Here comes the sun...

The promise of summer arriving is never without its charm, especially if its arrival can be heralded with the perfect musical accompaniment, perhaps filtering out through the kitchen window while you sip a refreshing glass of Pimms on the patio…..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6j4TGqVl5g

In the first half of this last week, the rain and wind lashed against our office windows; which, given that they are quite large glass panes, sometimes leaves us feeling as if we’re on the deck of a ship out at sea. However, we were reassured, not just by the Beatles, but by countless meteorologists, who may or may not have been named John, Paul, George or Ringo, that summer was on its way. In fact, by now, as you read this, it should have well and truly arrived.

Take a moment: is it true? You should be able to look out of your window or perhaps take a brief break from, dare I suggest it, mowing the lawn, to feel the warmth of the sun on your face. I hope so, because this weekend both me and my colleagues at Nicol & Co will be out and about in the county; getting to grips with the new season - in more ways than one - supporting the community and, hopefully, having taken care to bring along the sun cream, working on our tans.

If all goes to the weather man’s plan, many of you will doubtless spend part of the weekend in the garden with the family. Planning a barbecue or a picnic, or digging an old paddling pool out of the attic, might be going too far and may well induce an about-face on the part of the weather gods. No matter: every chance to get out from in front of the TV, (Britain’s Got Talent is over now anyway – a Dog won – I tell you no lies), or away from the Computer screen, needs to be seized upon. Not perhaps while the sun is at its zenith, but certainly during the rest of what promises to be a beautiful weekend.

Potentially having enjoyed an elegant sufficiency of ribs, potato salad, buttered corn cobs and an assortment of skewered delicacies, on Saturday evening I’ll be in Worcester to watch the Harlequin Stage School’s Dance World Cup Premier Show. This performance is an important rehearsal and further preparation for the students’ participation at the Dance World Cup Competition in Bucharest, from 28th June – 4th July.  Nicol & Co is helping raise over ￡40,000 to purchase tracksuits and get the 80 students to the destination.The School now teaches over 270 children to dance and currently holds All-England Winners titles in 25 different dance categories. If you’d like to know more have a look here:

https://www.harlequinstageschool.uk/dance-world-cup.html

https://www.dwcworld.com/

Students from the school will also be tripping the light fantastic around the County Cricket Ground at New Road on Sunday afternoon where, as part of the fund raising effort, they’ll be supporting the Worcestershire Rapids NatWestT20 Blast Cricket squad in their battle with the Nottinghamshire Outlaws. The Rapids will be looking to repeat the form that saw them beat the Leicestershire Foxes by six wickets in their first T2O home game on 29th May.

A good result will taste all the sweeter for the crowd thanks to the confectionary that the Dance School students will be handing out. Especially made for Nicol & Co by Spun Candy in Covent Garden https://www.spun-candy.com/, we hope you enjoy and savour these treats with the same relish and enthusiasm that’s always to the fore at New Road in support of those who ply their trade with willow and leather.

Worcestershire’s County Championship Cricket team have long been nicknamed The Pears, but a new world order is on the rise in English cricket. I couldn’t help speculating, as the weekend approached and I began to look forward to Sunday’s game, on the names teams have adopted - specifically for the NatWestT20 Blast competition. Playing at Edgbaston, The Birmingham Bears name presumably derives from Warwickshire’s emblematic Bear and Ragged Staff insignia and The Nottinghamshire Outlaws, who we’ll hope to send fleeing back to Sherwood Forest in disarray, is another choice that is fairly self-explanatory.

Worcestershire’s NatWestT20 Blast side, as I’ve already mentioned, are now known as The Rapids. The choice cleverly reflects both the nature of the T20 competition, where sides face just twenty overs each, as well as, to my mind, the hoped for swift addition of runs to Worcestershire’s batting score. It’s also a somewhat tongue in cheek reference to the now familiar site, thanks to the close proximity of the river Severn, of the New Road ground disappearing underwater in the close season. Following the forecasters’ promises, here’s hoping the only people feeling they’re caught in a deluge there this weekend are the Outlaws.

Finally, in reference to Sunday evening’s match, you may or may not be aware that for the purposes of creating two leagues for the NatWestT20 Blast competition, Worcestershire is deemed to be in The North. I’m reliably informed that it frequently becomes colder and wetter as you get a bit closer to Hadrian’s Wall so, thinking back to the earlier part of this week, prior to the sun’s emergence, maybe that isn’t quite as inappropriate as it might at first seem. Currently, perhaps ironically given the true geography of our county in relation to the country as a whole, having so far won one match and lost one, we’re positioned in the middle of the T20 table. With a few games in hand over those above us and a bit of catching up to do, prior to Sunday’s home encounter with Nottingham, the team have an away match against Northamptonshire Steelbacks. Victories in both games should elevate the side closer to the top of the league….not northwards as such, but progress in the right direction for sure and something to warm up our prospects for the rest of the season.

I’m hoping the sun will shine too this weekend on the Bransford and Leigh Badgers under 9s football squad, as they take part in a mini tournament, hosted on Sunday morning at Droitwich Rugby Club. If you happen to be going there or plan to go to the Cricket in the evening, as a number of my colleagues at Nicol and Co expect to, please don’t hesitate to say hello if you run across us.

Or, if during the summer you’re thinking off pulling up the stumps at one property and perhaps looking to make a big score with your next house purchase, please do drop by our offices in either Worcester or Droitwich. We understand the Housing Market well, we’re never caught square, are happy to cover any point fully, won’t slip up or force a square leg in to a round hole and, unless you’ve a particular desire to go, we’ll never take you to view properties at Silly Mid-Wicket.

We’re always pleased to meet you, whether you live locally or are Bears from Birmingham, Foxes from Leicester, Outlaws from Nottingham, Jets from Durham, Falcons from Derbyshire, Vikings from York or, for that matter, from anywhere else. You don’t have to have an appointment and our team are usually in or, if one or two are out…someone else will always come in…..unless we’re all out, fielding…. other enquiries. That’s how it works, it works well and I can say with confidence that the team at Nicol & Co are definitely in a league of their own.

For now, I wish all sports players, sports fans, and all good (and not so good) outdoor cooks and of course, not forgetting Beatles lovers everywhere: a wonderful, warm and successful summer season.

Sun, sun, sun…..here it comes!