Friday September 27th 2024 "Seen any good ghosts lately (?) haha"

Haunted houses are very much the talking-point at the UK's workplace water-heaters at the moment aren't they. Is it the same at YOUR office?

Here in West Worcestershire, it's Spook Manor that's been making the headlines, according to Onion News, as my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I discover this morning when the print edition "plops" through our letterbox, here in Malvern.

"Wow! Scare-EEEEEE !!!!!" is how Lois and I reacted on seeing the paper's front page shocker. And it's obviously not sensible or "adult" to dismiss ghost stories out of hand as "a load of hooey", as we're sometimes tempted to do, that's for sure (!).

[That's enough exclamation marks in brackets (!) - Ed]

And there was a similar story in the Hungarian press this week, specifically the influential Hungarian tabloid Blikk, as Tünde, my Hungarian penfriend, has told me in an email. 

The story reported that, among the standard exhibits at TV presenter Jimmy Fallon's New York "Tonightmares" haunted house attraction - zombies, murderers and wolfmen, viewers caught sight of a creepy man sporting authentic-looking medals, at first thought not to be part of the exhibition, but later identified as the "ghost" of a long-forgotten Prince - Harry, Duke of Sussex. 

Prince Harry, part of the Halloween exhibits at TV Presenter

Jimmy Fallon's New York haunted house,"Tonightmares"

Spooky or what haha!!!!

And surprisingly, our local East Leake story from deepest Worcestershire, also made it into the same influential Hungarian tabloid, although admittedly only on page 95, so not one of today's real "biggies" (!):

Still, with Halloween only about a month away, I guess we're only going to get more and more of these stories, as 'the big day' approaches (!). So keep reading this column for the latest "bombshells" (!).

Back to reality now (!) [Finally! - Ed]

11:00 And when Lois and I drop in at our old "haunt" (no pun intended (!)), the local Poolbrook Kitchen and Coffee Shop, this morning after our walk over Poolbrook Common, ironically it's another of my Hungarian penfriend Tünde's email reports that comes to mind. It starts us laughing all over our toasted tea-cakes, to the great surprise of proprietor Andrew and his other customers (!).

Remember Tünde's "shocker" from earlier this week, all about UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's classic gaffe about calling for the release of the 'sausages' from Gaza", when he obviously meant to say 'hostages' ?

flashback to yesterday, when news of Starmer's gaffe

hits the headlines in Hungary

Well, here in Malvern this morning, a guy sitting at our table got up, paid his bill and walked out the door without finishing his breakfast, leaving behind, amongst other items, a half-eaten but tempting sausage on his plate. 

This was the moment I shouted out one of my classic "bon mots" to Andrew: "[Once again I call for the] release [of] the sausage!".

the scene at the local Poolbrook Kitchen and Coffee Shop

this morning: a fellow-customer has got up and departed,

leaving 2 grilled tomatoes on his plate, plus a tempting

half-eaten sausage

this was the moment I came out with 

one of my classic "bon mots" (!)

How Lois and I laughed, although generally among the coffee shop customers, my humour fell a bit flat, I have to say (!!!!!). Let's just say reaction was a bit muted haha (!).

My medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and me, laughing 

over my "bon mot" at the coffee shop this morning, 

although me more than Lois, arguably

Memo to self: I must get myself some new writers!!!!

And talking of 'new writers', there could be one in the family soon, which is exciting, to put it mildly.

In a phone call this afternoon with my younger sister in Ipswich, Jill, she tells me that she's been accepted to take part in a University of Suffolk 'new writers' workshop, concentrating on possible scripts for the short plays to be performed at next April's Ink Festival at Halesworth, Suffolk.

(left to right) my wife Lois, my sister Jill and myself,

walking on Poolbrook Common, Malvern last October

Ten local budding writers from the area have been chosen on the basis of their sample submissions to take part in the get-together. Can Jill make it into the big time, at long last?

Lois and I hadn't heard about this annual Ink Festival before, but I found this old bit of publicity on the web for the 2023 event, which gives some idea of what's involved.

And also today, in another shock phone-call from our daughter Alison in Hampshire, comes the news that Alison's son Isaac (14) gave a speech at the Chinese Embassy, London this week. The speech Isaac gave was in English, although he's currently studying Mandarin at his school in Liphook. 

Young Isaac was chosen from among his 30 Mandarin Course classmates to talk about their recent study trip to Tianjin, which is about 85 miles north-east of  Beijing.

flashback to June 30th, Isaac (front, right, half out of shot)

on the bus to London's Heathrow Airport with classmates

to catch a flight to Beijing, China

the group from Liphook, Hampshire, photographed 

here during their 2 week study trip to China

So with my sister Jill possibly making the break into short play-writing, and our 14-year-old grandson Isaac making speeches at the Chinese Embassy in London, there's no doubt about it, and the message is a clear one. Stick with us because we're the family that's going places  haha!!!

[Not you, though, Colin, haha (!) - Ed]

21:00 We settle down on the couch and go to bed on today's rerun of the 1980's sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, all about the trials and tribulations of French café-owner René in wartime France, as he tries to keep the peace between his main customers, officers from the occupying German Army, and the local French Resistance; while at the same time carrying on with his waitresses Yvette and Maria behind the back of his long-suffering wife Edith.

Tonight's plot seems bizarre even by the crazy standards of this long-running old sitcom, to put it mildly (!). In this scene Michelle of the local French Resistance has some bad news for René and the gang, because Maria, one of the café's two waitresses, has disappeared.

Poor Maria!!!!

Or should I say "Poor Francesca Gonshaw", who played the part of Maria, and who, obviously wanted out of this long-running saga, and who can blame her (!).

But there's an issue here too, isn't there - because when beloved characters leave sitcoms in a hurry, some plausible reason for their disappearance is usually cooked up by the writers. But this is the most bizarre "reason" that, arguably, Lois and I have come across in our outstanding record of 70-plus years of TV watching in the UK and the US.

Are we right? Or are we right?

[Oh just go to bed, you pair of "noggins"! - Ed]

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