Saturday April 12th 2025 "Are YOU 'adaptable'? Or are you about as adaptable as a brick wall haha!"

Adaptability - it's a good quality if we've can "conjure it up" it in our personal lives, that is, if we're the kind of people who can "adapt" to whatever "Mr Life" with a capital "L" can throw at us, or "Mrs Life" come to that, or "Ms Life". And who know what he (or she), depending on his (or her!) favourite pronoun" (!) will throw at us next!  [Lovely opening para there, Colin! - Ed]

I don't know if you've noticed, but literary works can be "adaptable" too, and some of them can take on a whole new life when they're "adapted" for stage, or for the silver screen, or for what we used to call the "small screen" - our "tellies", although even these can be 95 inches across or even more these days, believe it or not (!).

the "small screen" (100 inch!) "telly", unveiled recently by LG

- what a madness, isn't it !!!!

Some of the classic works of Western literature, however, are considered "sacred" by most of us in their original form - like Homer's Odyssey, written in the 8th or 7th century BC, and considered to be quite perfect, as it was written nearly 3000 years ago, thank you very much!

And that, I think, is the reason for the furore that, according to this morning's Onion News, greeted the new version of the Odyssey that Hollywood is apparently threatening to "throw at us".

What a crazy world we live in!!!

Yes, what madness, isn't it. These so-called "radical" directors and producers can't resist trying to make a name for themselves by "mucking about with" some of the most beloved and iconic stories in the Western World's "dance canon".

And all in the sacred name of "adaptability", would you believe !!!

"Stop the world, we want to get off!", is the cry of myself and my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois, when we read this 'entertainment' story in this morning's Onion, hidden away as it was somewhere in the page 90's, as per usual !!!

"That's enough surprises! - Ed" was our cry as my medium-to-long-suffering

wife Lois and I go out for a walk over Old Man Lowsely's Farm to "clear our heads"

after reading the shock story of the crazy new "Odyssey adaptation" (see story above!)

Even walking over Old Man Lowsley's Farm this morning there are unwelcome surprises. DId you spot the "pop-up" man who suddenly appeared through a skylight in one of the houses bordering on the farm? 

the shocks keep coming today - and my wife Lois tries desperately to keep calm, when even 

our usually uneventful morning walk over Old Man Lowsley's Farm is interrupted 

by a mystery pop-up man poking his head through the roof on an adjoining house 

- what madness!

"The shocks we have!", as my dear late mother used to say!!!

Lois and I don't like surprises, and we like the "old ways" of doing things! And although this year we've moved into a very modern (1970's - yikes!) house in quiet, leafy, semi-rural Liphook, Hampshire, if we were honest we'd say that we'd prefer to live in a more traditional house really - call us "old dinosaurs" if you like !!!!!

We've got to spend our evenings in a draughty "open-plan" style modern living-room, with no proper doors - just an "archway" into the entrance hall, and another "archway" into the kitchen-diner. We're currently trying our best to correct this original "design fault" by converting it to a cosier "closed-plan" style. And local high-tech handyman Russell called today to put some double-doors on, so at least that's one source of draughts that's been "closed off" (no pun intended!!!). 

flashback to October 2024: Lois and I view our current house for the first time,

in company with our daughter Alison and estate-agent James, and view the

"open-plan" i.e. draughty living-room. What a madness it all is, isn't it!!!!

(right) our living room today after local high-tech handyman Russell (left)

installs a pair of double doors, that 'double down' on the draughts from

our entrance-hall - no pun intended !!!!!

Yes, there's no hope for Lois and me - we're just "stuck in the past", aren't we, to put it mildly !!!! And I challenge any thrusting Hollywood director to "adapt" us for the small screen, the big screen, or even for the medium-to-big screen!!!!

Lois and me today, "stuck in the past" and about

as "adaptable as a pair of brick walls" (!!!!!)

At least, thanks to our enthusiastic, and much-repeated (!) "efforts" back in the 1970's, Lois and I did manage to bring into the world two lovely daughters: Alison and Sarah - now both in their late forties. And through them (and their husbands!) we've now got 5 lovely grandchildren. 

(left) us in the 1970's, and (right) the 5 grandchildren we were destined,

with help from sons-in-law (!), to bring into the world, plus Lois's

great niece and nephew, and a Danish dog (5th, 6th and 8th from the left:

 'blame' somebody else for those three haha!)

And those 5 grandchildren of ours are as "adaptable" as anything, that's for sure.

Just six months ago, our daughter Sarah, with husband Francis and their 11-year-old twins Lily and Jessica started a new life in Australia, and it's clear that the twins have adapted to life down under "like ducks to water". 

This week our granddaughter Jessica, after only 6 months at the school, was the student chosen to lower and raise the Australian flag outside their school entrance in a ceremony to mark ANZAC Day, the day which commemorates the part played by Australian and New Zealand armed forces, and the sacrifices they made, in coming to the aid of the UK, the "mother country", in two world wars, in 1914 and again in 1939.

the solemn moment this week outside the twins' primary school, when

our granddaughter Jessica (next to left) was chosen to lower and raise

 the Australian flag on ANZAC Day, "Lest We Forget", as the wreath says (centre)

And Sarah emails us today to say that she and Francis got a lovely message back from Carla, associate-principal at the twins' primary school after the ceremony was over:

And Lois and I noticed this in the "small print" of the school's motto, at the end of Carla's email: 

Yes, it's a little picture of the Indigenous Flag of Australia, the one that doesn't have the Union Jack in the corner (!), and, with it, what we guess is in the form of a pledge; "I acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the land on which I work and live, Wadjuk Noongar country. I recognise their continuing connection to the land, water and community. I pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging."

And Lois and I think that's just great. 

Of course, today's non-indigenous Australians are not to blame for the bad treatment meted out to the indigenous peoples by their forefathers over the last 200 years. However, the indigenous people themselves still feel that 'hurt', and justifiably so, and anything that contributes to the races' harmonious life together today can only be a good thing - that's what we think anyway!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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