Monday July 21st 2025 "Were YOU 'popular' at school? Bet you regret it now !!!!"

Were YOU popular at school? 

To be popular or not to be popular - it's a life-choice that many are forced to make at far too early an age. At least, that's what my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I think! 

me and my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois, 

pictured earlier today

And we're not the only ones, judging from this morning's Onion News - did you see it? If you didn't , check out page 94 of this morning's bombshell print edition!!!!!

Sound familiar? It's a worry most parents have, particularly if they're life-long "nerds" themselves, and want their kids to follow the same, sometimes lonely path through life, the one that they themselves have followed so doggedly !!!

Lois and I think the Onion is right on this point - it's the parties where bright nerdy kids can fall at the first hurdle (!), and the "party peril" (!) starts at an early age, according to this set of amusing Venn diagrams picked out for us this week by Steve, our American brother-in-law.

Check out amusing diagram 3 in this connection, re "Collecting your child from a party where they've mainlined sugar", to put it mildly !!!!

But let me put my cards on the table at this point! [Please don't! - Ed]

My medium-to-hard-pressed wife Lois and I are now 79-years old, and living in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire, not a million miles away from those "nerd's parents" over in Cheesefoot Head (see Onion News story above!)! And for the last 10 days we've been hosting our daughter Sarah, her husband Francis and their 11-year-old twin daughters Lily and Jessica, here on a two-week visit from their home in Perth, Australia.

flashback to July 12th: we welcome our daughter Sarah (right) and

family after their gruelling 18-hour non-stop flight from Perth, Australia

Lately, however, Lois and I have been feeling that it's our 11-year-old grandchildren who are the "serious" ones, while Lois and I are acting all "hyper", as if we're the ones that have been mainlining sugar, which is weird!

And during today's visit to Winchester's "Science Centre and Planetarium", it's our grandkids who are being all serious trying all the experiments and activities, and reading all the blurb signs adorning the displays etc, while Lois and I find ourselves just "larking about" and being silly, would you believe! 

[I have no problem believing that about you two "noggins", Colin! - Ed]

our 11-year-old granddaughters Lily and Jessica, at Winchester's Science Centre and

Planetarium today,(left) talking to the Centre's resident scientist

and (right) trying out one of the Centre's many displays and activities...

...in contrast to Lois and me "larking about", with (above) Lois 

shouting some silly words down  pipe A, and then listening to them coming

back on pipe B; and (below) me clowning around in front of the distorting mirror

and sitting in the "giant's deckchair", like a little kid at the seaside

What madness !!!!

The Science Centre and Planetarium is a great place to visit, however, whether you're a "nerd" or not (!), and well worth dropping by if you're in the Winchester area. And it's also only 26 miles from where Lois and I live, in semi-leafy Liphook, which is handy, to put it mildly!

Lois and me, with our daughter Sarah (48), her husband Francis, and

their 11-year-old twins, having our packed lunch today at Winchester's

Science Centre with the giant globe Planetarium as our backdrop

The Planetarium hosts a great show with lots of massive displays of the night sky etc. 

Great images, and the accompanying narration revealing lots of facts about the stars and planets that Lois and I didn't know.

For example, who knew that German-British astronomer William Herschel, who discovered a new planet in 1781, wanted to call it "George's Planet" (Latin: Georgius Sidus), in his anxiety to curry favour with our then monarch, George III. 

Wiser counsels prevailed, however, and eventually a name was chosen that nobody could possibly make jokes about (!) - Uranus - which was probably a wiser choice, on balance!

(left) German-British astronomer William Herschel and (right) George III

But what a crazy world they lived in, back in the 1780's !!!! And Lois comments to me that she wonders if it was actually Herschel's sister Caroline who discovered the planet, because "she seemed to do most of William's work for him" (her words, not mine, so I'm going to let that one slide for now !!!!).

I wonder....!!!

(left) Herschel working on his science stuff, and (right)

his sister Caroline, bringing him a welcome cup of tea,

as a break from her own "science stuff" (!)

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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