Friday May 15th 2026 "Is YOUR family pet almost smarter than you are, some days?!!!!"

Yes, Friends, is YOUR family pet getting as smart as, or even smarter than, you yourself? It's happening a lot these days, isn't it, with pets, according to Onion News, becoming more and more 'savvy', to put it mildly!

Kudos, that dog!!!!

And reading Ginger's story this morning, here in partially-ventilated Liphook, Hampshire, brings what's often been described as 'a narrow grin' to the faces of me and my wife Lois, no doubt about that!!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

And we're grinning, because, by complete coincidence, we ourselves are sitting in a bustling hospital corridor today, would you believe, both very stylishly dressed (!), and getting 'snapped' by a photographer (Yours Truly!), having driven 16 miles over the county line to the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford for vital parts of my annual so-called 'check-up', which is nice!

my wife Lois and me this morning, stylishly dressed, and being 'snapped' by a photographer 

(Yours Truly!) as we sit in a bustling corridor at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford

Why our look today? 

Well, obviously we're dressed to impress, yes (!), but I'm also 'dressed to undress', as people say in the 'old codger' fashion model trade: you see, I in particular, while needing to look stylish, to protect my reputation, also need to be sporting clothes that I can take off quickly, BUT ONLY if requested by officially accredited hospital staff, as part of my partial annual check-up, if that makes sense!!!!

So today I've selected, from my extensive wardrobe, a traditional 'countryman's cap', plus a simple, but fashionable, short-sleeve pullover and the still-modish 'semi-tropical' sports jacket paid for by grateful taxpayers, when I was a humble 'semi-secret agent' travelling to foreign climes for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office back in the 1990s, a jacket which has served me well over the years. And, needless to say, an attractive dark-blue tie completes my 'ensemble' (!).

our 'look' today - away with my usual 'armoury' of multiple

long-sleeved sweaters, replaced by a stylish jacket and simple,

but elegant sleeveless pullover, both designed to be 'whipped off'

in a trice, if I'm asked to disrobe by medical staff (!)

And, as I continue posing for my phone's camera today, Lois has time to spot a reassuring poster, on the wall just behind us, boasting that the hospital has "one of the best survival rates of any English hospital", which bodes well for my partial check-up today, and how nice to know that I'll probably be going home "in one piece", which is cheering, to put it mildly!!!! 

At least here's one English hospital that's got its priorities right, shall we say!!!!

As I continue to pose for cameras in front of the toilets, Lois, eagle-eyed as ever,

has time to spot a reassuring poster on the wall behind where we're sitting -

the hospital obviously prioritises their patient survival rates, which is nice to know!

Yes, it's another "busy busy busy" day for Lois and me, both now retired for over 20 years, would you believe! How did we ever have time to go to work back in the day, we wonder !!!!!

I myself turned 80 recently, and Lois is going to follow suit next month. And even my 'baby sister', Jill, who has a birthday today, is at last turning 68, which is equally hard to believe, but I suppose it's only to be expected, when you think about it, given that she was born back in 1958, incredibly, which is totally mad (!!!!).

my 'baby sister' Jill (now 68!), seen here in her home town 

of Ipswich, Suffolk, with daughter Lucy and fiancee Rosanna

Lois and I will shortly be spending a few days with Jill soon, in her Ipswich 'lair', when it will be nice to look back at some of the 'doozies' in our combined photo albums, that's for sure!!!!

from our family album: (top left) me holding my new baby sister Jill, 

in 1958 (!), (top right) fast forward to 1960, me with Jill aged 2, and 

(bottom left) us again, with our two siblings Kathy and Steve seated between us

What a crazy world we live in !!!!!! And 'just another manic Friday', in other words!!!! 

And so tonight, after another afternoon in bed, Lois and I are grateful to be able to sit down on the sofa and to witness an altogether 'saner' part of the world - Uzbekistan in Central Asia, where they 'do things proper', according to ex-Cabinet Minister turned busy 'celebrity travelogue' presenter, Michael Portillo, no less!!!!

You can tell a lot about people by the sports they play, can't you. And it's weird, that, although, reassuringly, in the wilds of Afghanistan, English-rules village cricket is played with enthusiasm, the Uzbeks in nearby Uzbekistan prefer more exotic sports, which is a surprise!

Lois and I didn't know, for example, that, whenever Uzbeks gather together, for a festival or for a wedding maybe, or even for an everyday 'family circumcision party', the guests like nothing better than to stage simple wrestling bouts, for both men and women. This local version of wrestling is called 'kurash'.  

And without a bit of 'kurash' going on somewhere in the background, a celebration wouldn't be a true celebration, Uzbeks believe, which is totally mad!!!

What a crazy country !!!!! 

But maybe they're onto something here, do you think? Weddings can sometimes be rather 'nervy' occasions, even here in the UK, with brides maybe anxious about their dress, make-up etc, and grooms nervous about making their so-called 'speech' etc etc.

