Friday September 18th - Saturday September 19th 2026 "Italians, eh! They seem to do everything in a 'classy', fashionable way, which is nice!"

Friday September 18th 2026

Yes, Friends, once again the Italians are dominating the headlines, with their natural sense of 'style' beating the pants off us poor gauche, ungainly Brits - and that's a 'given' !!!!

They're certainly making all the running in today's Onion News - no surprise there !

What madness isn't it!!!! Those 'Eye-ties', eh?! With their 'style' and semi-unconscious brilliance, they can certainly teach us hopelessly unfashionable Brits a thing or two along the way - no question about that!

And all these headlines bring an expectant smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois this morning, here in semi-regional Liphook, Hampshire, that's for sure, because tonight, we'll be dining at a classy Italian restaurant 134 miles away, in semi-aquatic Ipswich, Suffolk, which is a twist, to put it mildly!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

Yes, and these 'Onion' stories remind us that, tonight, we'll be living it up in Ipswich, Suffo;k - well, our powers of memory aren't what they used to be, now that we're both 80, even though we look decades younger, our friends tell us!

[Really, Colin? I'd like some signed statements to that effect, if you wouldn't mind! - Ed]

You see, our daughter Alison and lawyer husband Edward, will be coming over at 11am from their home in nearby Headley, Hampshire, to 'whisk' us both away for the long 134-mile car journey to Ipswich, where we've been invited to the wedding of my niece Lucy to her fiancee Rosanna, taking place tomorrow, Saturday.

Lois and I thought that Edward must be taking the day off from his hotshot lawyer job, but during the drive, it transpires that for him, it's 'business as usual' and the poor guy, while negotiating the busy M25 around London, somehow also has to spend most of the journey talking on his phone to his co-workers and associates, not just in the UK, but also in America -  he's due to fly to Boston on Sunday evening for talks about some 'big money deal', or other.

What madness!!! But that's the modern world for you, so take it or leave it haha!!!

Our hotshot lawyer son-in-law Edward stuffs his over-excited 'old codger'

parents-in-law into the back seat of his swish, comfortable car, somehow

managing to negotiate the busy M25 around London, while also

talking on the phone to his associates both in the UK and the US - what madness!!!

At least Lois and I know we're in a safe pair of hands for the drive to Ipswich, and we thrill to the sights and sounds of a route we've never taken before - going round London on the 'wrong' side, i.e. the east side, taking the Dartford Tunnel option across the Thames Estuary, before finally arriving at the iconic Ipswich harbourside hotel where all four of us are staying, although Edward and Alison are in a superior 4th floor room, with a superior view of the car-park.

Lois and I are meanwhile 'slumming it' on the first floor with the 'rough' guests, but we don't mind, we famously "like a bit of 'rough' now and again" haha! We also have a view of the car-park, but arguably a 'more informative, and detailed one', because it's 'a lot more nearer, like', which is nice!

And in a boldly 'inclusive' move by the hotel management, guests from the superior rooms are now allowed to meet their first-floor 'rough' friends and relations in the hotel bar, which is a comfort, so before walking the 10 minute walk to the Italian restaurant for the pre-wedding day dinner, we enjoy a quick drink with Alison and Edward. 

Oooooh, that's a relief  - make mine a 'Stella', Edward, my man, if you wouldn't mind !!!!! 

17:30 We detach ourselves, all four, from the hotel bar and embark on the 10-minute walk through the "mean streets of Ipswich" to the delightful "Bella Napoli" Italian restaurant for the pre-wedding day dinner.

Lois and I, plus our daughter Alison and husband Edward,  join the friends 

and family of the happy couple, for the pre-wedding day 

dinner at Ipswich's flagship Italian restaurant, the Bella Napoli

My goodness, what a lot of 'chat', and much of it 'lawyer chat'! You see, the happy couple, Lucy and Rosanna are both lawyers, practising in Ipswich, although at their law firm, there is "no overlap in their responsibilities", we hear: a situation due to well and truly end tomorrow, that's for sure, although not on the work front presumably!!! And there are an awful lot of lawyers (in a nice sense!) present here tonight in this restaurant, no question about that!

