Sunday September 28th 2025 "Have YOU got a future rock star in YOUR family? Most of us have, haven't we!"

Yes, friends, have YOU got a future rock star or pop idol, say, in your family? 

Most of us have at least one of them in our families, I think, or have had, at some time or other, am I right? Or am I right! And it's a question that my light-to-medium wife Lois and I, here in semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire, have to hold our hand up to, with an ear-splitting "Yes!", that's for sure!

my light-to-moderate wife Lois and me - recent pictures

I'm talking about our 15-year-old grandson Isaac, lead singer in his own boy-girl band, and much in demand for local 'gigs', as I expect you realise if you live within a 10 mile radius of Isaac's current family home just over the county line, in semi-rural Churt, Surrey, to put it mildly!

(left) our 15-year-old grandson Isaac's band in front of their 

double-decker "tour bus", and (right) in action at a local gig

Yesterday, Lois and I were "tapped" to take Isaac to a mystery audition for a part in Haslemere Theatre Group's amateur performance of "Legally Blonde - the Musical" in the Surrey town's iconic "Haslemere Hall". However, Lois and I, as now officially paid up members of the "local old codgers" demographic (!), didn't realise what it was all about, I'm afraid - it was all too much to "take in", for us really, to be frank!

flashback to yesterday: (left) I photograph my light-to-medium wife Lois, as we wait,

anxiously, outside Haslemere's iconic "Haslemere Hall", where our 15-year-old grandson

Isaac is inside, auditioning for a part in "Legally Blonde - The Musical"

Lois and I go around in a bit of a "fog" these days, but we're happy to pick young Isaac up and take him places when his parents are away, as they were yesterday. However, we'd never heard of "Legally Blonde - the Musical", but we assumed it was some sort of theatrical performance interrupted by songs, although we're not really sure!!!

Today, we're a bit more clued up, I'm glad to say! [I'll be the judge of that! - Ed]

Fortunately last night the ITV2 channel was showing the film version of the musical, and we now know it's about a ditsy-looking young blonde Elle Woods, who confounds her local community by getting into Harvard Law School  and going on to be a legal eagle who gets a falsely accused woman off a murder rap (as you do haha!), while still keeping fully intact her "Barbie Doll" image. And it's all the most tremendous fun!

In this scene from the film, Elle, on arrival at Harvard Law School, introduces herself to her new class mates: 

There's also an amusing sub-plot at the nail-bar Elle patronises, where her manicurist Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge) has fallen for the local UPS delivery guy (Bruce Thomas), but is too shy to take it further.

When he has a package for her, the UPS guy always asks Paulette, with a big smile, how she's doing, but she's too shy to say more than "Fine!" back to him, which is a pity!

Elle is critical of her manicurist, suggesting that next time she offer the UPS guy a cold beverage, or a neck massage. Finally Elle decides to demonstrate to Paulette the "bend and snap" movement, guaranteed to get any man's attention, stressing to Paulette that she "has all the right equipment (!).

"But just what constitutes a successful 'bend and snap' manoeuvre, Colin?", I hear you cry! Well, Lois and I didn't know, but it turns out that google has the answer, which is nice!

in this scene at the nail-bar, Elle (Reese Wetherspoon) 

demonstrates to manicurist Paulette (Jennifer Coolidge) how to do 

the "bend and snap", guaranteed to get a man's attention

But wait! Google has more!

Unfortunately, when later Paulette tries the "bend-and-snap" on the UPS guy, she stands too close to him and breaks his nose when she does the "snap" bit, which is a bummer, to put it mildly!

the flawed "bend-and-snap" maneouvre where Paulette

stands too close to the UPS guy and winds up breaking his nose

when she snaps back up - what madness !!!

"But why are you going into such detail on the bend-and-snap manoeuvre, Colin?", I hear you cry!

Well, Lois and I find out today, that the part our grandson Isaac is getting in the local Haslemere amateur production of "Legally Blonde - the Musical" is the part of that very UPS guy, which starts us worrying slightly - obviously a broken nose could end Isaac's promising pop idol career before it even starts!

Poor Isaac !!!!!

But what a crazy world we live in !!!!! 

And all in all today is a bit of a crazy day for Lois and me, I'm sorry to report (!). 

It starts fine in the morning with our weekly Sunday morning video call to our daughter Sarah and her 12-year-old twins in Perth, Australia - the twins, Lily and Jessica, are in high spirits because it's a 3-day weekend for "Western Australia Day" tomorrow, to be followed by 2 weeks school holiday before their final term at junior school. 

And after the call to Australia, I try out my shiny new exercise bike, which we've decided to move into the kitchen from the garage, now that the weather has turned distinctly chilly, for September - what a madness isn't it! I only do 3 miles for this first effort, but I haven't ridden an exercise bike for about 5 years due to my trouble hip, now fully fixed, and I'm just being a bit careful. Call me overly cautious if you like haha!

(top) flashback to 9:30am - we talk on zoom to our daughter Sarah

and her twin daughters Lily and Jessica, in high spirits

with two weeks school holiday just beginning, and (bottom)

me, or should I say "my left leg" [right leg not shown!], [Why not? - Ed]

moving my shiny new exercise bike from the freezing cold garage into our kitchen,

and watching an old video on our old "kiddies" DVD player, for good measure!!!

After that good-to-fairly-good start, the rest of the day is a bit crazy, as Lois and I wait for our other daughter Alison to make her long 300-mile train journey down from Durham to London. We've agreed to pick her up at Haslemere railway station, and drive her to her home in nearby Churt. 

Alison's original arrival time at Haslemere was supposed to be 3:15pm, but during the day we get various texts from her talking about "delays", and she doesn't actually arrive at the station here till around 3 hours after the advertised arrival time, at about 6:20pm.

And all because of a so-called "broken rail" on the York to Doncaster section of the journey, as reported here by Alice Kavanagh of YorkPress:

Poor Alison, just her luck !!!!

But "Three hours delay! Seriously, Colin ?????", I hear your cry!

Or should I say "Three hours FR, Colin????", as you Gen Z youngsters now prefer, according to my latest vocabulary newsflash, which I receive this afternoon as part of my routine Facebook feed.

No wonder we "baby boomers" get confused at times. What a crazy world we live in !!!!!

Will this do?

[On just go to bed! - Ed]

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