Saturday March 29th 2025 "And how did YOU spend YOUR March 29th - not annexing the Punjab I hope (!!!)!"

 Well, it's March 29th again, and a day to celebrate, perhaps? But Friends, March 29th isn't what it used to be, is it, especially in the UK. After a quick Google, I can today exclusively reveal that the heyday of March 29th was definitely in the 19th century.

• 1849 – The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab.^[10]

flashback to March 29th 1849 - the annexation of the Punjab

That was the big one, certainly - but other "big March 29ths" were to follow, over a crazy period of just 22 years - my goodness yes! Talk about ructions!!!!

• 1857 – Sepoy Mangal Pandey of the 34th Regiment, Bengal Native Infantry mutinies against the East India Company's rule in India and inspires the protracted Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny.^[11]
• 1867 – Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes Canada on July 1.^[12]
• 1871 – Royal Albert Hall is opened by Queen Victoria.^[13]
• 1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Kambula: British forces defeat 20,000 Zulus.^[14]

After 1879, the UK mostly fell quiet each year on March 29th, and we generally all got used to it being quiet, didn't we, until March 29th 2017, when Prime Minister Theresa May shocked us out of our complacency by formally starting us all on the Brexit nonsense(!). 

flashback to March 29th 2017: Prime Minister Theresa May

invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, formally

beginning the UK's withdrawal from the European Union

Since 2017, however, the day has fallen quiet again, which is nice!

And here in quiet, semi-rural Liphook, Hampshire today, I can also reveal that my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I have a busy but unproductive day 

[Busy but unproductive? Well, that's you too 'numpties' to a T, isn't it, Colin! Be honest !!!!  - Ed].

That's apart from Lois going out into the back garden to finish cleaning the rotary clothes-line and hanging out a few bits and piece from our respective rather stylish "wardrobes" (!).

My medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois finishes cleaning the

rotary washing-line in our back garden and then hangs out

selected items from our stylish wardrobes in the warming spring sunshine

I spend the day frantically cataloguing the jobs we want friendly local handyman Russell to do when he calls round, hopefully, on Thursday. We've got, like, a billion little jobs we want him to do. And Russell is a busy guy. He wants as much info (with pictures, measurements etc) on the various little jobs as I can give him - I can tell he's the kind of guy who "doesn't like surprises". Fair enough, I'm a bit that way myself [That's what I heard! - Ed]

I also design and print out my Mother's Day card for Lois, and wrap her gift, which takes me, like, a billion hours of "faffing about" - you know what I'm like !!!!

We get some nice news from Perth, Australia today, where our 47-year-old daughter Sarah lives, together with husband Francis and their 11-year-old twin daughters Lily and Jessica.

The family lived in Perth for seven years between 2015 and May 2023, then moved back to the UK for a year or two, before finally deciding to move back to Perth in September 2024. So Lois and I had the amazing pleasure of their company for just 16 months, before we had to say goodbye to them again - sob sob!!!

hello and goodbye: our daughter Sarah and family's brief "sojourn" in the UK with 

Lois and me: (left) their first meal with us after moving back to the UK in May 2023,

and (right) our farewell meal with them at the Royal Oak, Alcester, in September 2024

Well, Lois and I have had to accept it - they're back in Australia again, 9000 miles away, although we an see them and talk to them on whatsapp every Sunday morning at 9 am UK time (5 pm in Perth), which is some consolation.

Today, the "penny finally drops" with us, that they've done the right thing moving back to Australia. Sarah sends us pictures of the house they're just in the process of buying, together with news that Francis plans to build a big extension on the side of it.

That can only mean one thing: that Francis, who never seemed to settle down in the UK during those 16 months 2023-2024, is really enjoying life again, and is getting enthusiastic again, now that they're back in "Oz". And why not? They've got the blue skies and the sunshine. Plus, the Indian Ocean, which they'll be able to see from the bedroom windows, is just a 5 minute walk away.

 

What's not to like !!!!

Plus, Sarah and Francis have got the twins into the local private Church of England high school for next February - the whole family went for an interview with the headmaster last Monday, and later Sarah reported that the family "had passed the audition", so the future looks bright. And Lois and I, although we're missing them like crazy, can only feel glad for them that it's all working out.

21:00 We go to bed on ex-cabinet minister Michael Portillo's latest celebrity travelogue series, this time on Portugal, for Channel 5.

Tonight Michael is in the city of Coimbra, where we see him talking to some street musicians who specialise in the uniquely Portuguese song form, the "fado".

Oh those Lisbon male bastards again! Giving all us men a bad name! 

What madness!!!!

But there was also a serious side to the fado, a side which came to the fore during the 1960's when Portugal was dominated by Salazar's right-wing dictatorship, and was still ruling her many colonies in Africa and elsewhere with a rod of iron.

Yes, fascinating stuff, isn't it, and nice to remember how Salazar, as well as Franco, finally got swept aside in a joyous tide of rebellion back in the day.

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzz!!!!!