There's also a lot of  'Anglo-American chat', because my niece Lucy's fiancee Rosanna is the product of an arguably 'mildly mixed marriage'. She has an English mother and an American father, a couple now based in somewhere like Illinois (Belleville?) or Missouri (?) or that kind of 'malarkey', at any rate. Somewhere in the "Great American Middle", in other words, so very much 'in the thick of it' over there, which is nice! 

faraway Illinois, USA, and the town, Belleville, where Rosanna's parents are based (roughly!)

Tonight, a lot of Rosanna's friends and family are here from the States, including some US lawyers, so no surprise there!

The two legal systems are basically the same, in many aspects - the American one could be dubbed 'Magna Carta without the wigs', as I was once told. And American lawyers are allowed to quote the outcomes of British cases as long as they're at least 250 years old, or older, which can be useful in some circumstances, believe it or not! 

So "Bob's your Uncle, fair enough!" -  that's what Lois and I say !!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Saturday September 20th 2026

Friends, are YOU ever tempted to dance at a wedding? A lot of us are, aren't we, although it can be unwise not to practise for a few hours (or days maybe?) beforehand, so as not to upstage the couple and, particularly so as  not to upstage them in in a not very good way, to put it mildly!!! 

Some days, everybody seems to be dancing - have you noticed? [No! - Ed] And once again, dancing is dominating the headlines, today, if we're to believe our print copy of this morning's Onion News, no question about that!!!!

It's dancing madness, I tell you!!! 

And these Onion headlines bring a cheery grin to the faces of me and my wife Lois this morning, here in Ipswich, 130 miles north east of our home in semi-attractive Liphook, Hampshire, that's for sure!!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

Lois and I actually find ourselves dancing today, the first time we've danced together for about 2 years, tempted by a joyous occasion - the wedding of my dear niece Lucy to her fiancee Rosanna at Ipswich. However, wisely, I think we stop after 2 numbers - well we are 80, so we don't want to cause a medical emergency and upstage the happy couple, as noted above (!), so fair enough - that's what we say !!!! 

Call us "unnecessarily unassuming", if you can say that 'mouthful' without spluttering, that is !!!

The venue for the wedding is upstairs in the august Ipswich County Library, so a somewhat 'bookish' feel to the occasion, but very pleasing for us, especially for Lois who spent her working life in libraries, so she feels completely at home!

(left) the room at the County Library where the ceremony takes place, and

(right) the steps outside, as guests gather

the happy couple 'tie the knot'

Lucy and Rosanna's joyous 'confetti moment'

It's a ceremony that somehow combines both the emotional gravity of the occasion with joyous hilarity, as this unashamedly 'giggly' couple pledge their troth before an excited crowd of friends and emerge first into the gardens of the nearby Ipswich and Suffolk Club and then into the club dining room for the reception, and the many heart-felt speeches from the couple and some of their guests.

There are lots of lawyers present - both Lucy and Rosanna are practising law in Ipswich: they'll get it right eventually, they promise us! And there are also lots of Americans - Rosanna has an English mother and an American father, and her family hail from Missouri / Illinois or that kind of 'malarkey', adding a cosmopolitan feel to the occasion, which is nice!

Lois and I feel "all talked out" by the time the reception ends around 5 pm, so we do the 15 minute walk back to our harbour-side hotel and collapse on the bed [not shown]. 

Well we are 80, you know! And we need to recharge our batteries [not shown!], if we want to return to the club for the evening part of the 'do', which starts with the happy, giggly couple leading off and doing the first dance, by tradition.

(above) Lucy and Rosanna, the happy, giggly couple 'lead off' the evening's

dancing, and (below left) in the bar, our daughter Alison and husband Edward,

and (below right) my wife Lois and Yours Truly grabbing a quick 'nightcap' -

well we are 80, you know! [Final warning! - Ed]

And that, in brief, is how you do it, if your niece finds her soulmate and you want to be a part of this special moment in their two young lives, which we did. So simples!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Thursday September 17th 2026 "Farewells - are they something we can now say goodbye to? I wonder....!"

