Record Store Day!

To celebrate NATIONAL RECORD STORE DAY, Wilson has brought out his treasured collection of Peter Dawson vinyl recordings (actually they're so old they're not vinyl, they're shellac) caressing them, smelling them and smiling nostalgically. 

Unfortunately he can't actually play them as we don't own a gramophone — which for the benefit of younger readers is a record player, probably clockwork, with a 78rpm setting — but he has got them all as MP3s so he'll be listening to them later on his (ie my) iPad! 

Free Gift!

Wilson has prepared a small gift for all his friends who are making and enjoying his secret Ant Gin recipe! He says that this bottle label will give a sense of professionalism to the brew, and 'increase the enjoyabilityness' of it.  

Having tasted his Ant Gin, I think its 'enjoyabilityness' could be increased only by something to take the taste away, though of course I would never tell him that.

TOP SECRET!

Okay, here it is: Wilson's secret recipe for Ant Gin.

Half-fill the empty wine bottle with ants. (This is the hardest part, as the ants never want to go in.) Then add sugar until the ants are covered. Finally fill the bottle with gin and seal tightly. Add the gin quickly, or the ants will have eaten all the sugar, which would spoil the drink.

Once the bottle is tightly sealed, shake it then leave it to mellow and age in a cool dark place. You should wait at least half an hour, more if possible — wait at least until the have ants stopped swimming about.

Serve in a warmed glass, or add it to your cooking if you like! Delicious…

Please remember that Wilson's mum, Mrs Vermilingua, must NEVER find out he has shared this recipe!

Wilson's secret is shared...

Wilson is coming under a lot of pressure to reveal his top-secret recipe for Ant Gin. Many people expected to find it in his new book, Wilson Vermilingua's Big Book of Free Stuff, and were disappointed to find that it wasn't, so he has reconsidered and agreed to share the recipe.

You will need:

   Fresh ants

   Gin

   Sugar

Gather the ingredients (or as Wilson likes to call them, 'ingrediANTs') together with a funnel and an empty wine bottle, and he will reveal the method tomorrow.

Not a word to Wilson's mum, Mrs Vermilingua, though!

Wilson receives some complaints

Wilson's book, the Wilson Vermilingua's Big Book of Free Stuff*, has been very well received, but some readers have expressed disappointment that it didn't contain his recipe for Ant Gin. 

I asked him about this, and he explained  that, 'Ant Gin is prepared from a secret recipe handed down to me by my mum, Mrs Vermilingua. It is my inheritance and my birthright. I shall never, never reveal it!'

*Still available as a free download from ISSUU:  http://tinyurl.com/d4hh6bb

Wilson's exciting tale

On the journey home, Wilson tells Antony and Tiny Toy all about the caves. The tour was good, but Wilson's telling of it makes it sound even more exciting… especially the part about the tour guide banging his head on a stalactite and losing his memory, so that Wilson had to guide everyone to safety. 

I confess I don't remember that bit.

Hot coffee!

Wilson finally bids farewell to Chiselhurst Caves and we head off to the gift shop and restaurant for hot coffee and a bun.