Thursday December 26th 2024 "Sign of the times: yet ANOTHER ghost train service cut!"

Oh dear, sign of the times (!): yet another "Ghost Train Service Cancelled" headline! 

Did you not see it? It was in the Daily Mail of course, but for more detail, check out this sensitive report from those hard-working local "journos" working on the Onion News's local West Worcestershire desk.

And it's a special pity today in these parts, because of the nasty foggy day we're having - with weathermen saying "There's more to come" tonight.

For those of you planning to take the service tonight, I would say "Don't bother!" And for your info, here are full details of the Hereafter Regional Line (HRL) service that's being axed:

And my medium-to-long-suffering wife Lois and I were busy re-thinking our day today, because of today's heavy fog. 

We had planned to do another of our "history walks" round the nearby parish of Hanley, while we're still living in the area: our projected date for leaving Malvern and moving into a house in Liphook, Hampshire, 130 or so miles away, is currently scheduled for January 2nd. Yikes !!!!

our planned move from Malvern, Worcestershire to this house

in Liphook, Hampshire to be nearer our daughter Alison and family

In the end, however, because of the fog and the poor visibility today, we decide to skip the "history walk" and do our of our favourite walks down by the playing fields of prestigious private boarding school Malvern College, where once CS Lewis, TV quiz "University Challenge" presenter Jeremy "Paxo" Paxman, TV's "Mr Gardening" Monty Don, ex-CIA chief James Angleton, and other luminaries would have played rugby in their schooldays - probably not at the same time, although that would have been a great "watch", wouldn't it, to put it mildly!

famous alumni of prestigious local private boarding school, Malvern College, 

seen here in their "youths" [Can I say 'in their youths'?- Colin;  No! -Ed] 

(left to right) writer CS Lewis: former CIA chief James Angleton; TV journalist 

and quiz presenter Jeremy "Paxo" Paxman; and TV's "Mr Gardening", Monty Don

And there's no rugby going on in those playing fields today, just a scrappy mixed hockey game - during the morning, the fog lifts enough to see the goals at each end. I don't know much about sport, or the rules of hockey or any other sport, but I'm guessing that being able to see the goals at each end of the field must give hockey players a massive advantage (????). If I'm wrong, do let me know (postcards only (!))

our walk today in foggy Malvern: (left to right) us at the gates of prestigious local private

school Malvern College; hockey match; and a quiet, deserted rugby field

It's the Boxing Day holiday today, and we're having a second day off from house-moving preparations, 

12:00 We have a rerun of yesterday's Christmas lunch, and then go upstairs, and, as a token contribution towards the preparations, however, we collect all our, like, billions of unused greetings cards together in one place. We can't decide which drawer or cupboard to put them in - we'll have to leave that "toughie" for tomorrow now - mustn't overtax ourselves, after all haha, and bed is calling us for "nap time", so time to "down tools", if that's the right expression (!).

a rerun of yesterday's Christmas lunch, and then, before getting into bed, 

we do a bit of minimal work to "finally sort out our unused greetings cards"

- we're such hard workers haha!!!

20:00 Evening falls and we wind down for bed by seeing a couple of films: Lois's choice tonight.

These aren't really my choice of viewing, but Lois likes this kind of thing. I think I do a lot of dozing during both films, but one thing strikes me as impressive about the private girls' boarding school that Matilda goes to, in this imaginative film adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic tale.

"What was it that struck you, Colin?", I hear you cry! [Not me, I've gone for a lie-down! - Ed]

Well, seeing as how you're "gagging" to know, I'll tell you! What strikes me immediately is Matilda's school's motto, which is "No Snivelling!"

"No Snivelling!" Isn't that just great? 

I went to two rather "poncey" schools in my childhood, both founded in the 16th century, and both of which had "poncey", allegedly humorous, puns in their mottos or school badges. 

Bristol Grammar School's motto was "Ex Spinis Uvas" (English: "Grapes out of thorns", a punning reference to the names of the school's two founders, wealthy 16th century Bristol merchants Robert and Nicholas Thorne. And Manchester Grammar School had owl-badges on the school blazers, a reference to that school's founder,  a bishop called Hugh Oldham (Oldham, or in 16th century pronunciation "Owldom": geddit????).

flashback to 1957: me (back row, 2nd from right) in my first year of grammar school,

at Manchester, with my class 1-gamma classmates and our teacher, Mr Snook,

all boys wearing their school blazers with owls emblazoned on the left-hand pocket

(left) a close-up of me in my school photo, and (right)

the owl badge that we all had to wear on our school caps

- what a madness it all was !!!!

And the whole issue has left me with a bit of a dilemma. Should I now write to the two schools' current headmasters and suggest "No Snivelling" as their future motto(s)?

I wonder.....!

Will this do?

[Oh, just go to bed! - Ed]

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