Yes, Friends, have YOU got any 'old friends' in your wardrobe? Most of us have, haven't we, and it doesn't cost anything to say hello to them now and then, like local man Oliver Roberts, whose whimsical face was 'all over' page 94 of this morning's local Onion News for East Hampshire, to put it mildly!
And, on a perhaps somewhat 'slow news day' (!), this local story was quickly picked up by many of the 'nationals', like the Times and Telegraph, and was even the lead on the BBC World Service's early morning bulletins, which was a nice tribute to local man Roberts!
Kudos, that man !!!!!
And the story brings an ironic smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois today, here in Liphook, Hampshire, not a million miles away from Roberts and the somewhat eccentric 'characters' in his wardrobe (!).
my wife Lois and me - a recent picture
It's a story that resonates with us today, because, with the improved weather, I make the decision to discard one of the three sweaters I routinely wear - a difficult choice but I decide put 'Duke Redsweater' back on his hanger in the wardrobe today, so
let's hope he doesn't sulk about it all day, like he normally does (!).
And, in fact, it's so nice and sunny this morning, that Lois even dares to go outside without a coat to hang out the washing in our tiny back garden, which is as good a 'barometer' or 'weather report' as you're ever going to get from us, so no complaints please!
a sudden improvement in the weather (left) emboldens my wife Lois not to put a coat on, when she hangs out the washing in our tiny back garden,
and (right) I decide to dispense with one of the 3 sweaters I routinely 'don' over winter
Lois and I know it's going to be another busy day for us today: we've got our daughter Alison and family coming tonight for a big Easter Monday dinner: lamb, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, veg - the complete works, with a choice of tiramisu or cheesecake for dessert. So this morning we've got to dust and vacuum the house, and make it look uncharacteristically 'respectable' (!), and somehow create the illusion that Lois and I don't 'live like pigs' when left to our own devices (!).
And it's going to be a bit of a 'family day' all round for Lois and me, because we also get a nice zoom video call this morning with our other daughter Sarah, who lives 9000 miles away from us, in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, with husband Francis and their 12-year-old twin daughters Lily and Jessica.
The twins want to thank us today for the Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies etc that Lois and I paid for, and Sarah, our accountant daughter, has some great news on the career front: she suffered a bit of career disruption recently, after her company 'moved her sideways' 3 weeks ago, from a job in a leafy suburb to a job in a more congested area near the city centre.
flashback to 2018: Lois and I, on our last visit to Australia, pick up our
daughter Sarah from her office in the leafy Perth suburb of Osborne Park
Sarah, three weeks ago, reluctantly accepted this move to the inner city, although she wasn't happy about it. Then this week, her old boss, the one in the leafy suburb, resigned and left the company, and so now Sarah has been asked to move back to her old office and take over her old boss's job. So in effect she's getting a promotion, with more money, longer holidays etc etc. Plus she'll be working in a nice leafy suburb again, and much nearer home.
What's not to like haha!!!
18:00 Well, it's Easter Monday, so now we can relax and have a nice Easter Monday dinner with our visitors, arriving from nearby Churt, just over the county line in Surrey: our other daughter Alison, plus husband Edward and their three teenage offspring Josie (19), Rosalind (17) and Isaac (15). On the table we have roast lamb with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables, and for dessert there's a choice of tiramisu or cheesecake. What's not to like (again!) !!!!
Yum yum !!!!
our 2026 Easter Monday dinner: (left to right) Isaac, me, Rosalind,
Lois, Alison, Edward and Josie
The talk is non-stop, which is especially nice for Lois and me, who normally just rattle around in this house like two peas in a massive drum (!). A lot of the chat is all about our grandkids' revision work for upcoming exams: Josie, a first-year student at Durham, has some 'mid-terms' coming up this summer; Rosalind has her A-Levels in view, and Isaac his GCSEs. So it's busy busy busy!
And the mood is further lightened when Edward, as a special concession, finally gives the go-ahead for the public release of the lyrics of the special AI-generated song,
"Lemongrass and Lime", that he commissioned in honour of my recent 80th birthday meal at a Thai restaurant in nearby Haslemere, Surrey, which is nice!
Flashback to last week's birthday meal, when the song was first "broadcast" (just in the restaurant (!)):
And here, finally, are the complete lyrics for my special song,
Lemongrass and Lime, which is nice!
I showcase my 80th birthday Thai spring roll - yum yum!
a typical crowd response to the song's anthemic chorus:
"Happy Birthday, Poppa, eighty years of being true...."
And that, in brief, is how you do your 80th Easter Monday - simples!!!
[Not brief enough, Colin! - Ed]
Will this do?
[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzzzz!!!!
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