Danskcolin: Thursday October 27th 2023

An unusual period of 4 days starts today, when mine and Lois's "house-for-two-dozy-old-codgers" temporarily becomes a "house-of-noise-and-extra-mirth" with up to 8 people rubbing shoulders in it.

I say "house-of-extra-mirth" because I don't want you to think Lois and I don't have any mirth when we're on our own, but we're very quiet about it, that's for sure. We don't let the neighbours hear it, we're very considerate haha!

It's the British way, isn't it haha (again) !!!

11:00 Our daughter Alison (48) arrives with 2 of her 3 children, Josie (17) and Isaac (13) - they left their home in Headley Hampshire at 8 am this morning, with a break at Reading Services. And when they arrive, a jaded Lois and I are just putting the finishing touches to our house. I literally only put the vacuum-cleaner away 2 minutes before their car draws up outside - phew!

a lunch of soup and salad with our 3 visitors

14:00 A trip into town, where more is learnt about the history of Malvern, Worcestershire. Lois and I don't know much about it as yet, because we only downsized into this new-build home here in October 2022, and we've spent most of our time letting builders into the house to fix all the "snags".

What madness !!!!!

Over the centuries, we haven't had many famous composers who were born in England - not compared to the classical "greats" lands like Germany, Austria, Italy etc, so we make the most of the few that we have had.

Edward Elgar (1857-1934), the composer of the "Enigma Variations" and the "Pomp and Circumstance" Marches lived in Malvern. There are a few statues of the great man around the town, and this particular one gives young Isaac, who is known - just within the family - for his "Edward scissor-hands" the chance to extend his repertoire and show us his latest routine - "Edward Elgar-Hands".

our 13-year-old grandson Isaac joins Sir Edward Elgar (right)

to play a few duets on one of the local privet hedges,

while Lois reads the informative sign-board (left)

Next it's cups of coffee and tea, plus cake, at the nearby oak-beamed Blue Bird Tea Rooms, where there's a chance to see "Elgar's Chair", one of the chairs which date from the 1700's. The great man was a frequent visitor here, and apparently, the place was also particularly popular with US servicemen stationed in the area during World War II.

the Blue Bird Tea Rooms, in the centre of Malvern,

now housed above a shoe shop

Elgar lived nearby in Alexander Road, and he wrote Enigma Variations there. He later moved to Malvern Wells, where he wrote the "Pomp and Circumstance" marches.

Who knew?!!!! The most famous of "the Marches", the number one, is popularly known in the UK and Australia as "Land of Hope and Glory", and in the US and Canada as "The Graduation March".

And opposite the Tea Rooms is the pub, "The Unicorn", where writer C.S Lewis used to drink with his hill-walking "mates".

Who knew (again) ????? [You ignorant slob, Colin! - Ed]

And who knew that another habitué in Malvern, JRR Tolkien, taught at the local Malvern College, and was inspired by the local hills to create the Middle Earth in Lord of the Rings?

Fascinating stuff !!!!!

19:00 A dinner of salmon and stir-fry vegetables, with Isaac taking the "broccoli" substitute on offer, a once-in-a-lifetime chance haha!

Dinner is followed by a board game, "Scotland Yard".

I'm not really concentrating on the game, because I'm also simultaneously trying to carry on a text conversation with our other daughter Sarah (45), who's coming to us with her 10-year-old twin daughters tomorrow for a couple of days.

However, I still somehow manage tonight to "win" this challenging board-game, stumbling by accident, somewhere north of the Thames, on "Mister X" - the criminal on the run, who's being moved invisibly by Josie.

Is this the secret of winning "Scotland Yard"? That is, to not concentrate and just move randomly? I think we should be told, don't you! If so, I think I'll try it again next time, no doubt about that!

I was told when I was a child that, in life, there are always 'winners' and 'losers'. And here's a picture that proves this ancient adage:

the winner - a triumphant me (right) with the downcast 'loser' Josie

Poor Josie !!!!!!!

[Don't you know that adults who delight in trouncing youngsters at board games are the lowest form of humanity, Colin? - Ed] [Oops!!! Sorry I take all my 'triumphalism' back! - Colin] [I'm sorry, it's too late for that now! - Ed]

[That's enough dialogue with me! - Ed]

20:00 Our visitors are all tired. It was an early start for them this morning, and also yesterday morning because Alison had to drive the children down to the south coast for some reason that I can't remember.

So Lois and I, suspecting that they'll all be disappearing to go early to bed around 9 pm, decide to pick their brains to take a multi-generational approach to the Popmaster Quiz in next week's Radio Times, scoring an unprecedented 9 out of 10.