Thursday August 27th 2026 "Are YOU going to the cinema or theatre today? Don't 'miss out' haha!!!

Yes, Friends, are YOU going to the cinema or maybe a theatre today? You don't want to miss out, when almost everybody in the world is set to "indulge" (!), at least, to believe the headlines in today's Onion News, to put it mildly!!!! 

And those headlines bring a brief hint of a smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois, here in leafy Liphook, Hampshire, no question about that!!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

And, for once, Lois and I realise that we're fully "on trend", because we've got tickets to the local community theatre performance of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" at local "happening" venue, Haslemere Hall, no less, which is exciting!

We'll be in a mini-group with our daughter Alison, and 2 of her teenage kids Rosalind (18) and Isaac (16), and with the cast dominated by talented local teenagers, we're sure that all these kids' families will be packing out the available seats, and giving the cast an enthusiastic welcome - it's the first of 6 performances in the play's 3-day run, and tickets are discounted for this performance only, so what's not to like haha! Isaac is no stranger himself to the musical scene, having recently played stand-out roles in both The Wizard of Oz and Legally Blonde, so fair play to him!

The audience has been asked not to take pictures during the performance, but I manage to take the following "money-shots" while the audience is filing in and finding their seats, in an atmosphere of barely-controlled total hysteria, which is nice to see!

the scene at fashionable local hotspot Haslemere Hall this afternoon, with

(bottom left) Lois studying the programme, and (bottom right) our daughter

Alison and 2 of her 3 teenage kids, Rosalind (18) and Isaac (16)

In case you can't read the programme which Lois is holding up (see above, bottom left!), there are some amusing photos in it of rehearsals, and I especially recommend the last one below, showing a typical final rehearsal, in which the director, Philip O'Brien, is looking really fed up, which is a nice touch !!!!!

candid pictures of the mostly young but talented, local cast during rehearsals,

with below, director Philip O'Brien looking really fed up - poor Philip!!!

Yes, poor Philip haha!!!!!

The programme also includes some "fun facts" about the musical, which Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote when they were complete unknowns, just for a local school. Isn't it always fascinating to see young writers and song-writers in action, totally unaware that the "fun piece" that they were just playing around with for a local school, would eventually bring them world-wide fame, no less!

And it's also very nostalgic for Lois and me to see "Joseph" again. We first took our then young daughters Alison and Sarah to a community theatre performance of the musical in Ellicott City, Maryland during our 3-year residence in the US, back in the early 1980's. Also, I took Sarah to see the musical again, in London, in her teenage years, when "happening" Aussie soap-opera star heart-throb Jason Donovan was playing the lead. Happy days!!!

(left) flashback to the early 1980's: us as a young family during our 3 years in the States,

and (right) the theatre in Ellicott City, Maryland, where we all first saw "Joseph"

(above) flashback to 1991: the London Palladium production of "Joseph..."

starring Aussie soap-star Jason Donovan which I took our daughter Sara to see,

and (below) Donovan reprising the role for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee (2022)

Yes, happy days!!!!

Back to today, however!  And Lois and I are treated to an enthusiastic and talented performance this afternoon: the cast really putting their all into it, and getting an enthusiastic reception from the audience, which is nice. All in all a great afternoon, and Lois and I, as two of the many 'old codgers' in the house, excelled ourselves by not falling asleep, and not even asking once to go to the loo, despite the performance duration of two hours plus, would you believe!! 

Kudos, us haha !!!!

21:00 Nevertheless exhausted by our little "old codger outing" today, it's with some satisfaction that we can fully collapse on the sofa tonight, all agog to see a fascinating Channel 5 documentary about the Great Wall of China, presented by the intrepid Dan Snow, who, despite his (compared to us!) young-to-youngish years, still looks a bit 'puffed' (!) as he clambers up and down the great monument, in the company of, like, a billion Chinese tourists, to put it mildly!!!!

Poor Dan !!!!

And there's a big surprise waiting for us, right at the start of the programme, because Lois and I had no idea that there's no single Wall of China - there are, like, half a dozen of them, some having been built as long ago as back as 500 BC, would you believe! Who knew!!!!

[I expect a lot of people knew that! - Ed]

The Chinese have obviously had a mania about building "Great Walls" throughout their history! 

Got a problem? Build a wall! Whether it's for keeping out the foreigners, or maybe just to keep people busy, or to give them an interest,  perhaps?

Talented singer-songwriter Paul Simon suggests, however, in one of our favourite songs - his classic 1973 track "Something So Right" - that the purpose was indeed to keep out the foreigners, so let's go with that theory for the time being, okay?!!!!

Also, for us tonight, there's some amusement when presenter Dan talks about the "loess" that was used to build one of the oldest "Great Walls".

Why the amusement? Well forgive us, but we are feeling exhausted, and we are 80, not to mention entering our second (or is it third??!!!) childhood (!!!!).

In standard Southern British usage, at least, "loess" is pronounced exactly the same as "Lois" - they're complete 'homonyms'. So we can't help smiling when Dan talks about "Lois" being "made of clay, sand and silt" (!).