Yes, Friends, everybody's saying goodbye to somebody today, all over the world, and our poor press has trouble sometimes chronicling them all, although they make a good effort! Here are some of Onion News's featured examples, if you want proof!!!

And that's just two of their 'goodbye' stories in this morning's edition, but you'll have to get your own print edition and turn to page 94 if you want the "Full Monty" !

And all these sudden 'goodbyes' are bringing a teary smudge to the faces of me and my wife Lois this morning, here in semi-translucent Liphook, Hampshire - no question about that!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

For us, today is a whole series of 'farewells', as our three grandkids Josie (20), Rosalind (18), and Isaac (16) make what we're calling "a phased withdrawal" from our house, after a week of staying with us, while builders have been working on the renovation of their own home, a crumbling Victorian mansion in nearby Headley.

And today, those 3 young scamps' own dear bedrooms over in Headley are finally labelled "fit for human habitation" by the builders, meaning that the poor things can finally sleep in their own beds tonight, after a week of "roughing it" with us, which must be a huge relief to them, the poor mites !!!!!

phase one: after a "scratch lunch" of scrambled egg with us, our daughter

Alison takes Josie's things (and Josie herself (!)) home in her car,

signally the end to Josie's week-long nightmare of a stay with her grandparents (!)

phase 2: our daughter Alison collects Rosalind's things and Isaac's things

and takes them back to their crumbling Victorian mansion, so they can at last

sleep in their own beds tonight, which must be a huge relief, to put it mildly!!!

These last 7 days must have been a nightmare to our 3 young grandkids, that's for sure, listening to mine and Lois's endless stories about 'the good old days' before smartphones and digital watches etc (!). 

Poor grandkids!!!!

And for Lois and me, who, for the last 7 days, have certainly "had the cobwebs blown off us a bit" (in Lois's words!), we can now sit and watch our 'old codger' TV programmes in the evenings, just the two of us, with all those "cobwebs" starting to spread over us again, just like in a 1950's horror film - remember those wonderful days before smartphones and digital watches etc??? 

[And you can stop that 'old codger' talk right now! - Ed]

Have I ever shown you some of those marvellous pictures we've each got of ourselves circa 1950?

flashback to circa 1950: (left) Lois on a swing outside her parents'

post-war prefab in Oxford, and (right) me with my dear late mum and 

my dear late baby sister Kathy in front of our house in Dover - happy days!!!

[Final warning! - Ed]

16:00 And now, today, finally left on our own after our grandkids' departure, Lois and I have to rapidly change gear yet again, and get ready for the weekend celebrations of my dear great niece Lucy's wedding to her Anglo-American fiancee Rosanna in Ipswich. 

(left) flashback to May - Lois and me at Ipswich's leading Turkish restaurant,

with my sister Jill (rightmost), and Lucy and Rosanna; and (right)

the happy couple at a recent pre-wedding celebration, which is nice!

A big event, which Lois and I have both been looking forward to for a few months now - travelling to Ipswich tomorrow (Friday), checking in at our hotel by the harbourfront, going to the pre-wedding dinner, then attending the wedding itself on Saturday, followed by the reception etc etc, coming back home to Liphook on Sunday.

And hopefully there'll also be a chance to meet some other members of Rosanna's Anglo-American family.

So, once again it's busy busy busy!!!!

No wonder our neighbours have dubbed us "possibly Liphook's busiest-looking retired couple" - they're not wrong there, and "in spades" !!!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Wednesday September 16th 2026 "Couples couples couples - hard to avoid them these days, isn't it haha!!!"

Yes, Friends, have YOU seen any couples hanging around your place of residence recently? You know the tell-tale signs don't you, of which the word 'people' and the number 'two' are the most obvious giveaways!!!

