Wednesday June 24th 2026 "Are YOU having plenty of veg with YOUR 'tea' tonight? Just checking!!!!!"

Yes, Friends, are YOU having sufficient of the 'green stuff' with YOUR tea tonight. This lady, whose picture is plastered all over the TV news tonight, shows you how it's done what done! 

And suddenly vegetables are 'flavour of the month' quite literally, and the papers are full of them - check out today's Onion News, and give it a good shake, if you need convincing!

Weird, isn't it! And reading these headlines brings a teary grin to the faces of me and my wife Lois in leaf-affected Liphook, Hampshire, this morning, no doubt about that!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

And, perhaps more conscious than most Brits about the nutritional l value of vegetables you'd have found us out in our tiny back garden today at the unearthly hour of 8 am, erecting our bean poles for another season, now that Lois's little bean-plants, currently languishing in our kitchen, are just bursting to be 'planted out' - no question about that!

Here are the telling pictures, with Lois doing all the work, and me 'poncing about', pushing the odd pole into place, and generally trying to look busy, as per usual !!!!

Eight o'clock this morning, and Lois and I already out in our tiny back garden,

pushing a bunch of bean-poles into the dry soil, before it gets too hot out there!

And by around 8:30am, we're pretty much done for the day, which is nice!

[Is that all you two 'noggins' have done today, Colin? - Ed]

Well, pretty much, yes! But we've got the excuse of the weather, of course! And here are the "numbers", to prove it!

(left) UK's hottest June day on record in nearby Charlwood, Surrey - 35.7C (96.3F),

according to the BBC, and (right) the temperatures in Liphook, Hampshire today

Even at 6 o'clock tonight in our living-room, the temperature is still 86.5F (30C), and the forecast for the weather here in Liphook tomorrow looks dire! 

What madness!!!!

(left) with a look of horror on my face, I showcase the temperature

in our living room at 6 o' clock tonight, and (right) the forecast for tomorrow - yikes!!!!!

Well, it's true that Lois and I haven't done much today, other than 'poncing about' in light clothing, but at least we've been able to give some comfort to my sister Gill in Ipswich, during one of our periodic whatsapp audio-calls with her this afternoon - or at least I hope we did!

Poor Gill has just returned from a mini-break in Lille, in north-east France with Lucy, one of Gill's 3 grown-up daughters! Lille was not as hot as most of France, Gill reports, being almost in Belgium - phew, narrow escape there! Only joking, if you're one of my Belgian readers!!!

Lille,  in north-east France, often described

as "almost in Belgium" (!)

Lille is a lovely town, Gill says, and it was cooler there than it's been in Paris, she adds, but the downside is that the residents of Lille don't get a lot of tourists, and don't all speak English, so poor Gill had to resurrect her memories of O-Level French from the 1970's, and on more than one occasion, would you believe, which was a pity!

Phew, wotta scorcha! And my sister Gill took these pictures of her daughter 

Lucy in Lille this week, during their short mini-break in the town

Gill also tells us about her upcoming trip to Norwich, where her most recent literary output is going to be thoroughly "workshopped". 

Ouch, sounds painful!!!!

Gill's recent new monologue, "A Nice Cup of Tea" is going to be analysed by a group of enthusiasts at a literary gathering in the city, and Gill hopes to be able to pick up on their ideas and suggestions, and then maybe take a second look at the script for herself. The monologue was performed last November at London's Glitch Theatre, by the feminist Yellow Coat Theatre Company.

(above left) Gill showcasing the performance of her latest monologue

at London's Glitch Theatre, and (above right) Gill with Lucy's fiancee Rosanna,

and (below, right) Gill with members of the all-female Yellow Coat Theatre Company,

who staged the monologue in the theatre back in November 2025

Kudos, Gill! 

Exciting times, eh, to put it mildly! So watch this space!

20:00 But phew! Wotta scorcha it's been! And no relief for poor Lois and me tonight, to find the TV listings dominated by the World Cup again! Will this nightmare never end!!!!!

What madness!!!

Luckily Lois and I can take refuge by doing some more binge-watching of the recent Canadian sitcom series "Schitt's Creek", which we didn't see at the time because it was apparently on something called Netflix, which we're too "tight" to subscribe to - well, you have to draw the line somewhere, don't you haha!!!

[Again? For heaven's sake, Colin! - Ed]

In the series, a wealthy family - a couple Johnny and Moira with two grown-up children David and Alexis - are forced to leave their billionaire mansion, after being cheated of all their money by some crooked business associate or other. 

Luckily the father, Johnny, had bought a small rural town some years ago, 'as a joke' present for his son, David, so the family, now down on their luck, can at least seek low-cost refuge in the town that they own anyway (!), and they manage to book two poky rooms on a long-term rental, at the local sleazy, run-down motel, in run-down, backwoods town, Schitt's Creek.

the former billionaire family, the Roses, now down on their luck,

and forced to live in 2 cramped rooms at a motel in the backwoods

There's a key scene in the unfolding drama tonight, after pampered son David (played by Dan Levy) spends the night with his new "squeeze",  the free-wheeling motel receptionist Stevie, played by Emily Hampshire. 

After spending their first night together, the couple are seen out shopping for wine, in the town's seedy off-licence. When David appears to show interest in a white wine, new "squeeze" Stevie, looks alarmed, and the following exchange takes place.

David, to his credit, immediately sees where Stevie is going with this, and he takes the time to give her a run-down of his preferences, and his recent back-story with the drink.

Stevie, though obviously shocked at David's story, appears to be a little alarmed by the implications for her future relationship with him.