Would a spot of 'kurash', before the ceremony, help to lower the tension? Brides would stop worrying about their appearance, and be happy to look contentedly 'exhausted and dishevelled' in the official photos, and all the speeches might even be forgotten about, in all the excitement!

I wonder....!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Thursday May 14th 2026 "Are YOU looking for a new hobby? Well, here's one almost on your doorstep!!!"

Yes, Friends, are YOU looking for a new hobby? Well, you don't have to look too far, according to Onion News. "There's a world outside your window, and it's a world of plants and veg!", as the old song says (!), so what are you waiting for !!!!!

a typical British back-garden - full of plants and veg, which is nice!

And here's all the 'gen' you need to get started - see below!!!! Roll up your sleeves and do it today haha!!!!

Kudos, Susan !!!! 

And reading Susan's inspiring commentary brings a half-crack of a smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois, here in semi-herbaceous Liphook, Surrey, to put it mildly!!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

We're half-smiling because our own 'gardenering' efforts (!) are going to swing into action today for the first time this year, when local gardener Matthew, the wayward middle-aged son of one of Lois's fellow church-members, is due to arrive at our house at l pm, hoping to try his hand at 'taming' our own miniature 'jungle', 'getting down and dirty' in our tiny back garden, and starting to do some of the adventurous things we've planned for it this year, that's for sure!!!!

the scene in our tiny back garden today, as Matthew, the wayward middle-aged son

of one of Lois's fellow-church members 'gets down and dirty' in our flower beds (!)

And don't think that Lois and I are idle while Matthew is toiling and tilling (!) in the fresh spring air - my goodness, no!!!

Yes, true to form, it's another busy day for us here on the sofa, trying to control another rowdy online meeting of the local U3A "Intermediate Danish for Old Codgers" group, the little group which we lead 'for our sins' (!). We both 'picked up' a smattering of Intermediate Danish, starting some ten years or more ago, when our elder daughter Alison and family were spending 6 years in Copenhagen 2012-2018. 

Lois and I found ourselves making frequent visits to Denmark, starting with our first visit ever, way back in February 2013 - see pictures below: 

flashback to February 2013: (left) our daughter Alison and her 3 kids in their

Copenhagen house, and (right) Lois and me, with little Rosalind, down by the quay

Well, you can't help getting 'smattered' in those circumstances, can you haha!!!! And it's obviously our moral duty to pass that ''smattering' of Intermediate Danish on to the good people of Hampshire, a select few of them, anyway. Locally we've been dubbed 'old codgers with a conscience', a 'moniker' we're actually very proud of, would you believe!

my wife Lois and me - dubbed 'old codgers with a conscience' (!)

16:00 By 4 pm, our online Danish group meeting is over, and our gardener, Matthew, has hung up his trowels and gone home. Unfortunately, however, this is where our day starts to go wrong.

Oh dear!!!! 

First, we get an email from the Royal Surrey County Hospital, just over the county line in Guildford, reminding me that my annual check-up is due tomorrow, which I'd totally forgotten (!). And then the "taskrabbit" lined up to put together our latest piece of IKEA 'kit' doesn't show up, after Lois and I have spent a whole 15 minutes getting things ready for the guy, even getting ready to make him or her a cup of tea, would you believe, and that's the thanks we get !!!

What a mixed-up, crazy world we live in !!!!!

21:00 There's nobody in the world, however, who's quite as mixed-up and crazy as its richest man, Elon Musk, as Lois and I learn tonight from the third part of the re-run of that fascinating documentary series about him, currently showing on BBC2, to put it mildly !!!!!

Tonight, we hear from journalist Linette Lopez of "Business Insider", who wrote an article, criticising Musk's reputation as an alleged 'environmentalist'.

The whistle-blower had reported huge environmental waste at Musk's 'giga-factory', where there were many environmental violations, which, Lopez says, "was crazy, considering that this guy was trying to save the planet".

Lopez's article, based on confidential Tesla documents leaked to her by the whistle-blower, reported that 40% of the materials used to produce the car's batteries needed to be scrapped or re-worked. She noted that traditional car-makers around the world produce really minimal scrap, and then there was Tesla, its share-price beating all those 'legacy' car-makers, throwing away hundreds of millions of dollars on waste. Lopez felt this was something the company's investors ought to know about.

And Elon, obviously stung by the article, was soon hitting back at Lopez on social media.

Nice man, eh?!!!!

But what a crazy, mixed-up world we live in !!!!

[That's enough madness! - Ed]

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Wednesday May 13th 2026 "Are YOU always wanting to be your family pet's favourite human?"

Yes, Friends, are YOU always wanting to be your family pet's favourite 'human'? It's a natural enough urge, isn't it, and, according to Onion News, in one local family it's even causing serious conflict, would you believe!

And if you didn't catch the story, check out my own 'potted' version here in my blog, which cuts out some of the gory details, handily enough!!!!

Kudos Cookie !!!! Cookie always knows what she wants, that's for sure!!!!

