"Grow up, Colin!" and "Why don't you just grow up, Colin!!" - it's a question often asked of me, isn't it, whenever I do or say something other, perhaps more sensible, people label "immature".
[You should know, Colin! - Ed]
At the same time, it's nice to get guidance from other, perhaps older and wiser, people on how so-called "grown-up" people ought to be behaving. And eventually, by the time one reaches the 'grand old age of 80' perhaps (!), one starts to "zero in" on what all this so-called "maturity" is all about, hopefully at least (!).
And by "guidance from other people", I include "guidance from the higher animals" too - we need all the guidance we can get sometimes (!) - like in this inspiring story from Worcester Zoo, something of a scoop that appeared in Onion News this week:
No! And you've probably guessed this already, but yes, finally, we've written to the Radio Times to say that we've at last given up trying to do the Popmaster questions in the back of this iconic weekly magazine.
And, incidentally, as well as alerting the press, I've sent a "for info" copy of my letter to (a) Scottish Popmaster DJ Ken Bruce, who "fronts" the popmaster questions in the Radio Times, and (b), in the back room, the question-setter himself , Swindon Wiltshire-based Phil "The Collector" Swern, so, just as a "heads-up" here: the story may figure in next week's Onion News itself - but we'll see!
Swindon-based, ex-BBC radio producer Phil "The Collector" Swern
rifling through his extensive vinyl collection, including 78's: Phil is
the world's only known owner of all the UK's top-40 records since 1952
And this picture below was the offending Radio Times "Popmaster" Quiz, that brought about this shock decision by Lois and me today - a shocking "One out of Ten" score on Swern's ten "doozies" this week. Have a look at this sad result - if you can bear it, that is (!) ! [Just the one exclamation mark will do there, Colin! - Ed]
But at last Lois and I can put this phase of our lives to bed. We've been avid pop fans since the 1960's, starting with Lois going to see Adam Faith's concert at the New Theatre Oxford, through 'pilgrimages' by us through the 1970's to see such "pop royalty" as Clodagh Rogers, "Tiny" Tim, Gene Pitney (Sheffield, Yorkshire) and Joe Cocker (Manchester), ending in my trip to Wembley Stadium in the 1980's with our elder daughter Alison to see Michael Jackson's only UK appearance.
And can I say, our decision to retire from Popmaster today was definitely made easier by our record-breaking, first-ever, score of 10 out of 10 on the intellectually more prestigious "Eggheads" questions. See how many of these "doozies" YOU know haha! [No, sorry, we haven't got time for you to say that, Colin! - Ed]
Poor Ellen !!!!!!
Awwwwwww - wasn't I a lovely little toddler !!!!!
flashback to earlier today: obviously relieved, we announce
our retirement from Popmaster questions to the world's press
[Is that all you two noggins have done today, Colin, the quizzes in the back of the Radio Times?]
Well, seeing as how you ask, no, absolutely not! We've in fact spent a lot of time cleaning up the house ahead of our daughter Sarah's visit this weekend with her 10-year-old twins Lily and Jessie.
Usually it's the other way round, isn't it. Sons and daughters cleaning up their houses, so as not to shock their parents too much on one of their periodic visits. But not many go as far as this woman who in fact lives not far from here, in the lovely Worcestershire town of Bell End [source: Onion News again, from today's local headlines]:
Still, Lois and I have done what we could today to make some order in our house.
I felt I had to clear the bed our daughter sleeps in of the 45 photos I've found from my childhood years of 1946 through 1952: the start of my grand project to "digitise" my entire life. It wouldn't be fair to have to ask Sarah not to toss and turn too much in the night, and risk tipping these old black-and-white photos on to the floor, especially after I've put them in neat piles, one for each year of this critical period in my life (!).
[That's enough exclamation marks in brackets (!) - Ed]
just two of the 45 or so "doozies" I've found that document my
early years - these showcase my first real "summer holiday" with
my dear late parents, and some friends, the Twelves family, in Bournemouth
in August 1947 - me aged 17 months, and still an "only child"
- awwww !!!!!
The really sad thing is - I can't now remember what I was crying about in that first picture - old age strikes again (!). If YOU remember, can you write to me please (postcards only). You'll potentially make an old man very happy, and I mean that most sincerely, folks.
Will Lois's "ring of stones" do the trick? Well, we'll see!
[I repeat: is that all you too noggins have done today - the puzzles in the Radio Times, plus moving a few old black-and-white photos off Sarah's bed? - Ed]
Seeing as how you ask, absolutely not (again) !!!!
We've managed to avoid all the sport, in spite of excitement locally over England's match on Sunday against Spain in the finals of the Euros, just pausing to note this social media post overnight by my second-cousin Ruth, who lives in the "Welsh marches", somewhere near Hereford:
Have we been busy today? Yes, we have, in case you're wondering - if in doubt, just look at what Lois has been busying herself with in the garden today - creating a so-called "ring of stones" to maybe succeed in keeping off the army of slugs that's already eating into her runner beans. We only planted them out a few days ago - it's complete madness!
we fight back against Malvern's slugs by
creating "rings of stone" around our runner-beans
And - point of interest for you scientifically-minded readers (!), the furthest pot (top left in the close-up picture) is our so-called "control pot" - it has no protective stones, and so it will alert us, when we come to do a "lessons learned" exercise tomorrow, as to whether slugs came and ate only the "control" beans, or whether they had a go at all 3 plants.
So watch this space!
[I can't control my curiosity now haha (!) - Ed]
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzz (!!!!!)
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