Hummingbirds

24/07/2024

The birds are currently taking advantage of a last minute break away following the unfortunate cancellation of a contract.
Despite the fact that it is the school summer holidays, Nicky promised Tracy that they could visit one of their most favourite places 😁 somewhere filled with the most amazing memories, the fun city, the one full of lights and gaming machines just waiting to be played 🎰🎰 Can you just imagine how excited Tracy was, the anticipation was palpable. Sin City here we come 🛩🎰🌞
What Tracy failed to consider however, was that her passport is still with the passport office awaiting renewal 🫣🤔🤭
Nicky had infact planned a few days away to Southend-on-Sea with the 'little lady' in tow 🤣🤣🤣
We are still trying to work out which one of the three is most excited and can't wait for the next installment 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

18/07/2024

Well hello there beautiful people. Did you think that the birds had finally flown the roost nevertheless be heard of again? Well, we regret to inform you, they are back in the tree - well somewhere close to it anyway 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Apparently the birds needed a bit of time to regroup and didn't want to bore you with their trials and tribulations so they took a leave of absence to save you 🤭🤭🤭
So what's next, we hear you cry, is it worth tuning in for? Now only you can be the judge of that, but we can promise you a little bit of travel, a wee bit of cooking and alot of laughs along the way.
So as we say ta ta for today, we will leave you with alot of pics from the last few months with the threat of stories to accompany them later 🤔🫣🤣

18/04/2024

Road trip 🤭🤭🤭🤭
Tracy is over in Bristol today checking out Bob's new place of work 😁😁
It seems that her boys are intent on spreading their wings across the length of the country 🤔 😅
As a thank you, Bob took his dear old ma out for lunch, "I'll find somewhere nice" he said 😁 Well there's nothing wrong with mac 'n' cheese, a panini and cheesey chips, we suppose 🤔🤔🤔🤔

14/04/2024

As Tracy sits alone this evening, eating a banquet for 1, at The Spice Lounge, there is much reflection on the events of the past couple of weeks. A good friend commented recently that life with the birds is certainly 'never boring' 😅😅
Only a mere 24hrs after the birds arrived at their home in Spain it was time to head out to the airport to collect The Little Lady and her entourage 😁
The birds had been really looking forward to spending some quality time with the little lady and spoiling her rotten, as per the grandparents rule book 🤭🤭 In accordance with the trip so far though, even this didn't go to plan as the little lady was poorly. So what should have been an action packed Easter holiday turned into a very chilled out time, with extra sleeping as an added bonus 😴😴
Despite both Nicky and the little one being a bit under the weather, great fun was had by all. The highlight had to be the day spent in the water with the SUP and kayak. "Oh no" said Nicky "we can't go out yet - people will think I'm wearing tights!" Apparently she was still sporting her winter gear and this just had to go before any public display could take place 🤣🤣No one escaped a dunking in the sea as they systematically attempted to stand up on the SUP. Winner of the day was definitely the little lady although we all agree it is because she is far closer to the ground and its easier to find the center balance from there 🤣🤣 Given that reasoning, we don't quite understand why Tracy had so much trouble 🤣🤣 We can also report that, due to their location on the beach, the guys provided great entertainment to the members of the sailing club, who spent a considerable amount of time hanging out of the windows and cheering 🫣🫣🤣🤣
The Easter holidays came to an abrupt end, with a 6am filght back to the UK for the little lady and her entourage and a car journey back up to Le Mans for Tracy to return the hire car, then on to London via Paris. It might have taken 34hrs and several modes of transport (car, train, taxi, tram and airplane) but she is now back in Brackley for a little bit of work, whilst Nicky is sunning herself back in Spain and still trying to get better!!!!
Here's to next week 🍻

31/03/2024

Happy Easter everyone 🐰🐣 Do you have any traditions that are carried out every year? Easter egg hunts? Roast lamb dinners? Going to church? Simnel cake? Hot cross buns? Tracy fondly remembers her mum, spending days making cakes to fill up the tins for when the family came to visit over the extended weekend 😄 Her favourites were the chocolate rice crispie cakes with Cadbury mini eggs on top 😋