And on an admittedly 'slow news day' this local story was quickly picked up by some of 'the nationals',  like the Times and the Telegraph, and, for a couple of hours, it even led the BBC World Service's early morning bulletins, would you believe! 

journalists at the BBC's World Service: led with the 'Cookie' story

on their first couple of early morning bulletins, would you believe!

Well, it's a story that's certainly bringing a cheeky smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois this morning, here in semi-transparent Liphook, Hampshire, as we take our near-daily walk over the 'hallowed turf' of local soccer giants Liphook United, that's for sure!!!!

my wife Lois and me this morning taking our near-daily walk over the 'hallowed turf'

of local soccer giants Liphook United, enjoying a quick 'peck on the cheek', as we

stroll behind the so-called 'clubhouse' and the so-called 'directors' shabby 'dug-out' (!)

The truth is that, fortunately, unlike with Cookie the Cat, I don't have to 'bribe' Lois to sleep with me any more - we'll have been married for 54 years this August, and our bed seems to be the obvious place for her to spend the night, which is a relief !!! 

However, as with Cookie, a warm and welcoming electric blanket is the obvious 'clincher' to the whole deal, if she ever has any second thoughts, after 54 years!!!! And this morning we finally fit our shiny-new one - the "Snugglemeister" from those clever "Snuggledown" people up in Lancashire, who got the idea from ice-cold Norway, it would seem!!!! And we'll be testing it after lunch, which is nice!

(left) me showcasing the controls to our shiny-new 'Snugglemeister' electric blanket

that Lois and I spend most of the morning fitting on our bed - to be tested after lunch!!!!

The blanket is advertised as providing 'intelligent warmth', turning your bed into your 'sanctuary': separate 'him and her' controls, nine heat levels and 4 time settings - what's not to like haha!!!!! 

So, all in all, an unusually quiet-ish day for us, a normally busy-busy kind of a couple, which is a welcome change of pace, if only a brief one, because we're got an exciting period coming up, that's for sure! We'll be travelling soon to faraway Ipswich to spend a few days with my sister Jill, then a few days with our old friend Jen in Oxford, spending time with her and Daniel, and also attending Lois's great niece Lauren's wedding. And finally, as if that weren't enough, we'll be hosting our daughter Sarah and family, who'll be arriving from Perth, Australia for a couple of weeks, which is mad!!!!! 

Busy, busy, busy!!!!!

flashback a couple of years: us at Malvern with my sister Jill, and (right)

Lois at the breakfast table with our old friend Jen, at Kennington, Oxfordshire

flashback to last year: Lois with our daughter Sarah, husband Francis,

and their 12-year-old twins Lily and Jessica, on the banks of the Thames

in London, on the family's last trip to see us from their home in Australia

Yes, for Lois and me, it's going to be a busy (but very nice!) old summer this year, that's for sure!!!! And a chance, also, to look up all the crazy old photos of us all in years gone by - that'll be a must !!!!

(left) me (14) with my sister Jill(2) in Bristol in 1960, and (right) Lois with our two

daughters Alison and Sarah, and with our old friend Jen and family in 1986

flashback to 1969: ringed are my sister Jill (11), our friend Jen, and Lois (23)

and also appearing are my dear late mum Nan (next to Lois) and my dear

late brother Steve (17) at top left, at a 'crazy hats' party' in  Littlemore, Oxford

Happy days!

And it'll be nice, also this summer, to see our twin granddaughters Lily and Jessica from Australia. They'll be turning 13 just after their visit to us this year, so they're on the cusp of their teenage years. As if to emphasise that fact, the twins' 'wish-list' for their visit this year includes not only London's Natural History Museum but also the famous 9-floor Hamley's Toy Store on London's Regent Street, which seems a strange mix, but that's what 'cusps' are like, isn't it haha!!!!

The twins are sure to have grown just a little bit, even since their last visit here, that's for sure!!!

flashback to July 2025 and our little 'Australian family's last visit to England:

we celebrate the twins' birthday at Farnham's iconic Thai Bubble-Tea Shop

However, our twin granddaughters probably won't have grown as much as one old Hebrew prophet, according to the latest programme in ex-cabinet-minister Michael Portillo's latest 'celebrity travelogue' series currently showing on BBC2 - no doubt about that!!!!

Tonight Michael is again in the ancient city of Samarkand, in far-away Uzbekistan, where he visits a curious tomb.

Yes, this old tomb in Samarkand is reputedly the last resting-place of the Hebrew prophet Daniel, who was famously thrown into a lion's den, but then saved from certain death by his faith in God. Daniel's remains are said to have been brought to Samarkand by the 14th century medieval Central Asian warlord Tamerlane.

However, the term 'resting-place' turns out to be an understatement, as Old Testament prophet Daniel hasn't just been resting all that time, according to local sources (!).

Yes, Daniel's current tomb, is 18 metres long (about 60 ft), which should keep him comfortable for a while at least, but let's hope the city authorities have got a plan to add extensions, if the prophet's legendary growth continues, going forward - yikes !!!!!!

What madness!!!! And what a crazy world we live in !!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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