Happy Halloween!

One of our “5 a Day” in Spooky Magical Form.

How Scary Do We Look?

We are VERY excited about our Halloween Trick or Treat Walk for Compton Hospice tonight,  and we are glad we have made the effort with our costumes.

Our suits glow in the dark, how BRILLIANT is that?

We haven’t done any training for the 4 and a half miles, but we think we will be OK!  We are packing plenty of isotonic drinks and packets of dextrose tablets.

We’re hoping that we’ll have plenty of spooktacular pictures to show you tomorrow.  Halloween just doesn’t get any better than this!!!

Garden Centres

Aren't garden centres BRILLIANT?????

 
They don't just have plants .........

They have other BRILLIANT stuff as well!

Reunited

It’s lovely to have Darrell back home, I’ve really, really missed him.

He had so much to show and tell me, like his magic holey stone.

I shall be listening to what he says very carefully from now on, waiting to see if he has any spooky Derek Acorah moments.

And I loved the presents he gave me, they were very thoughtful and I was emotional.

He had bought me a ship in the bottle globe and a crabbing bucket……. I am thrilled.

He also showed me his Mudeford Quay badge, which he said he had worn every day since he bought it, even on his pyjamas.

 

He had such a wonderful time ….. which is very fortuitous, as I have another little surprise that I will impart to him in a day or twos time, unless his psychic powers kick in and he has a spooky moment of prophesy! ……

Darrell’s Advertent 9.50 Sun Holiday – The Journey Home via Poole Quay Car Park - Part 11

Time to say goodbye to Mudeford …. and a last contemplative moment before getting in the car.

 

On our journey home we decided to spend the morning at Poole Quay.  My favourite bit was the car park,  because instead of having boring numbers on the wall to tell you what level you were on, it had sea themed stencils.  How brilliant is that?

I didn’t twig until we had got to Level C – then realised Level A was for Anchor, B was for Boat and C was for Crab!  Lucy tutted and said “Darrell, I don’t think you’ll ever be my phone a friend”

Then we sort of played a guessing game to see what the next symbol would be on the next level.

I mused aloud that this would be a good idea for one of the car parks in Wolverhampton to adopt

To which Lucy replied “Hold of that idea in your head Darrell, think of what pictures you would use in Beatties Car Park and it’ll take your mind off you travel sickness on our journey home”

Darrell’s Advertent Sun £9.50 Holiday in Mudeford – In Search Of A Holey Stone - Part 10

My advertent £9.50 Sun Holiday is drawing nigh. I’ve had the bestest  time, but I am now starting to pine for Wolverhampton and Monkey a little.

But, before I leave, there is one thing I desperately wanted to find and take back with me,  a holey stone.  I’ve read about them on the internet. It says that if you wear one it’s supposed to ward off evil spirits and if you hang one on your bedpost it will stop you from having nightmares, which would be very handy.  And, when you look through one during a full moon, it can make you go a bit psychic and see ghosts and stuff like Derek Acorah, (without the Liverpool accent).

But the beach at Mudeford is so long I realised that looking for a holey stone on the beach was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack ….

So I decided to sit very quietly and imagine myself finding a holey stone ….. I didn’t think it would work, but it was worth a try ….  when I got up from my “meditation”, I walked along the beach for a while and then something told me to stop and look down ……. and there it was …..

My holey stone, it was as if I was drawn to it.  It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (even more beautiful than the fragrant Cheryl Cole, and that’s REALLY saying something!)

When I get home I am going to put some red cord through it and wear it round my neck, under my shirt.  I wonder when its magic and protection and my psychic powers will begin to kick in?

Darrell’s Advertent £9.50 Sun Holiday in Mudeford – Thoughts of A Romantic Nature – Part 9

I love this wondrous and romantic arch of trees in Christchurch.

If ever I get to take the fragrant Cheryl Cole out on a date, I will bring her here, and try to refrain from going “Woooo Hoooo” to see if it echoes.

I would then pick her a flower from the walled garden and pray that the gardener doesn’t see us and give chase, that would be just too embarrassing.  She would put the said flower in her hair, and  I would tell her, that her beauty was beyond compare!