Now we are sure you will be pleased to know that the birds finally arrived at their Spanish abode early afternoon today (Easter Sunday) after what can only be described as a gruelling few days 😬😏🤪
We would like to say that the remaining 1000 miles, that they had left to travel was a breeze, but oh no!
As we left them last night, the duo were intending to spend a few hours sleeping (in the car) by the beach in San Sebastian - this was not meant to be though 🫨 Unfortunately Tracy has developed a bit of an upset tummy 🤢🤢 and so the great public toilet search began 🤣🤣 The rest of the night and today have been somewhat interesting to say the least!!! We will spare you the details 🤣 but this - there were not too many public restrooms on their travels through Spain 🫣🫣 To add 'insult to injury' as some might say, Nicky is also not well with a chest infection🤒 - what a right pair they are 🤣🤣🤣 (Oh and we haven't even mentioned the cracked ribs yet!!!!!)
It is safe to say that they are having an early night tonight and looking forward to a less adventurous day tomorrow 😴 😴
Sorry about the pictures today - the birds were way too lazy to take any decent ones 🤣🤣

31/03/2024

As the dawn broke on a new day, the birds were up and working through their options for the next few days.
After working out the pros and cons, using planes, trains and automobiles and electric scooters. they finally settled on a hire car to enable them to carry on their journey down to Spain 🇪🇸 Now that in itself was a bit of a challenge as they worked through the different companies before they closed for the Easter weekend!
Car hired, they then went back to the garage where the torpedo is being looked after, in order to swap over the contents - we have discovered that Nicky is amazing at Tetris 🤣 Unfortunately though the bike rack would not fit the car hire so they too are staying put in Le Mans with the torpedo.
By 4.30pm the new car was packed and ready to head off on the remaining 1500km journey 🇪🇸
Still smiling, as always, the birds enjoyed many debates during the next few hours. Social media - good, bad or downright ugly! ,Politics - just don't go there. Wind turbines - why are some stationary whilst others are rotating ? Poo 💩 🫣 and several more that we really should not share 🫣🤔😂
The highlight of the day though, sad as it sounds, was the discovery of a 24hr baguette vending machine close to the train station in le mans 🥖 closely followed by the bottle of soup machine at the service station 😁
As we leave the birds again tonight they have just entered Spain and are having a bit of shut eye in the car before heading off again.

29/03/2024

The birds finally made it on to the ferry at around 4am this morning when storm Nelson had done his worst through the English Channel 💨💨💨 On the plus side it was day break as they sailed into Calais meaning the headlights didn't need adjusting 💡💡
By 7am the birds were set on their way and enjoying the countryside of Normandy as they drove on, chatting merrily about plans for the next few months 😀😀
By midday however, the birds were questioning those plans in earnest 😲😲
The car, aka the torpedo, began a gentle shudder and quickly developed a bit of knocking sound 🫣🫣🫣 Now the birds, whilst not mechanics, knew that something was not quite right and so sought out the closest garage. As luck would have it, there was one just round the corner - but it was closed for lunch - well everyone has to eat, right? No problem, they thought, we will just pop in to Aldi and use the facilities whilst we wait - but oh no, they don't have customer toilets!!! So Tracy bought a box of wine and two bananas instead of having a wee 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The garage, BestDrive, reopened and a lovely, English speaking (thank goodness as school girl French was just not cutting it today 😅) young man, agreed to have a look at the car. He set it up for a diagnostic test, checked with his colleagues, and then shook his head 😳 "It could just be the fuel injection seal, but you should take it to the Kia garage for them to check it over." The Kia garage was only a couple of miles down the road and so off they went. On arrival, after trying to find someone to help, several guys and girls stood round, looking at the engine, and shaking theirs heads!!! "Kaput" said one guy 😲😲 "you must call your recovery company" Now being as the car was already at a Kia garage, the birds dId not think this was helpful and asked them if they could just check it over, but no, the recovery company had to be called!!!!!
An amazing young man arrived sometime later, looked at the engine and said 'I would have to take it to a Kia garage, but you are already here!' After a lengthy discussion about todays goings on, the recovery guy, went in and spoke to the Kia staff who eventually agreed to check it over, NEXT WEEK 🫣🫣
So here ends day two of the road trip, the torpedo has been left at the garage, indefinitely, the birds, after grabbing some essentials, are holed up in hotel for the night, and the recovery company are trying to work out what is going to happen next!
Here's to a cold Chinese takeaway and a warm bottle of vino as the birds wonder what tomorrow might throw at them 🤔🤔🤣🤣

