Sunday July 27th 2025 "Say 'Hello' and 'Cheer up!' to that burrito-seller guy today, if you happen to see him!"

Did you see that story about the burrito-seller just down the road from Lois and me, here in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire?

You must have seen it, if you live anywhere remotely-near (is that a phrase?) - [No! - Ed], if you live remotely near East Hampshire! It was literally "all over" page 94 of the local Onion News print edition this morning !!!!

Poor burrito-guy !!!! But he's staying up-beat, so a big "Kudos!", and a slap-on-the-back, to him from me and all the unsung "backroom boys" that work so hard to bring you this blog every day! 

[You mean you actually get help producing this rubbish, Colin?" - Ed]

Well, airports are very much on the minds of my medium-to-hard-pressed wife Lois and me today, because in just a couple of days' time, our visitors - daughter Sarah, her husband Francis, and their adorable 12-year-old twins Lily and Jessica - will be jetting off back home to Perth, Australia, at the end of their 16-day stay with us at our home here in semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire.

flashback to July 12th - we welcome our visitors - daughter Sarah, her husband Francis

and twins Lily and Jessica, after their 18-hour, non-stop flight from Perth, Australia

Their visit has gone so fast, and there are literally now only 2 full days left to enjoy their company. At the same time, Lois and I are pretty exhausted by it all now, so it'll be a bitter-sweet farewell on Tuesday morning, when our little "Australian" family drives off to London's Heathrow Airport for their long flight home to Australia.

Our little home here in Liphook will suddenly feel very quiet, when it's just Lois and me again, that's for sure, after we lose that constant, excited "babble" of voices that we've been enjoying so much for the last fortnight. 

Lois and me having an Indian takeaway with our daughter Sarah

and family, to the accompaniment of an enjoyable

"babble of voices", which was nice!

Sarah and Francis naturally still sound the same as when they first left England for Australia in 2015 - Sarah just normal, i.e. "Standard Southern English" like Lois and me (!), and Francis with his heavy (!) "Posh Northern England General" tones.

The family has spent time in both England and Australia since 2015, and the girls are "bilingual" in British and Australian - they can do both accents fluently. And they can alternate quite easily between the two, just as if they can somehow flick a switch inside their heads, which is fun to observe. 

(left) flashback to 2020 - the girls in the uniform of their private Catholic school, 

in the wilds of Lower Chittering, Western Australia, and (right) in 2023, 

in the uniform of their Church of England primary school, Alcester, Warwickshire, UK

I'm noticing, however, that they're sounding more Australian today, Sunday, no doubt because they're thinking more and more about going home to Perth and seeing their friends and classmates again. The giveaway is when Jessica calls to Lily - "LILLYYYYYY!!!!", using two "velarised" L-sounds, the so-called "dark" or "heavy" L-sound, as used widely in both Australia and the US.

Just saying haha !!!!!

These two days, today and tomorrow, will be precious to Lois and me, the doting grandparents, as we savour the magical presence of our little Australian family - who knows when we'll see them again, if at all - sob sob !!!!

And this Sunday morning, while their  parents are busy with other things, Lois and I take the twins for a precious last trip to the nearby playground and a last walk through nearby Radford Park. 

for Lois and me, the doting grandparents, a last precious visit with the twins to the local 

playground and to nearby Radford Park - in 2 days' time the twins and their parents will be

jetting off  from London's Heathrow Airport back home to Perth, Australia

And our Sunday evening today is further enlivened by a visit from our other daughter Alison, who lives near us in Headley, Hampshire, plus Ali's husband Edward and two of their teenage kids Rosalind (17) and Isaac (15). Rosalind and Isaac sit down in the back garden for a game of "Dixit" with the twins, and it's so nice for Lois and me to hear the laughter that generates between the four kids.

the kids settle down to a game of Dixit, with Sarah and Edward looking on, 

and it's so marvellous for Lois and me to hear the laughter the game generates

between the four kids - (left to right) Isaac, Rosalind, Lily and Jessica

Then all ten of us sit down to a hearty meal, cooked by Lois and eaten by us in the back garden, an occasion slightly hijacked as news comes in that the England Women's Soccer Team is battling to win their Euro-tournament final against Spain, over in Basle, Switzerland.

a pleasant family meal, cooked by Lois and eaten by all 10 of us in the back garden,

a meal hijacked towards the end by then news coming in on Rosalind's phone,

that the England Women's Soccer Team had a chance to win the Euros tournament again

Later, we come inside the house and watch on our TV, Prince William, flanked by some lucky young "competition winner"!, presenting the cup to the victorious England women and their Dutch manager, which is a very nice end to a very nice day, which is nice! 