Well I have to dream ..... in the words of Captain Sensible “You gotta have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

An Unexpected But Joyous Night Out With Auntie Jan

I don’t think that Darrell will mind me interjecting in between his Advertent Holiday posts, but I couldn’t wait to impart news of a wondrous personal occasion for me…..

I think Auntie Jan realised how much I was missing Darrell and wanted to buoy up my spirits.

And sent me this most mysterious text.

Not being one to argue, I made sure I was sat, with my coat, on the stairs, ready, by 6.30, wondering where we were going. I didn’t take my eyes off the door until Auntie Jan arrived.

When we were in the car Auntie Jan announced that we were going to see Ross Noble, my comedy hero!  Can you imagine how hard my heart was pounding in my chest? Auntie Jan knowing I was a little emotional offered me a tissue and a Werthers Original.

I am sorry but the next few photos are not too good, the lights were down and really, we weren’t supposed to take any pictures in the auditorium……..

But me and Auntie Jan couldn’t resist just a couple of  sneaky pics.

The backdrop was BRILLIIANT, it was a huge blow up model of all the things that Mr Noble has talked about in his various shows, like a fantastical bouncy castle. I wonder what he will do with it after his tour is finished  ….. it would look great in my bedroom. Would it be too bold of me to enquire whether I could have first dibs on it, rather than it go in a skip?

After the show, I was overwhelmed to be able to sit, all be it surreptitiously, on the stage where Mr Noble had just trod.  Auntie Jan said that if anyone asked what we were doing, we should say “Que?”, look dumb and shrug our shoulders in a puzzled type way.

I had a wonderful night and laughed so much my stomach was sore and shall always treasure my flyer.

I went to bed feeling very, very blessed in a Hello and OK Magazine type way.

Thank you Auntie Jan, if I get a chance, I hope to take you to see Take That one day xxxx

Darrell’s Advertent £9.50 Sun Holiday in Mudeford – Part 8 – Crabs.

 

I have never seen so many people with crabs on a Sunday, ever! Finding space along Mudeford Quay this morning to enjoy the vista was nigh on impossible for people with huge buckets, crabbing lines and various bits of spam, bacon and other weird baits that I couldn’t identify, with which to lure the insuspecting creatures with.

I would have liked to have had a go, but I didn’t have a line and I didn’t really like to push Lucy, just in case there were any crabs as well as sharks in "Jaws". She’d already had a funny turn in one of the clothes shops in Christchurch that we went in, dashing out off very quickly when we ventured upstairs! 

However, I very much enjoyed looking in other peoples buckets and admiring their catches, to be honest I think I would be a bit frightened of being nipped, with their clicky clacky claws if I really caught one

Darrell’s Advertent £9.50 Sun Holiday in Mudeford – Part 8

I’ve found Monkey a lovely present from the gifty shop on Mudeford Quay, but am keeping it under wraps until I get home.  Talking of home, I’ve also bought a few postcards……   I’ve sent Monkey one, just saying  “Have arrived safely. Having a lovely time. Wish you were here. Love Darrell”.  I wonder who will get home first, me or the postcard?

Darrell’s Advertent £9.50 Sun Holiday in Mudeford – Part 7 – Flaky Fudge

Auntie Jan is very good to me and Monkey and very often goes to the shops to get things we would like but can’t reach. We are quite short and some shelves are quite high, but Auntie Jan, being an ex police officer, is quite tall, with a commanding air and so high shelving and their contents have no mystery to her.

So when she said “ If you see any flaky fudge while you are on your advertent holiday, can you get me some.  It’s my confectionary of choice at the moment but as there’s not much demand for it in Stafford or Wolverhampton, confectionary establishments are reluctant to stock it as it goes stale quite quickly”.  I felt  her sadness and made it my mission to bring her some back……

And ……. I found it …… in this BRILLIANT shop, look at all the wondrous jars! (however …. you will notice the New Berry Fruits on the counter, yuk, yuk, yuk, not my confectionery of choice EVER, they make me gag, it’s a texture thing).

I asked the lady for 400 grams and explained that flaky fudge was a rare commodity in the Stafford and Wolverhampton area.  She said “Yes, I know, it goes stale quite quickly, but we have a high demand here, I think it must be all the people from Stafford and Wolverhampton coming to get it!” and popped me a small piece to try, nom, nom, nom!