Friday April 18th 2025 "Coln's Survey: Has some stupid misunderstanding played havoc with YOUR life this week?"

Yes, it's "Colin's survey" time again - comes round really fast, doesn't it! But I make no apology for this one [Why not? - Ed] - because it's a real "doozy", and one that I've been avoiding till now, but it's got to be faced, and "there's no time like the present" [That's never actually been proved, Colin! - Ed]. 

yes, it's that "time of the month" - Colin's Survey time!

Comes round real quick doesn't it !!!!

And as you've probably already guessed, my "Colin's Survey" question to my dear Readers today is, "Has YOUR life ever been blighted by a misunderstanding?". And answers are already coming in, to judge by the postcards that I can hear "plopping" through my letter-box (!).

Misunderstandings are very much a "hot topic" at the moment, and there have been, like, a billion stories just in Onion News about them recently - they're almost legion. Here's a sample just to whet your appetite.

And according to this week's Radio Times, misunderstandings have even started invading the plots of some of the nation's most beloved and "happening". new sitcoms too, believe it or not (!).

My medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I often find that our daily walks through the countryside in our particular half of Hampshire - the eastern half of the county - are a good time for "talking through" some of the marital misunderstandings that plague our daily existence, for good or for bad (!). A nice bracing morning walk, followed by lunch, a tongue sandwich, say, like today, and then an afternoon upstairs for "nap time" seem to put most of our little misunderstandings to bed, set the world to rights, and "lay a few ghosts", as well, "while we're at it".

And please note: I've no doubt that bracing walks in West Hampshire would be equally good for this purpose, if that were where we lived: so no angry postcards please (!) from my many friends and readers "over the district line". as Lois and I put it. Just saying !!!!

We have a particularly good walk today over Weaver's Down, sorting out a few of our this week's marital misunderstandings, and checking out the famous "dinosaur installation", and when we come back, I even do a bit of DIY, which is a novelty, to put it mildly. 

on our bracing walk today over Weavers Down, we sort out a few of this week's marital

misunderstandings, and check out the famous dinosaur "installation" (2nd photo, extreme left)

Recently local high-tech handyman Russell painted and re-hung a pair of double-doors between our living-room and entrance hall, but he didn't have a bolt with him to secure one of the doors to the ceiling, which was a pity. So after Russell went home, I ordered one from Screwfix, and managed to screw it on, and get it into the hole, which was a nice surprise, given Yours Truly's normal DIY-skills level, which I would call "low-to-very-low" (!).

(left, centre) flashback to last Saturday: local hi-tech handyman Russell paints, 

and rehangs, the double doors between our living-room and entrance-hall,

and (right) today I manage to stop the doors swinging open by bolting them

 to the ceiling: and I find I can get my bolt into the hole, which is a bonus (!) 

It seems to be just one of those days when everything clicks into place (just like my bolt - see picture above!) and all misunderstandings seem to get cleared up. Do you ever have days like that?

And in bed this afternoon, Lois and I find our "Facebook" feeds are packed with examples of harmony and reconciliation - if we believed in astrology, and could find our horoscopes (!), we would probably find that - I don't know - that old song from the 1970's musical Hair - "Aquarius", is it called - has come to pass?

Even that long-to-very-long-running dispute between NBC and film producer George Brownridge has finally been settled, according to our Facebook "Baby Boomers" feed, although sadly too late for George himself, who died in 1990, was it?

[Not that old 'chestnut' surfacing again, surely! - Ed]

our Facebook feed this afternoon: the innocent small-ad 

that started the furore, followed by NBC's eventual apology

NBC's apology came too late for Brownridge himself,

who sadly died in 1990, was it?

Nice to see the dispute has finally been settled, anyway, that's for sure, even if poor George himself doesn't know about it (!).

And the tales of 'harmony unlimited' just keep coming today....

Even my second-cousin Ruth's short-to-very-short Facebook dispute with close friend Emily has finally been settled, although not terribly amicably (!), and I understand that Ruth, who 'for her sins' lives in semi-rural Herefordshire, has had to "look big and pay up" as Lois's dear late father used to say!

This was the original post by Ruth that started the furore:

Ruth's close friend Emily was quick to object, however, claiming that Ruth had stolen the joke from one of Emily's own posts:

 

Ruth's claim that "she never saw [Emily's] so-called joke", would never have stood up in court, however, as this further rejoinder from Emily proves beyond reasonable doubt:

And reading this exchange in bed this afternoon, Lois and I both agree that Ruth's "Oh bugger" is a clear admission of guilt in this instance, which would lead any "jury of Ruth's peers" to find for the plaintiff, i.e. Emily: the jury would be "in" and "out" in a flash, in other words!

Poor Ruth !!!! And presumably she had to "look big and pay up", to the tune of £39.99 , as Emily demanded (!).

There's a happy ending, however, because Ruth has obviously "picked herself up", "dusted herself off", and "started all over again", as her usual stream of amusing posts has now resumed, which is a relief, to put it mildly!

Here are some of her doozies today:

As usual, Ruth's medium-to-long-suffering husband Ralph comes in for some "stick", as you can see!

Ruth, seen here with her medium-to-long-suffering

husband Ralph

Poor Ralph !!!!!

Gags like those just never get old, do they haha!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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