[That's enough niceness! - Ed]

we come inside the house and turn on the TV to see Prince William, flanked

by some lucky young competition-winner, presenting the Euro Women's Trophy 2025

to the victorious England Women's soccer team, and their Dutch manager

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Saturday July 26th 2025 "Are YOU lonely and looking for love? Well, the cure may be standing there on your dining-table, so just take a look!"

Did you see that heart-warming story about a lonely single daughter finding love at last, in this morning's Onion News for East Hampshire - everybody's talking about it in this "neck of the woods" (!)

Poor Anna !!!!

Let's hope that Mr Newman's-Salad-Dressing turns out to be Anna's "Mr Right" !

"Mr Newman Salad Dressing Bottle", seen here in close-up.

Could he be Lonely Anna's "Mr Right" ????

Did you notice that the guy donates all his old clothes to charity, which sounds like he's "worth a bob or two", to put it mildly!

And my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I wonder if we're looking at some of "Mr Right's" old clothes this morning as we browse the charity shops of Farnham, just over the county line in Surrey, with our daughter Sarah and her twin daughters Lily and Jessica!

me in the Farnham Sue Ryder charity shop this morning,

with my wife Lois; also with our daughter Sarah, pictured here looking

at some nick-nacks with Lily, one of her twin daughters

The twins are celebrating their 12th birthday today, and, when asked how they'd like to spend the day, they gave the somewhat surprising answer, maybe, that they'd "love to look round all the area's charity shops".

flashback to early this morning: our twin granddaughters Lily and Jessica begin their 

12th birthday celebrations by opening their cards and presents, watched by

their mum Sarah, and granny Lois at our home here in Liphook, Hampshire

The twins are an eccentric pair of young rascals to put it mildly! And currently they and their mum Sarah and dad Francis are staying with Lois and me here in Liphook, Hampshire, on a short visit from their home in Perth, Western Australia. 

The twins' favourite activity is looking round charity shops, and their favourite TV programme is "The Apprentice (Australia), closely followed by "The Apprentice (New Zealand)", and running those a close third is "The Apprentice UK", so we think those twins are definitely destined for great things - although what those "things" are, exactly, we're not 100% sure !!!

our (now, as of today!) 12-year-old twin granddaughters' two favourite shows:

The Apprentice (Australia) and The Apprentice (New Zealand) - also pictured

are contestants on the recent Celebrity version of "The Apprentice (Australia)"  series

What madness!!!

And after this morning's "ransacking" of Farnham's medium-to-hard-pressed charity shops the twins have made an unusual second request - to try some so-called "bubble tea", which Lois and I have never heard of, so all 5 of us drop into Farnham's iconic "Thai Bubble Tea Shop" to sample some. It turns out to be nothing like tea as old-codgers Lois and me know it - the bubbles are actually bubbles of tapioca, or some-such nonsense (!), if that makes sense, and it's very light and refreshing, so Lois and I are now officially "converts", which is nice! 

And we all leave the shop half an hour later, in a sunshine state of mind - the shop's motto, which is also nice!

us this morning in Farnham's iconic Thai Bubble Tea Shop

- motto "Sunshine State of Mind", which is nice!

After that, the twins' 12th birthday disappears in a welter of celebratory birthday eating. We meet up with our other daughter Alison and family, who live in nearby Headley, including Ali and Edward's son Isaac, who also has his birthday today - he's turned 15 -  for an evening at Liphook's only genuine Italian-owned-and-run pizza restaurant, with the evening topped off by a late-night slice of the birthday cake the twins had themselves tastefully decorated yesterday.

(top left) our 5 grandchildren play an impromptu game of "Uno", while waiting for their pizzas

to arrive, and (bottom) all 11 of us: (left to right) as we emerge from the restaurant 

And that's the way you do it!

Lois and I are feeling our age - we're 79 you know [Stop saying that, Colin! - Ed], and the visit of our "Australian" family has been so nice but at the same time so exhausting for us, you would not believe!

How we wish we could be 12 again, with our whole life ahead of us, possibly even including dreams of embarking on founding "The Apprentice" style start-ups etc. Unfortunately, when we both turned 12, back in 1958, the idea of "start-ups" or is it "starts-up"? - [No! - Ed] hadn't even started up yet (no pun intended !!!!!); 

flashback to 1958: (left) me aged 12, nursing my new-born sister Jill, with my 6-year-old

brother Steve looking over my shoulder, and (right) Steve with my sister Kathy (10)

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Friday July 25th 2025 "Photos are fine as souvenirs, aren't they, but videos are even better, I always think!"

Photographs of holidays etc are the best aren't they, but videos are even "bester" [sic], if that's possible to say in good English (!).  [No, it isn't! - Ed]

That's what my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I think, and one lucky couple, who recently had a holiday not a million miles away from us in lovely tourist spot Swing Swang Lane, Hampshire, has received the memento of a lifetime from their Airbnb host, according to this morning's Onion News for East Hampshire - just check out page 94 of the print edition!  