29/03/2024

Road trip 🤪 🤣🚗🇪🇸
17hrs after arriving back in the country (Aberdeen is technically in another country 🤣) the birds are off again.
The car is packed, as always, although Tracy is wondering just how many games Nicky actually has and more to the point where she hides them!!!!! Also on board this time are the bicycles - apparently they need a bit of sun after being half drowned at the beginning of the year 🤔🤭
Now we are really not sure what is in store for this road trip as the birds have chosen to travel over Easter weekend. So far it has taken 4 hours to travel from Brackley to Dartford and, on arrival at Dover, for the ferry crossing, they discovered that the boats were being delayed due the weather. Nicky is now gently reminding Tracy about those video clips that you see on social media, the ones where the boats get pushed around a bit by the waves 🤮🤢 Meanwhile Tracy is wishing she had paid the extra money to go through the tunnel 🤣🤣
And then it happened, the car got chosen for a security search 😲😲 'Can you open the boot please' customs asks 'Well yes, but it will take about half an hour' says Tracy 'I need to release all my Girl Guide knots and the padlocks first 🫣) 'Have you packed your own bags?' Customs asks 'Well technically no' Tracy replied, instantly regretting being a luggage mule for Rebekah and Tom, the little lady, Nickys mum and Annabel, all of whom are going to be flying over during the next few weeks but didn't want to pay for extra luggage 😂😂 Is it just us or does everyone have that little flutter of panic when a customs officer looks at you, with that deadpan facial expression, that must be part of the employment criteria 🤔😬
Drama over, the birds now know what they are carrying (it's OK guys, they can keep a secret 🤫) and the officers were left debating whether the game Ticket to Ride - Europe, is geographically correct!!!
As we leave them for the night, the birds are nicely settled, with ALOT of other vehicles, waiting to see if they can sail before day break 😀

26/03/2024

Imagine, if you will, taking a leisurely stroll along the pathway. Listening to music as you meander along, minding your own business. The rain has finally stopped and the sun has put in an appearance meaning you no longer need waterproofs and an umbrella. When along comes a big silver car, filled with three passengers, engaged in a very important discussion about what to have for dinner. Little did you know, that you were about to test out your very best matrix moves as that big silver torpedo drives straight though the most enormous puddle left from the deluge of the past couple of days. 😲😲😲😲
Wanna take a guess as to who the driver might have been???🤣🤣🤣
And now, after a couple of very busy days helping Tracy's big boy settle into his new abode, the birds are heading back down south, with another eight hour journey, overnight, they should be home in time for breakfast 😅

24/03/2024

After a very early start the Birds continued on their way up towards Aberdeen to find Tracy's son and some breakfast 😁
A hearty breakfast and a few cups of coffee at Milton Brassiere, was needed after their long night and set them up for another day of adventure.
As always, Nickys philosophy was a simple one, if you can't see it from the car it's not worth seeing 🫣🤔🤭 and so the birds (and Gareth) covered a few miles as they checked out some of the local tourism spots.
Castles, stone circles, Bram Stoker, Pheresphone, Highland moochies, lochs, and even monuments wrapped up for the winter kept them entertained for the whole day.
The final stop of the day was at Newborough Beach for a spot of seal searching. Seals found, photos taken, and a stroll along the beach was such a lovely way to end the day. It wouldn't be right though if there wasn't just the tiniest amount of drama! The walk had taken them so far along the beach that they decided to take a short cut back to the car through the sand dunes 🫣🫣 Not sure the hours walk was a shortcut really 🤣🤣 but they did eventually find the car 😀
Wonder what tomorrow will bring!
Hummingbirds on Tour

24/03/2024

24/03/2024

'Hey' said Tracy 'we've got a couple of days free, shall we take a little road trip?' 🤣🤣
So, they left Brackley at 7.30pm on Saturday night and headed north ⬆️
Nicky said she wanted to check out the beach at Montrose and that us exactly where they headed. There's nothing like waking up in a car park, overlooking the beach, to see the sun rise (well they would have seen it rise if it wasn't for the big cloud in the way 🫣)

21/03/2024

Tracy has been busy in the kitchen this week preparing for a catering job in town. Chicken and ham pie and chocolate brownie was on the menu and judging by the empty plates, it went down very well indeed 😁😁

15/03/2024

Chocolate Cookie Bars
Check out the recipe here Hummingbirds on Tour
Also available to order if you don’t fancy making them yourselves.

