Sunday July 26th 2026 "That new 'The Odyssey' film - what a 'humdinger', as young people say nowadays!!!"

Yes, Friends, have YOU seen the new 'epic' blockbuster from budding 55-year-old "young whippersnapper" director Christopher Nolan yet?

If not, did you maybe miss the recent sizzling preview in Onion News, hidden away a little too much methinks, back at page 94? If so, here's a helpful reminder of the main points, for your reading convenience!!!

Sounds veritably "epic", doesn't it - no pun intended!!!!

But reading the Onion's "taster" a couple of weeks ago brought an all-too-familiar smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois, here in lovely Liphook, Hampshire - not a shred of doubt about that!!!!

me and my wife Lois - a recent picture

"But why the sudden interest in modern movie-making, Colin?", I hear you cry!

Well, you see, Nolan's brand-new masterpiece is showing this week at our local Living Room Cinema, here in Liphook, but Lois won't let me book tickets for one of the cinema's "old codger matinees", because she says I always fall asleep within minutes of the opening credits, especially if we've managed to nab one of the "old codger and courting couple sofas" that they keep at the back, which I always make a bee-line for - well, you know me haha!!!!

(left) Liphook's iconic "The Living Room Cinema" and (right) the inviting

"old codger" sofas that they keep at the back of the theatre - oooh! cumFEEEE !!!!

Lois and I probably won't be seeing the film this week, but our daughter Alison, husband Edward and at least two of their three teenage kids, who live in nearby Churt, Surrey, have seen "The Odyssey" today, Sunday, would you believe, as part of festivities for their son Isaac's 16th birthday today! 

And afterwards they drop by at mine and Lois's house at tea-time, to give us their "take" on Nolan's film, which is nice!

(left) a welcome visit from our daughter Alison and family, and (right) the scene

in our living-room as they give us their "take" on "The Odyssey" - (left to right)

our son-in-law Edward, Rosalind, our daughter Alison, and birthday-boy Isaac 

They give the film a cautious "seal of approval" - they're all enthralled about it, with the possible exception of our daughter Alison, who reportedly winced during some of the scenes where either Odysseus and/or his fellow Ancient Greek voyaging-companions were getting chopped up, cooked, and/or eaten "al dente" by monsters, as I expect you can imagine!

What madness!!!!

But it gives me an idea for a possible modern-day version, with a now-retired Odysseus watching a matinee of his adventures with  favourite "squeeze" Circe the Witch, and being swallowed by one of the cinema's seductively comfy sofas. 

What do you think - is it a 'goer', as young people say today?

possible scenes from a new film, maybe titled "Watching the Odyssey", in which

comfy cinema sofas are swallowing up old codgers and courting couples alike

- yikes, scary !!!!!

I wonder.....!

But the main thing today is to celebrate young Isaac's birthday. Lois and I are "gifting" him a harmonica, which he's determined to master for performances with his boy-girl group New Horizon. Isaac is normally just on vocals, but he's anxious to follow in the footsteps of his idol, singer Billy Joel, by doing some harmonica-inserts during his singing, which will be nice!

(left) Isaac opening up the recent Haslemere Fringe Festival on the big stage,

and (right) Isaac's idol, Billy "Piano Man" Joel at the Wembley Arena

And, now 16, Isaac's got to apply for a new passport, which will stay valid for 10 years, and which he'll need for his upcoming school trip to China in October, with fellow classmates also studying Mandarin Chinese. 

Isaac tells us today that he can't even imagine being 26, which, to him, seems incredibly old (!).

Awww - bless haha!!!!!

flashback to 2024: Isaac's first visit to China with schoolmates: (left) Isaac

to be seen bottom-right, half out of shot, on the school bus-ride to

London's Heathrow Airport, and (right) arriving at their destination in China

And meanwhile, 9000 miles away, in Perth, Australia, our other daughter Sarah's twin daughters Lily and Jessica  are also celebrating their birthday, both 13 today, and so becoming proper 'teenagers'. 

Lois and I talk to them, too, today, through the wonders of the internet and 'whatsapp' - pictures to follow!

our daughter Sarah, with twins Lily and Jessica, seen here having a snack

with Lois on me in Liphook's village centre on their recent visit to the UK

It's all a lovely reminder to Lois and me of that great day in our lives, July 26th 2013, when Isaac was at our then-home in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, celebrating his 3rd birthday, and during Isaac's birthday tea with the (iconically-named) 'Colin the Caterpillar Cake', we remember getting the news on Alison's phone, that Sarah had just given birth to her twins over at Gloucester Royal Hospital, with first pictures of the twins - awwwwwww!!!!! 

Awww (again) !!!!! What a day! And Lois and I remember that day as if it were yesterday, that's for sure.

And see - bottom right - the photo of our dear daughter Sarah, at 36 years of age, on her first day after becoming a mum, with a half-eaten hospital lunch at her bedside.

Golly that lunch looks "scrummy" even now - battered fish, maybe, with mashed potato and mixed veg, do you think? What's not to like haha!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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