However, some photos and videos can be embarrassing, and the big international story this week bears that "truism" out - no question! And my fortnightly copy of top UK political magazine Private Eye, which "plopped" through our letterbox here in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire, has its own slightly cock-eyed "slant" on the story, one which gave Lois and me a chuckle as we started to prepare our breakfast this morning, to put it mildly!

Lois and I like to start the day off with a bit of a chuckle, and particularly today, because another busy day lies in front of us, and we are 79 you know! [Stop saying that! - Ed]

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

- a recent picture

First stop on our busy programme today is a trip over to the SPAR convenience store in nearby Churt, just over the county line in Surrey, for a somewhat desperate stocking up on groceries (!) - we're currently hosting our daughter Sarah, her husband Francis and their 11-year-old twins Lily and Jessica, who are spending a couple of weeks with us after flying in to London's Heathrow Airport from their home in Perth, Australia. 

Lois and I stock up on groceries at the iconic SPAR convenience store 

and Post Office just over the county line in lovely Churt, Surrey

They love their food, does our "Aussie" family, and those 4 hungry mouths go through mine and Lois's larder, 2 fridges and 2 freezers at a rate of knots, to put it mildly!

It's also a chance to drop in on our other daughter Alison, who's temporarily living in Churt while their home in nearby Headley is being comprehensively refurbished and enlarged by builders. 

Alison's husband, hotshot lawyer Edward, is working in London today, and their 2 teenage daughters are away from home - Josie (18) on a Eurorail train holiday, somewhere in Europe (naturally!), Rosalind (17) is on a geography course in Wales, and their son Isaac (14) hasn't really "surfaced" yet - well, it's only 10 in the morning, it's the school's summer holidays, and he is a teenager, bless him!!!!!

our petite 18-year-old daughter Josie, all in white, currently on a Eurorail holiday in Europe,

here pictured in Venice this week with 3 friends from her high school in Guildford, Surrey

All of which leaves just our daughter Alison and the family's two dogs, Sika and Bjørn, to greet Lois and me this morning. The dogs try to lick our faces, as usual, but Ali contents herself with a hug, which is tons nicer, and more appropriate, at mine and Lois's advanced age, to put it mildly (!).

So, all in all, no embarrassing "lick-cam" photos or footage for us today, which is probably for the best, as we're not strong enough to cope with any sudden "viral" fame !!!!

(bottom left) I showcase the traditional Swedish "Mora" grandfather-style clock

left by the family's Swedish landlords, and (bottom right) me and my friend Bjørn

chilling out on the sofa after his failed attempt to create an embarrassing "lick-cam" incident!!!

11:00 After our visit to Ali, we drive back to our home in Liphook, Hampshire, and the rest of the day disappears in a cloud of artistic birthday-cake-decorating by our twin "Aussie" grandchildren, who will be turning 12 tomorrow.

Even mum Sarah (48), our daughter, takes some time away from working on her laptop to help out with some cake-decorating advice. 

our daughter Sarah (48) takes time out from her laptop

working for one or other of her two accountancy jobs (!)

to give her twin daughters some cake-decorating advice

which is nice!

Sarah is currently doing two accountancy jobs simultaneously - one in the family's new home town of Perth, Australia, and another accountancy job at their former home in Evesham, Worcestershire, UK. And she makes cunning use of the current 7-hour time-difference to fit in both jobs in the course of her working "day".

But what a crazy world we live in !!!

And just look at their final result (bottom right). Professional or what?! 

They could easily have a career making and decorating cakes, Lois and I think, although we suspect that that isn't on the agenda for the moment, anyway - although it could be a profitable side-line if they ever need one. That's what we think as proud grandparents, anyway.

Lois and I are a bit naughty while most of the cake-decorating work is going on down in the kitchen, because we're mostly upstairs having a shower, followed by a couple of hours in bed. 

Well, this visit by our "Aussie" family is, simultaneously, incredibly enjoyable, but also incredibly exhausting for us at our age, which I suppose isn't completely surprising. We had a lovely day out with them on a sightseeing trip to London yesterday, at the end of which, however, Lois and I both felt totally "zonked", to put it mildly.

Lois falls asleep for a full hour, on the sofa this evening, while we're all watching a recent episode of "The Apprentice", the twins' favourite show, would you believe. Are they trying to pick up tips for their own possible future cake-decorating "start-up" ? I think we should be told, don't you? (!).

flashback to yesterday: Lois and I take our "Aussie" family on the train

for a thoroughly enjoyable but exhausting sightseeing trip to London 

Lois and I had our own experiences in London - some of the time Sarah and family were doing their own thing, and we got incredibly lucky along the Thames embankment, you would not believe!

