Wednesday July 23rd 2025 "Do YOU have a famous artist, like Picasso, living somewhere on YOUR street?"

Dear reader, do you have any famous artists, say, like Pablo Picasso or whatnot (!), living up YOUR street? Most of us do, don't we! That's what my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I say, but then we're living in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire, the kind of town where we can make such a boast, to put it mildly!

me and my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois - a very recent picture

But if you're living in say, nearby Cheesefoot Head, for instance, you may not be so fortunate, let's say, at least according to this morning's Onion News - check out page 94 !!!!

Poor Dina !!!!!

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

Lois and I have some great artists actually in our own family, and unlike Dina in that Onion News story, above, they're not at all exhausting and hard to be around, to put it mildly!

I'm talking about our lovely 11-yar-old twin granddaughters Lily and Jessica, currently staying with us, along with their parents - our 48-year-old daughter Sarah and Sarah's husband Francis, who flew in last week from their home in Perth, Australia, on a 16-day break.

And today, those "terrible twins" (!) had a chance to show off their artistic skills at nearby Bordon, Hampshire, at the Chocolate Frog restaurant and art-centre, that has nurtured so many of East Hampshire's greatest visual artists. 

It's a strictly women-only "do" as well, which is nice for the women, because female artists have had a tendency to get overlooked and undervalued throughout history, as my wife Lois will explain to you at length, if you've got a few hours free (!) - only joking, of course!

So today, while our son-in-law Francis is "goofing off somewhere" - nobody's quite sure where (!), Yours Truly has to play the statutory "male presence" (as best I can, at any rate (!)), by driving the womenfolk - Lois, Sarah and the twins - to the Chocolate Frog. 

But after the "womenfolk" finish their lunch at the Chocolate Frog they all disappear to do their artwork in the restaurant's art-room, while Yours Truly is left to eat up all the left-overs and pay the bill, before getting back in the car for a hard-earned nap.

Job done !!!!

(left) the five of us enjoying a delicious lunch at the Chocolate Frog,

and (right) me finishing up all the left-overs before paying the bill

 

Poor me !!!!!

Later Sarah passes me these photos that she took during the artwork session. And Lois was obviously joining in with a will, which is nice to see!

As you can see the results are stunning - and speaking as a non-artist, I'm not joking, may I say! 

Sarah produces those lovely china pictures of a starfish and a dolphin, Jessica the china unicorn, Lily the china mouse, and Lois the china plate with a cat on - her favourite "genre".

And that's about it, for today. We're trying to have a fairly easy day today and an early bedtime tonight, because tomorrow's our big trip to London. Yikes !!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

21:00 We go to bed - zzzzzz!!!!!