Friday March 13th 2026 "Are YOU married to a food critic? A lot of us are, aren't we!"

Yes, Friends, are YOU married to a food critic? It can be a thankless task, can't it, like it is for local woman Fran, wife of locally-famous Liphook Observer food critic Paul Greaves, no less! This is the local Onion News for East Hampshire's "take" on the news:

Poor Mrs Greaves!!!!! And dare I say it, shouldn't the great, high-and-mighty husband Paul consent to "get his hands dirty" and make the couple's chicken marsala himself once in a while? Is that asking too much? I wonder....!

Certainly the Onion News story brings a lip-smacking smile to the mouths of me and my wife Lois this morning, here in leafy, semi-processed Liphook, Hampshire, to put it mildly!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

Since January 2025, Lois and I have been living in what used to be very much "chicken country" here in East Hampshire. We know for a fact that when our current housing estate was built, back in the 1970's, it was built on top of the ruins of what was once East Hampshire's most iconic medium-to-high-profile chicken farms, Pedigree Utility Poultry, motto "For Pleasure and Profit", proprietor Captain James I.E. Carswell MBE, no less! 

We don't know the details but when our house was built, together with all the other 60-some houses in this estate on Liphook's Haslemere Road, one of the businesses annihilated by all the new-builds was poor James Carswell's chicken farm business. Let's hope Carswell was re-housed somewhere else, not to mention his poor chickens!!! 

(left) our housing estate, as it looks this afternoon, and (right)

the chicken farm that the estate annihilated when it was built.

Poor Carswell! And poor chickens!!!!

And this morning Lois and I,  as two self-confessed dyed-in-the-wool history buffs, are in the Liphook Heritage Centre trying to find out more about what other things, "disreputable or otherwise" (!), were going on in our area before all the houses were built here in back in the 1970's.

(left) Liphook Heritage Centre's introductory booklet, and (right) 

Lois this morning filling out a form detailing what we hope to find our

about the history of the area we've been living in since January 2025

we also come away with some booklets, including an old advert for a local pub,

the Royal Anchor, a "world-famous old English Inn", proprietor Mr J.L. Papps, 

 whose visitors have included Queen Victoria, and even the Queens of Spain and Portugal

- what madness !!!!!

What a crazy little town we appear to be living in for the last 14 months !!!!

When Lois and I drop by at our little town's Heritage Centre this morning, we find that it's manned by six unpaid old-codger volunteers - yes six!!!! - and judging by the somewhat excessive warmth of their welcome to us today (!), I'm guessing that most days not many people make it up the stairs to their little mini-museum, to put it mildly!!!

Liphook's iconic Millennium Centre, where the town's Heritage Centre

is based, manned by six local "old codger" volunteers

But honestly, you know, Lois and I are just so busy these days, you would not believe! Even though we've been retired almost exactly 20 years, we wonder how ever we found the time to go to work, back in the day!

And this morning, we even had to find time to get a few food items at the local Sainsbury's and even, to fill our car up at the store's petrol station - what madness isn't it!

Busy busy busy!!!!

[Is that all you two "noggins" have done today, Colin - bought a few things and filled up with petrol at Sainsbury's and then picked up a couple of old leaflets? - Ed]

Well, no actually, seeing as how you're asking! We also had time for an afternoon in bed, not to mention doing some more planning for my 80th birthday later this month, would you believe! Both Lois and I are turning eighty this month, despite being, according to some reports, both "marvellous for our age" (!).

[Next time you say that, quote your sources, okay? Just saying! - Ed]

Our daughter Alison and husband Edward, who live with their 3 teenage offspring in nearby Churt, Surrey, will be treating us both to a meal at a Thai restaurant in Haslemere. 

(left) our daughter Alison, husband Edward, and their 3 teenage offspring, seen here 

on their recent skiing holiday in northern Sweden, and (right) Haslemere's iconic

"Sabai" Thai restaurant, where the family will be treating Lois and me to a birthday meal

Also, an email comes in from Milk'n'More dairies, who obviously somehow also know that my birthday is coming up, and they're even offering me a discount on some items, which is so sweet of them!!!

At the moment I'm thinking of going for a double helping of the 20%-off artisan bakery items, but your ideas welcome - postcards only, remember haha !!!!

Eighty eh, the big "eight-oh" !!!! Where did the years go?

Here's me with Lois at 60, on the day we both retired...

flashback to March 2006: (left) celebrating with Lois on the day I retired,

and (right) my former workplace, nestled peacefully in the Cotswold Hills - happy days!!!!

Fast forward to 2016, and I mean "fast"!!!!! 

The year 2016 and it's now my 70th birthday, on our holiday in Rutland, where I'm (right) sitting in front of another old ruin haha!!!!

flashback to 2016, and our holiday in Rutland, (left) by the River Welland, and (right)

me sitting next to another old ruin (!) - Stamford Castle, built by

William the Conqueror a few years after his 1066 invasion of England 

Happy days !!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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