfortunate and unwelcome "deposit" to the correct authorities, adding an extra picture of said potential evidence to the mix and then Darrell and Eric did their own sleuthing, finding the village where the young lady was born and what church she were baptised in (with dates), plus the fact that she is quite probably a twin! 

After that they decided to leave any further identification of any probable parentage  to a higher council.  

What are they like?  

Well Chuffed With Ourselves

Derek and I are well chuffed with ourselves, we're really getting into our sustainable gift shopping (although, we know, for a lot of people it's FAR TOO EARLY to be mentioning the C word) ..........

 ....... but this morning, while out mooching, we found the perfect present for Darrell's best friend and mentor Hugh, he of Le Chicken Coop, hatcher and carer of any a posh chicken .........

...... only a copy of Beautiful Chickens (for only £1.50). It's a stunning tome, especially if you are an aficionado, like Hugh, of such birds. 

I mean, who knew, after flicking through it's pages, that such a humble, domestic type creature came is so many lovely and wonderful flavours varieties?   Hugh's going to absolutely love it! 

Nature Reclaims It's Own ..........

One of the consequences of the scrapyard at the top of our estate moving out .......

 ..... is that nature has begun to take over and reclaim what had once been kept in check .....

...... including part of our beloved hedgehog artwork ......

....... that we'd all got soooooo used to. I'm sure Eric will have something to say about it .......

..... though I doubt very much he'll be calling for questions to be asked in Parliament, well, for the moment at least. 

The stuff under the bridge appears to be pretty well protected and therefore safe for the next little while .......

Perhaps the rigours of the autumn and winter weather will help hold back the tide of growth a little and kill off the more weed like foliage ........

....... to reveal the splendours is hidden behind them again.  If not, perhaps it will all become completely overgrown and forgotten about and then, in years to come, when someone decides what to do with the land beyond the bridge, it will be rediscovered and world widely acclaimed ......... a bit like Tutankhamun's tomb!!!