Certainly you can't read the papers these days without coming across some annoying 'couple' doing something somewhere! Just take the headlines in this morning's Onion News, if you don't believe me!!!

What madness, isn't it! But today's 'couple news' (see page 94!) at least brings a wan (or wannish!) excuse for a smile to the faces of me and my wife Lois this morning, as we take our near-daily walk over the 'hallowed turf' of local Hampshire Premier League giants Liphook United, stopping to observe the club's latest 'signings' in the darkened windows of their dilapidated, run-down-looking and totally unwelcoming, so-called "club house", that's for sure!!!!

my wife Lois and me this morning, as we take our near daily walk over

the 'hallowed turf' of local Hampshire Premier League giants, Liphook United

To be frank, we don't feel like a proper 'couple' any more, to be honest! 

For the last few days, we've been what Lois calls a 'couple plus', with our 3 scamps of grandkids temporarily living with us - Josie (20), Rosalind (18) and Isaac (16). They're with us temporarily this week, morning and evening, bringing their cheery chatty company into our lives, which is, in Lois's words, "blowing some of the cobwebs off us", no question about that!!!! 

our 3 grandkids -  Rosalind, Josie and Isaac -

- a picture from a skiing holiday a couple of years ago

And it's been a rare treat for Lois and me this past week, getting them all breakfast and waving them a tearful goodbye in the mornings, and then welcoming them back to our house in the late afternoon, asking them about their day, and later wishing them a good night as they scoot up the stairs to their temporary bedrooms in our tiny Liphook-based house, into which we moved into just 21 months ago, which is mad!

flashback to January 2025 - Lois and I move into our tiny house

in Liphook, hardly being able to move for unopened packing cases

- what madness!!!!!

And with a full house this week, Lois and I have been having more fun than usual even at night, when we find ourselves trying not to wake our 3 young scamps of grandchildren, as we make our multiple trips to the loo - well, we are 80 now, and fully-paid-up members of the UK's "old codger club", so fair enough, that's what we say!!!

This pleasant interlude in mine and Lois's life, however, will shortly be coming to an end, and the process is starting today. We've had the pleasure of all this young company while their family is temporarily 'homeless' waiting for builders to fully finish the renovation of their crumbling Victorian mansion in nearby Headley. And meanwhile their parents - our daughter Alison and husband Edward - have been 'skulking' in a 'rude' shepherd's hut, somewhere in the mansions extensive 7.5 acre grounds. 

What madness, isn't it!!!!

(left) one of the family's builders showcasing the mansion's prestigious

new entrance, currently under renovation, and (right) the

'rude' shepherd's hut in the mansion's extensive 7.5 acre grounds,

where our daughter Alison and husband Edward are currently

having to 'skulk' - what madness, isn't it !!!!

Bit by bit, however, their crumbling mansion is being declared 'habitable' again, and tonight our 3 grandkids will be having their evening meal in the mansion's extensive kitchen, leaving their aged grandparents to dine just the two of us. 

Later, however, the kids will once more be coming round to Lois and me, probably around 9pm, to spend the night here again, as their proper mansion bedrooms haven't been "signed off" yet and, more importantly, their own dear beds aren't in place yet, so - once again - it's a case of 'Fair enough!"

"dinner for two" - my wife Lois and me tonight in our

strangely quiet kitchen, with no grandkids to cheer us

with their happy banter - sob sob!!!!

Poor us !!!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Tuesday September 15th 2026 "Business, eh!!! But do YOU know any REAL 'business people' - bet you don't haha !!!"

Yes, Friends, we hear a lot these days about 'business' but just think for a moment - do YOU know any actual business-men or -women? Not many of us do, do we, and yet the papers are always full of their crazy 'antics', for some reason, which is mad!!!!

Take this morning's Onion News, if you want 'chapter and verse' !!!!