10/03/2024

Mothers Day - the perfect excuse to celebrate all things 'mother' 😁
Wether near or far, gone but not forgotten, acting as, standing in for, might as well be, surrogate, step, should be, by accident, good, bad or ugly, one thing is for certain - we have all had one 😁 So join us as we say thanks to those wonderful 'mothers' in our lives.

09/03/2024

Ouch, just ouch! 🤕
Nicky is showing off some amazing bruising today after fallling down the stairs whilst going to make Tracy a cup of tea 🫖. Actually it was only one step but Nicky always manages to do things in style 😅
Now Tracy feels incredibly guilty and has insisted on Nicky resting for the remainder of the day (nothing new there then 😲🤭) while Tracy does all the chores 😉
So far Tracy has made a Shakshuka for breakfast, Nicky has enjoyed a happy coffee, there has been a little gaming research, and puppy cuddles in the garden of our current house sit and now there might be a little bo peeps in the sitting room (apparently we are not allowed to show pictures of sleeping as it normally involves open mouths and dribbling 😂🫣😴)

If you want to have a go at making Tracys version of Shakshuka, check out our sister page for the recipe @ Hummingbirds on Tour

08/03/2024

The Birds have only been back in the country for five weeks but they have certainly not stood still. It all started with a spectacular all night session with friends, celebrating Tracy's beloved Chiefs winning the Superbowl (no she is adamant that she is not a 'Swifty' 😂) They then began house sitting duties in four locations, looking after 7 beautiful pups and 2 cats. Tracy took a cheeky 2 day trip back up to Aberdeen to help relocate her big boy 👦 you know she can't resist a road trip 😅 Nicky has carried out a bit of work with the catering team as they prepare for the Grand Prix at Silverstone (yes they really are planning ahead!) and she is now gearing up for a week at the Cheltenham Festival. The team carried out regular catering gigs at the Town Hall, made some special deliveries on Valentines Day 💝 and are in the planning stages for the next booking. Oh and in there somewhere they are still attempting to put things right following the flooding at the beginning of the year!!!!!!
Phew, they certainly are pleased they don't have full time jobs anymore 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

28/02/2024

Waiting for the car to be serviced and MOT 🚗
Tracy thought she would let someone else cook for a change 😁
Brekkie at The Old Fire Station 🫖

13/02/2024

12/02/2024

Go CHIEFS 🏈🇺🇸🏆
Well what a game that was. Tracy spent most of the night sat on the edge of her seat (well apart from the 40 winks in the 3rd quarter 🤣🤣)
What an amazing, if not stressful night, spent celebrating with fab friends ❤️

09/02/2024

We now have very limited availability for delivery next week

28/01/2024

With Valentines Day just around the corner, why not treat the one (or ones 😉) that you love with a foodie platter from Hummingbirds.
On the 'Savoury Slate' you will find a selection of cured meats, three cheeses, crudités, olives, pickles, nuts, red pepper homous and a cracker selection for just £20.00. The 'Sweet Slate' will satisfy any sugar craving with sugar do-nuts, popcorn, cookies, brownies, mallows, chocolates, gummies, pretzels and a chocolate dipping pot for just £17
Each treat is presented on a single tier, reusable slate stand and is suitable for two people.