And we're laughing again, when the intrepid Dan talks about ""forcing Lois into a frame.... to build the wall", because we're old, yes, but we're not that old, thank you very much !!!!

How we laughed !!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Wednesday August 26th 2026 "Are YOU having an 'active day'? Seems like everybody in the UK is really 'powering' through the day today!"

Yes, Friends, are YOU having a particularly 'active' day today? It seems like the whole country has "ants in their pants", if we're to believe the headlines in today's Onion News!

And, for my wife Lois and me, reading these stories here in leafy Liphook, Hampshire, it's making us feel tired just reading about all this 'activeness', if that's a word! [No! - Ed]

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

Recently dubbed by neighbours as "possibly Liphook's busiest-looking retired couple" we've decided to surprise the locals today with an unannounced, and sudden, "change of pace", taking it easy for a change (!), and about time too!!!! 

Exhausted by really "going at it" for our 54th wedding anniversary yesterday (!), we're going to take it easy for once! Lois has a pile of ironing to do, which is mad!

(left) me showcasing Lois's trademark ironing-board, finally at rest

after "getting a right bashing" from her this morning (!), and (right)

only the sheets are left to do now, which is encouraging!

And meanwhile, Yours Truly has some more "strategic" work on my agenda today, would you believe! I'm planning our next 3-night break in Bournemouth to see Lois's cousin Brian and wife Ruth, which is taxing my poor little brain, to put it mildly - it's a logistical nightmare, given our usual busy schedule!!

me, doing my head in, trying to somehow fit in a 3-night break

in Bournemouth, given our predictably hectic September schedule - what madness!!!

And I'm also having to somehow find the time today to install a 4-way plug extension near our TV so we can have the benefit of subtitles for when the people on the screen are "mumbling" (!). This is for when we're having a rare opportunity to "chill" on the very-occasional "night in", to catch some ground-breaking drama or documentary or other, would you believe, so we can keep ourselves "down with the kids" and, at the same time, up-to-date with any troubling international crises !!!

us, caught on camera recently, during a rare chance to "chill out" 

[It's poor Lois I feel sorry for! You lazy swine, Colin!!! - Ed]

14:00 Both of us feeling thoroughly exhausted by the time we climb into bed this afternoon for "statutory nap-time", and, with our minds in turmoil because of this morning's "issues" (see above!) we're almost more exhausted when we climb out of bed again a mere two and a half hours later, would you believe!

What a crazy world we live in !!!!

20:00 Finally able to relax properly on the couch this evening, we can't resist watching the retrospective on comic film actor Gene Wilder, on the free-to-view Sky Arts channel, which is nice!

Gene will always be Willy Wonka to Lois and me, because of the way our two daughters Alison and Sarah, watched the film repeatedly during their teenage years long ago. But tonight Lois and I learn a lot more about Wilder, including the fact that he did his actor training in Bristol, England at the Old Vic Theatre, right there in the heart of the city - who knew?! 

And it's nice tonight to see again our favourite Gene Wilder scene, in "Young Frankenstein" where Wilder is being attacked by his own creation, the eponymous "young Frankenstein", and, while being slowly strangled, and unable to speak, Wilder has to "mime" instructions to his two assistants, "charades-style" - what madness, wasn't it!!

So far so good, as regards the first two syllables - "Said-a-", (!). But what about the third syllable?

Did YOU get it? Lois and I are used to all the top TV quiz shows and game shows, and immediately recognised that Wilder was asking his assistants to give the monster a sedative to calm him down, which makes perfect sense given the situation, as you'll know if YOU have ever had a monster, young or old (!), trying to strangle YOU!

Yes, of course, and it seems obvious when you know, doesn't it!  "Simples", really!

a typical "sedative"

Fantastic stuff, though, isn't it, and kudos, too, to a very young-looking, handsome, and hooded, Marty Feldman, playing "Luckless Assistant #2", who, we think, should have got at least a crack at "best supporting actor" at the 1974 Oscars, but, once more, no joy there for Marty, which was a shame, we think!

Poor Marty !!!!!!

(left) noted comedian Marty Feldman, passed over for the Oscars again

- poor Marty !!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Tuesday August 25th 2026 "Are YOU planning on fitting in some kind of lunch today? A lot of people do it these days!!!"

Yes, Friends, are YOU planning on somehow fitting in a lunch today, despite your busy schedule? More and more people are deciding that lunch is a "must have", despite its ability to squeeze out some of our important  "must do's", if that's a word! [No! - Ed]

Incredibly perhaps, people are still having lunch - at least if you believe some of the whacky headlines in today's Onion News, to put it mildly!

And the headlines, inevitably, are bringing a cheeky smile this morning to the faces of me and my wife Lois, here in leafy Liphook, Hampshire, no question about that!!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

Certainly Lois and I aren't planning to skip lunch today - call us tummy-focussed hedonists if you like! But we have the perfect excuse, we claim, because today it's our 54th wedding anniversary. And we always like to have an anniversary walk to work up an appetite, and then somehow fit a nice lunch, so we can sleep it all off in bed afterwards, which makes sense to us!!!

