Danskcolin: Sunday March 8th 2026 "Friends, are YOU tall-to-tallish? Then watch out for men in white coats bearing huge bags haha!"

Yes, Friends, are YOU "tall"? Then keep an eye out for anybody in a white coat, particularly if he's carrying, like, a massive mosquito net, or just a big bag, even!!!

However, the "vibes" this morning for tall people the world over, I sense, are "vibrating" (!) much more calmly today, after the glorious victory of "height martyr" Duane Panovich in the US courts, as reported in Onion News this morning - see page 94!

Poor Panovich - how he suffered! And when my wife Lois and I read his story, here in rural, semi-skimmed Liphook, Hampshire today, it gives us a shudder of relief, to put it mildly, and particularly in my case (!).

Why the relief? Well, we've invited our daughter Alison to "tea" tonight, plus husband Edward, and two of their three offspring, Rosalind (17) and local up-and-coming pop vocalist, Isaac (15).

(left) our daughter Alison, plus husband Edward and teenage offspring Rosalind (17)

and Isaac (15), and (right) Isaac with his boy-girl-band New Horizon, now making waves locally

The family are (justly) famous locally, as a family of "shorties" - Edward comes from a long line of shorties. However, thanks to the input of genes from Yours Truly - I'm not a "human giraffe" exactly, but have traditionally always given my height as 5ft 10.5in (1.8m) - there's at least some hope for the future in both Rosalind and Isaac's case, which is a comfort!

Although Isaac's band New Horizon, disappointingly didn't win last night's Battle of the Bands contest at nearby Shottermill Working Men's Club, they are today the first act to be signed up for the Chiddstock Pop Festival this summer at local village Chiddingfold (Surrey), modelled on the famous, but sadly less successful Woodstock Festival in the States, so watch this space!

Let's just hope that Isaac's band "towers" over the competition this summer - no pun intended!!!

[Why did you say it then! - Ed]

You can get some idea of Isaac's tallness from the photo of the family (see above) which I take today during their visit. I usually take pride in the fact that my genes have enabled Isaac to tower a bit over his parents, but today my pride is slightly dented by the realisation that I myself must have shrunk a couple of inches or so - what madness, isn't it!

I thought it was only "really old people" who shrank, whereas I'm still a very lively 79-year-old, and, at least according to my wife Lois, "marvellous for my age".

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

me at 79, approaching my 80th birthday later this month, but still,

according to reports, "marvellous for my age", which is nice to know!

Among other shock news that comes from Alison and family's visit today includes the fact that their eldest daughter Josie (19), who started a maths degree course at Durham last September has a new boyfriend, a fellow student up there - further details to follow, so watch this space! Also Rosalind (17) has just finished her mock A-Levels with top grades, and is pondering whether to accept an offer from Durham, or whether she'll accept the one from UCL London. Decisions, decisions !!!!

All in all, Lois and I revel in the family's visit this evening, and it perks us up no end. We were both feeling a bit tired earlier, after yet another busy day. And I suspect that, like typical giraffes - see Onion News infographic above (!), we had been looking a bit tired earlier on, and we've certainly been doing more than our fair share of grunting, to put it mildly!!!

This morning, I drive Lois to her church's Sunday Morning Meeting at nearby Petersfield, and there's also a lovely zoom today with our other daughter, Sarah, in Perth, Australia. We're tired when we come home, however, and, after a quick lunch, afternoon-in-bed time is severely rushed and curtailed (!). You see, we have to get up at 3pm, would you believe, to get ready for Alison and family's visit this evening, dusting, hoovering, cooking, laying the table for six, it never stops - what madness!!!

Busy busy busy! [You lazy so-and-sos, Colin! - Ed]

flashback to this morning: a zoom call with our other daughter Sarah, and

12-year-old twins Lily and Jessica, 9000 miles away in Perth, Australia

It's fascinating, if you have grandchildren, to speculate about what DNA is that Lois and I have bequeathed to them, as well as what we haven't (!). They recently started secondary school and are getting to know their new fellow-students.

Lily is like us emotionally, but she's also into soccer (why ???? haha!), even qualifying for the school team, whereas Jessie is less like us emotionally but, she loves reading, which we can identify with, so there you have it. The story of human genetics in a nutshell!

20:00 DNA doesn't work out well, on a personal basis, for comedian Bill Bailey, however, as we see in the first programme of his new series on today's Vietnam, 50 years after the withdrawal of the Americans from Saigon.

Bill has a Welsh mother, just like I do, so when he sees some typical Vietnamese round fishing boats along the coast of Vietnam, he remembers how his Welsh ancestors used to use round coracles to fish, goin back to the early Bronze Age.

And Bill gets the urge to "channel" [no pun intended!!!!] his Celtic DNA, in view of his mother's ancestors famous' love of the coracle since ancient times, and steps aboard one - bad decision, Bill haha!!!

Bill's DNA certainly wasn't working for him, when he tried stepping in one of these round Vietnamese fishing boats, however, during filming of his new series.

Poor Bill !!!! And maybe consider losing a few pounds before your next trip haha!

Lois and I didn't know that the reason the Vietnamese fish in these little round boats, was originally to avoid paying tax on them during the country's French colonial period.