We happened to bump into ageing former film star Charlie Chaplin, would you believe, who let us take a souvenir "selfie" with him. He specified "no kissing" and "no face-licking" either, which, again, was probably for the best, given that countless tourists all equipped with phone-cams were constantly wending their way past us, looking for photo-opportunities that might go viral for them!

flashback to yesterday: Lois and I happen to bump into ageing film-star Charlie Chaplin

on the Thames Embankment in London, but we deftly avoid any "kiss-cam"-type scandals (!)

And who knew that Charlie Chaplin is actually an East European? He's just like many of the other people Lois and I rubbed shoulders with in London yesterday. His thick accent when he talked was a clear giveaway and left no room for doubt on this point!

I suppose that this isn't generally known, because before he retired he was only to be seen in silent movies, so his true origins never became apparent.

But what a crazy world we live in!!!  [You've done that one already, Colin. Just saying! - Ed]

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Thursday July 24th 2025 "Do YOU know a "vintage", ageing person who likes a vintage ageing railway excursion? Most of us do, I think you'll find!"

Yes, most of us know a "vintage", ageing person who likes a ride on a "vintage", ageing railway, don't we! And my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois, ourselves having turned 79, would you believe, are no exception to that rule, to put it mildly!!!

And we're not alone, to judge from this morning's Onion News for East Hampshire (printed edition) - check out page 94, if you don't believe me !!!!

It's a worrying prospect isn't it! And Lois and I, who've been ageing retirees ourselves since 2006 and so can claim to "have experience" in this sector of the economy, we're doing our best to alleviate the problems by not often going out of our house here in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire, except for the occasional walk in nearby leafy Radford Park, so I think we can claim to be "doing our bit" for the environment, don't you (!). 

[I'll be the judge of that, Colin! - Ed]

me and my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois pictured here

on a recent walk through nearby, leafy Radford Park, Liphook

But let me put my cards on the table at this point! [I wish you wouldn't keep doing that, Colin! - Ed]

Although normally living a quiet life in each other's pockets 24/7, Lois and I have recently been enjoying a (friendly) invasion by our daughter Sarah, her husband Francis, and their 11-year-old twin daughters Lily and Jessica. They flew in from Perth, Australia last week for a short UK stay, both for pleasure and for business: Sarah still works online as an accountant for a firm in Evesham UK, as well as working full-time for a firm in Perth - so busy, busy, busy!!! 

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

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

Our visitors are very keen to see London during their trip: the kids have never experienced it, and Sarah and Francis want to give them a taste of it during their stay with us.

To be honest, Lois and I aren't that keen to go to London, what with its crowds and complicated, extremely busy transport system etc etc, and we find the prospect a bit terrifying. However, in the last month I've spent a lot of time on the computer putting together a day-trip package for us all 6 of us to do, including a reasonable dose of tourism and sightseeing. 

The plan is (1) a hour's train journey from Liphook into London's Waterloo Railway Station, (2) a ride on the London Eye, (3) an open-top sightseeing bus tour round Central London, (4) a Thames sightseeing river cruise, ending with (5) another train journey home to Liphook. And I try to get hold of as many passenger tickets in advance as I can, to minimise queueing etc.

me showcasing some of the bus and train tickets I've managed

to acquire in advance to minimise queueing on our day trip to London

Planning the day really proves to be quite a headache however.

The information available on the web is really quite confusing and often fails to tell me the details I want, so I'm expecting the day to go horribly wrong at some point or other, but surprisingly it doesn't do that, and when we get to London, everything goes more or less according to a plan. 

Who would have thought it?!!!! 

flashback to early this morning: 8:45am and we arrive at Liphook's quiet,

almost deserted railway station and, somewhat nervously, find a bench on the platform 

to wait for our 8:51 train to London's Waterloo Railway Station

My main takeaways from the day's experience?

(1) London is a real shock to the system for Lois and me, accustomed to a quiet life in quiet towns: the sheer numbers of people thronging around us most of the day, almost all "foreigners" (!) - not just the other tourists, but the friendly guys manning the transport system and tourist attractions etc - a huge number of them being either, seemingly, East Europeans, or immigrants from the UK's former colonies in Asia or the Caribbean.

(2) Despite everything, a lovely, happy atmosphere with enormous crowds having fun and just enjoying themselves, both in the early sunshine, and, just as much, during the later rain, and not a policeman in sight the whole day.

River Thames, with Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in the background

an East European "Charlie Chaplin", complete with jerky, silent-movie arm movements

Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament (11th-19th century), the London Eye (1998),

Tower of London (1078) and Tower Bridge (1886)

And here are some of the more modern buildings, which say they didn't want to be left out of the picture. Awwww, bless them !!!!

the Shard (2009), our daughter Sarah (1977), and Lois and me (1946)

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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