To make an enquiry or to place an order please drop us a message on messenger, or email @ [email protected]
Our slates are available for delivery from 12th - 18th February

18/01/2024

The birds have only been spotted at another airport this morning 🌄 We are currently checking out tracking devices as we never seem to know where they are 🤣🤣
It would appear that they snuck back in to Brackley, carried out a spot of catering (for some very hungry gents) then crept back out, under the cover of darkness 36hrs later 😅😅 Gosh we make it sound dramatic 🤔😂😂
Friends and family had warned the birds that it was cold back home but we don't think they were truly prepared for temperatures of -5 🥶🥶 no wonder they have headed back out to the sun 🌞🌞
Yet again though, the birds would like us to extend their thanks and gratitude to friends and family who helped make the visit a smooth one. From airport transfers (and yes one was the middle of the night 🌙) to providing a bed for the night, the birds are so very lucky to know some great people. Maybe when they next return they might actually have a car (you remember the one that got drowned in the floods? Well it was unfortunately written off)🫣☹️🚗 and somewhere of their own to sleep 😴
Stay warm people 🧣🧤🥶

11/01/2024

Rumour has it that things are looking brighter for the birds this week 🙂 We did have to ask if that was because all the challenges from the past few weeks had been sorted but they said '"don't be silly, it's 'cos the sun is shining" 🤣🤣🤣🌞🌞🌞
Anyway, Nicky is finally starting to feel better and decided she needed a haircut to cheer herself up. "Let's find Katie" she said and so off the birds went to seek out the new kid on the block. Yes, Brackleys very own Katie Hansell now has her very own salon in our neighbouring town 😁😁😁 Congratulations Katie, the place looks amazing and we know you will be a huge success 🙌 😁
So, if you find your self in need of a good hair cut, your nails painted, a pedicure or your lashes looked after then come on over. The sun is shining and we know just the place to stay 🤭😉😀🌞

06/01/2024

Now we all know the birds are up for a challenge but the last few weeks have been a little testing...............
The week before Christmas, is, for most people, a bit busy or even completely chaotic, and the birds are no exception. Nicky was due to do a few days work, whilst Tracy was going to spend some quality time with the little lady at a Christmas tree festival in Bournemouth and then attend The Royal Albert Hall for a good old Carol concert. Mmmmm, twas not to be......................
Nicky got sick, she went down with a really bad dose of the flu, and so the domino effect began 🤔😲😅
Tracy went to work instead of Nicky - dressed as an elf in a cuddle bear workshop (all photographic evidence has been destroyed 🤣🤣🤣🤣)
The Little Lady looked after a poorly Nanny Nicky and treated her to a panto she made up with her teddies.
Friends of the birds had an amazing time at The Royal Albert Hall - at least they sent some video clips of what they were missing 🤭🤭🤭
Christmas dinner at Mummas was missed (beans on toast just isn't the same as a roast apparently 😕)
Boxing lunch with brother and niece was a no go.
The big brunch with Tracy's family was put on hold.
The birds three week trip to Vietnam had to be postponed for 12 months - yes Nicky really was quite unwell 😯😷
The river and lakes burst their banks at The Lake House causing some major flooding - just in case you are wondering what Nicky would take with her, given 10 minutes to evacuate, we can tell you - 4 satsumas, 3 of her precious games and a stale loaf of bread !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The little car is testing its airlock capability as it sits in the flooding water.
And finally the work car broke down in the middle of nowhere, eventually got towed to the garage (only took 7 hours 🙃) and is under going a serious operation as we speak.
At this point The Birds decided that they'd had enough and flew out to Spain (just in time for Three Kings Day) where they intend to spend the next 10 days planning what to do when they get back 🤣🤣🤣
Just in case you might actually be worried about The Birds, please don't be. They are quite resilient and are still smiling - although we think there might be a bit of hysteria thrown in every now and then 🤔
We must also say an amazing thank you to the friends that have helped out when The Birds have truly needed it. You know you've got good friends when they get out of bed to come to your aid in the middle of the night 🌙 ❤️
Ps we are sorry about the pics, the camera has not been engaged much apparently!

02/01/2024

Question of the day.....
The sirens start to wail, giving you 10 minutes to vacate your property - what do you take with you?????????

31/12/2023

Wishing you all a Happy New Year with love from team Hummingbirds ❤️

25/12/2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS
we have spent an age looking back over our pictures (might need to get a bigger cloud ☁️ 😅 🤔) just to share a few oldies, but goodies, with you.
Wishing you all the very best and let's hope you can join The Birds for yet more adventures next year xx

12/12/2023

We got an early Christmas present 🎁 😁🎅🎄