And just so you'll know, this year we've picked Liphook's shady Radford Park woods for the walk, Adriano's Italian Restaurant for the lunch, and our "afternoon bed" for the nap, the one usually reserved for guests, which makes it feel a bit 'cheeky', so that's all good!!!! 

09:30 We start our anniversary by decide to go for a tramp in the woods, but we can't see any sign of him (!) (joke copyright: Lois's dear late dad Dennis!). But lots of tits are on view which is some compensation. 

And there's a lovely super-clear reflection in the duck pond, so we can check that we've groomed ourselves properly for our 'special day', and that dopey Yours Truly hasn't forgotten to shave for it, which is nice!

four different varieties of tits on display in the park this morning, and a

lovely clear reflection in the duck pond, so I can check I've shaved, which is handy!

11:30 We drive over to nearby Beacon Hill to have lunch at the village's iconic Adriano's Italian Restaurant. We always book an early table for our anniversary lunch, so that we get maximum time in bed to sleep it off afterwards, choosing for our starters the tomato soup (me) and the parma ham, fig, honey and shaved parmesan (Lois).

And no need to check, in the mirror or whatever, that kitchen staff have remembered to shave Lois's parmesan for her - they're meticulous about such things at Adriano's !!! And for our mains, Lois chooses the papperdella with slow-cooked beef shin, while I keep it simple again with a plain-old pizza margherita, so that's all good!

And that's the way you do it - "text book" haha!!! However, unfortunately, not "text-book" is the fact that we asked for a "doggy bag-o" to take home our mains leftovers, put the bag carefully under the seat while we had our "desserto" of double-gelato ice-creams, and then totally forgot to pick up that "doggy-bag-o" when the time came to go home, which was a pity! 

So if you're thinking of copying our example too literally for any special day that YOU have coming up, you might want to leave that last bit out (!). What an utter utter utter "snafu" !!!!!

And what a couple of 'noggins' we both are haha!!!!!

[Have you only just realised that, Colin?! - Ed]

21:00 Feeling pleasant relaxed again by our afternoon in bed, and still too "stuffed" to want an evening meal, we get ready to go to bed again, in our proper bed this time (!), by watching a fascinating programme about ex-poet laureate John Betjeman on one of BBC4's periodic "John Betjeman" evenings. 

The BBC's excuse is that it's the 120th anniversary of the poet's birth on Friday, but Lois and I don't mind, because "a lovely bit of Betjeman" (not saying which bit (!)) is the perfect way to end our anniversary on - for us, anyway, no bones about it!!!

An interesting programme, focusing not on Betjeman's poetry but on him as a person - his life-story and his personality - starting off with the poor relationship the young John had had with his parents.

And it's fascinating to hear that his parents never really forgave him for not taking over his father's clothing store business as they had both hoped. So like many children, he turned out to be a disappointment to the very people who had brought him into the world. 

Poor parents!!!!

the 3-generation family firm, that John refused to take over from his father

Interestingly, it's clear that the secret to John's successful life, in his early days at least, was not his poetry, but his ability to make people laugh. 

He was obviously a sensitive child, and Lois and I wonder whether joking around was a tactic he perhaps first developed at his private boarding school to protect himself from the bullies. And later, at Oxford University, when he found himself mesmerised by the rich and glamorous among his fellow students, he discovered that he was able to attract their company through his witty conversation and general clowning-around, as many contributors to the programme attest:

Betjeman particularly liked aristocratic women, to put it mildly, especially if they were also beefy and had freckles (!). And he "ran" two high-born "wives" for most of his life: his actual wife the Hon. Penelope Chetwode, to whom he was devoted but with whom he shared few interests, and his mistress Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, who seems to have been his true soulmate.

This kind of "have your cake and eat it" situation, although nice for Betjeman during his lifetime, always tends to make funerals difficult, however, doesn't it (!),

Who was to get pride of place at his funeral - the wife or the mistress? Well, luckily Betjeman avoided personal embarrassment here at his little Cornish church, by being firmly dead of course, but others couldn't escape the awkwardness of the occasion, which was a pity!

Well, the title of this BBC programme from 2001 was "The Last Laugh", and Betjeman certainly had the last laugh as regards his funeral. Oh dear!

Naughty Betjeman haha!!!!!

However, I don't think he would have wanted to have been at his funeral - most people are content to leave that to their relatives, aren't they, and I think that's probably for the best for everyone concerned, all in all.

For the whole of his life Betjeman had suffered from an intense awareness of death. Although a devoted High Anglican, he nevertheless found it difficult to shake off his doubts, and fears, that perhaps, after all, there wasn't actually anything in any of it (!). 

"The Last Laugh" was the final poem in his final collection. 

Fascinating stuff, though, isn't it !!!! And let's hope Betjeman was still getting that "bonus of laughter", right up till the moment when he finally "lost hold".

"Did he have any regrets about his life?", he was asked, in one of the last interviews he gave.

Rest in peace, John !!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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