The joys of having a toddler in the house! You turn your back for 30 seconds and it’s like someone has paused you for the last hour while your toddler destroys the house. To be fair to the +1, T1 & T2 also do their best to make sure the house looks like it’s been ransacked on a daily basis. However, tonight the +1 surpassed himself!
“I’m just going upstairs for a minute, keep and eye on your brother”, no response, but I know T1 has heard me as he kind of grunted back at me without taking his eyes off of Paw Patrol or whatever other program is flavour of the month. No sooner had I shut the bathroom door and I hear T1 calmly calling me from outside the bathroom, “Daddy +1 has poured the golden syrup out on the floor”. The way he said this, it was like it was an everyday occurrence, a “just for your information” comment.
I run down the stairs, through the lounge and stop at the kitchen door, pause and take a deep breath, preparing myself for a Ben and Holly (thank god we’ve outgrown that one now. Jake, you still have that delight) style Jelly Flood but with Golden Syrup. Well, it wasn’t quite that bad, he had confined the syrup to the worktop, the chair he had pushed over to climb up on, his clothes, his hair, hands and face, oh and the floor. The floor he had then walked on with his socks on and spread Golden Syrup right through the kitchen and into the lounge in lovely 2 year old size footprints. In my haste to assess the damage I walked through the syrup and added my size 11’s to the mix!
Cleaning the +1 was the easy bit, but his Golden Syrup squeezy bottle redecoration of the kitchen was another matter altogether. That stuff is stubborn! Mopping? – No. Scrubbing with soapy water? – Nope. Wet wipes? – Uh-uh. Our kitchen floor now reminds me of some of the oh so classy pubs and night clubs from my uni days (I’ve always wondered why the floors were so sticky when they were supposedly cleaned each night, now I think I know). Anyway back to the cleaning, here is the kicker, never think your toddler has done the obvious, because they always try that little bit harder to surprise you. Just when we think we’ve got it all clean, we find that he must’ve decided his cereal in the morning is just not sweet enough, as the little….angel (the wife reads this!), emptied a good squirt of syrup into the cereal box, then smeared it all over the outside of the box. Actually it’ll probably taste pretty good. I know what I’m having for breakfast.
And RELAX……..wait why am I sticking to the back of the sofa!!!??!
Smile, it’s nearly their bed time! Queue a double meltdown from T1 & T2. Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
G&T please!
After tonight’s delights, I’ve decided to get the big guns out! The gin that started my addiction……I mean collection.
Whilst on holiday in Portugal I ordered a G&T and was asked if I would like to try the local gin, why not I said. Curious I asked what the barman was mixing with it – orange peel, roasted coffee beans and home made tonic. After one sip I was blown away, this was not like any G&T I had tasted, it was incredible.
Nao (pronounce very much like “now”) is a British distilled spirit that is then exported to Portugal and cask aged in Port barrels to give it a golden colour and deeper flavour. Full of coffee and dark chocolate flavours with a subtle citrus taste, Nao is great with tonic or straight over ice.
The problem I have with Nao is it is moreish and up until last year it was impossible to buy in the UK so this meant either a trip to Portugal or pay the import fees (which were normally more than the gin!). Thankfully there are now a few stockists in the UK, but it does still have a hefty price tag for what the Portuguese (the ones I’ve spoken to) believe is not their premium gin.
And have I ever been back to that bar in Portugal? Yes, a number of times over the years and discovered other amazing gins from some of the most knowledgeable bar staff I have ever met.
Price Paid
Around £45 from online retailers.
Tastes Like
No strong juniper hit from this one, it’s mellow and sophisticated, just like me……..apparently………according to me!
Would go well with
Orange peel, roasted coffee beans and tonic.
Recommended?
Definitely