Oh dear, where is all going, I ask myself! 

Luckily Lois is sitting here next to me on the sofa, watching all this with me, and she explains to me that this is actually a conversation, not about wines, but about so-called "sexual preferences".

Of course, I can see that that's obvious now, but why didn't I see that for myself!!!

And seemingly, David and Stevie's relationship seems to be still on track, which is heart-warming!

Awwwww!!!!

But what a crazy world we live in !!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Tuesday June 23rd 2026 "Cancel that holiday, Friends - the weather's just too nice where you are haha!!!!"

Yes, friends, better cancel that expensive  holiday, Friends, and get your money back - the weather's probably nicer where you are, so save your hard-earned cash and stay at home haha!!!!!

Frankie say, "Relax, don't do it haha !!!!

a typical family preparing to go on holiday to somewhere or other!

Yet, despite the current heat, people are continuing to go on visits here or there, which is mad! Did you see the headlines in today's Onion News, which will give you an idea!!!

Yes, people are still going on visits, which is totally crazy. It's just getting too hot to do anything, that's what me and my wife Lois say, here in semi-tropical Liphook, Hampshire, no question about that!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

And the weather forecasts look crazy at the moment - have you noticed? Shome mishtake, shurely haha!!!

Phew, wotta scorcha !!!!!

And "Only travel if it's strictly necessary!", that's our advice - and remember, you read it here first haha!!!

Lois and I get a visit today, it's true, from our dear elder daughter Alison (50) and her middle offspring Rosalind (17) which is nice, but they have a jolly good reason to be out and about - a trip with a family pet to the vets, also calling on us to pick up Rosalind's birthday present from us. 

It's going to be an iconic birthday for our granddaughter Rosalind, because she'll be turning 18 later this week, but the family will be celebrating the occasion over in Copenhagen, where they all spent 7 years, from 2012 to 2019. And they're planning a slap-up birthday meal for Rosalind at her favourite restaurant, Sticks'n'Sushi at the northern Copenhagen suburb of Lyngby, which will be nice!

(left) Lois, with our daughter Alison and granddaughter Rosalind, who visit us

today, ahead of their upcoming visit to their old stamping-ground, Copenhagen

and (right) the iconic Sticks'n'Sushi restaurant, venue for Rosalind's 18th birthday party

They'll also be seeing lots of old friends from their time in Copenhagen, including their Irish friend Bobby, who works at the English Bookshop, the iconic Books & Co in Hellerup, which was another of the family's favourite haunts. As well as doing her job in the bookshop, Bobby also somehow finds time to look after the horses owned by Denmark's Australian-born queen and horse-lover, Queen Mary, which is totally mad!

(left) Copenhagen's English Bookshop, Books & Company, and (right)

flashback to 2017: Lois with our daughter Alison at the bookshop 

on one of our many visits to the city to see her and her family

Denmark's horse-crazy Australian-born queen, Queen Mary - Alison's friend

at the English Bookshop looks after the Queen's horses, which is mad!

What a crazy world we live in !!!!

One exception to that rule, however, one 'island of sanity' (!), is Yours Truly and Lois, who are determinedly not going anywhere today in all this heat!!!! We tend to get up early and do our little so-called 'jobs' before it gets hot, and then hunker down till evening, "skulking" in bed in the afternoon, and then watching something on the telly before going back to bed again, which makes sense to us! 

Call US crazy if you like haha!!!

Here's us in the garden this morning, with Lois doing all the actual work, and me just "poncing about" and trying to look busy (!) in my usual way!!!!

us in the garden earlier today - with Lois doing some much-needed "maintenance"

and me just "poncing about" and trying to look busy (!)

What madness, isn't it !!!!!

20:00 There's nothing much "on the box" tonight, apart from football and repeats of documentaries we've already seen, so we settle down on the sofa to binge-watch further episodes of Canadian sitcom "Schitt's Creek", a series which we somehow failed to notice when it was first aired a few years back, weirdly!

[Again, for heaven's sake, Colin! - Ed]

In the series, a wealthy couple Johnny and Moira are forced to leave their billionaire mansion, after being cheated of all their money by some crooked accountant or other. 

Luckily Johnny, had bought a small rural town some years ago, 'as a joke' present for his son, so the family, now unexpectedly down on their luck, can at least seek low-cost refuge in the town that they own anyway (!), and they manage to book two poky rooms on a long-term rental, at the local sleazy, run-down motel, in run-down, backwoods town, Schitt's Creek.

In this key scene tonight, ex-billionaire Johnny finds he has to give a funeral eulogy for a total stranger, local man Carl, the brother of the local dodgy car-dealer Bob. Johnny and Moira never knew Carl, but they had an early brush with Bob, having mistakenly broken into his cabin, and Bob had been able to hear the couple having sex, while he listened from an adjoining room.

Town mayor Roland, with wife Jocelyn, breaks the sad news, about Bob's brother Carl:

The locals badly want Johnny and Moira to be present at the funeral. Johnny, however, excuses himself from the pall-bearing, citing a fictitious back-problem, but is nevertheless pressed into delivering the eulogy for Bob's brother Carl, at the local church.

Not having ever known Carl, Johnny has obviously had trouble coming up with his speech at the funeral, but he delivers what can only be called a textbook "generic" eulogy, which is nice.

You can tell already, I'm sure that Johnny's remarks are turning into a classic, generic eulogy, and his opening remarks are worth remembering, if ever YOU are invited to speak about some dead person that YOU have never met!

Kudos, Johnny!!!

[That's enough Schitt's Creek! - Ed]

Fantastic stuff, isn't it !!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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