Isn't it all just a little bit crazy?! But today's headlines bring a hint of a somewhat vacuous 'smiley' to the faces of me and my wife Lois this morning - no doubt about that!!!

my wife Lois and me this morning, on our near-daily walk over the "hallowed turf",

home to local Hampshire Premier League giants Liphook United

And we're laughing because we're one of the few people today, who have a real-life businessman in the family - step forward our son-in-law Edward, a director of one of the UK's real-life regional railway companies, would you believe! 

(left) our director-son-in-law Edward with our daughter Alison, both dressed up to the nines

for a recent Railway Ball in London, and (right) Lois waving to one of "Edward's trains",

the "Hereford-to-Worcester Flyer", as Lois and I have dubbed it, just to encourage

the driver through the Malvern Marshes, which was a nice touch - but what madness!!!!!

But let me put my cards on the table at this point! 

Edward and Alison may look "all posh, like" in that picture above, but, to be frank, for the moment they're also technically 'homeless, like' (!) - with Edward possibly being the first such board member to be classified as such, which must be a bit galling for him! Alison and Edward are homeless, because builders have been late finishing off renovations to their crumbling Victorian mansion, and, to add to their 'woes', their family has this week been unceremoniously 'kicked out' of their temporary rental home, now to it's been sold to buyers, which is mad!

What a crazy world we live in !!!! And Lois and I have done what we can to help - providing beds for the couple's three 'kids', if we can call them that (!) - Josie (20), Rosalind (18) and Isaac (16), while Alison and Edward are reduced to sleeping in a 'rude' shepherd's hut somewhere in their mansion's 7.5 acre grounds - but what madness!!!!

(left) the scene on Friday at Alison and Edward's crumbling Victorian mansion, with

a builder saying, "Sorry there's no way we can let you into your mansion for another week

at least - it's health and safety, mate, innit!!!", and (right) the 'rude' shepherd's hut in the mansion's

7.5 acre grounds, where Alison and Edward have been forced to "skulk" for a week!

What madness, isn't it !!!!

And Lois and I have also been providing evening meals for the entire family, so it's "dinner for seven, please Lois" to paraphrase the classic song!!!!

Tonight, however, there's some relief for Lois in the "kitchen department", because it's be only "dinner for six", that Lois and I have to arrange. You see, Edward, our son-in-law, will be working in London for the next few days, looking all "business-y" and indulging in his crazy "business-y" antics, with all his so-called "business pals" - what madness, isn't it!! And he's also half-starting preparations to fly to Boston USA next week for talks on joint ventures with some American rail company, which is mad too!

 a typical 'flight path' taken by many planes travelling

from London across the Atlantic to Boston, USA

As you will know, Lois and I have been dubbed by our neighbours "possibly Liphook's busiest-looking retired couple" and yet we've somehow also managed to somehow 'factor in' hosting our 3 young scamps of grandkids (!), amongst our numerous other duties, like our near-daily walk, and also our work translating Virgil's Aeneid Book 2, as respected members of local retired schoolteacher Joe's "Intermediate Latin for Old Codgers" U3A study-group, and Lois and I also find ourselves somehow squeezing in a bit of time for doing that today, in spite of our incredibly heavy schedule. 

Busy busy busy!!!

(above) Yours Truly, showcasing my copy of Vergil's Aeneid, with (right) part

of this week's homework, and (below) a typical session of local man Joe's

"Intermediate Latin for Old Codgers" U3A study group

"How did we ever find the time to go to work, back in the day?" is the question most frequently to be found on mine and Lois's lips - no surprise there! Frankly I don't think Lois and I would be able to cope with this frantic so-called 'retired' (ha!) life-style, if it weren't for our lengthy afternoons in bed, to recharge our batteries (!). 

And this week, each morning, we wave a tearful grandparental goodbye to young scamp Isaac (16) on his way to school, and another grandparental goodbye to those other two scamps Josie (20) and Rosalind (18), who speed off to Headley to help their parents with moving packing cases and trying to bring order to their half-finished renovated mansion, And after all that, Lois and I then just have to set to work to cross off as many jobs as we can from our over-crowded to-do-list, which is mad!!!

Lois and I this evening, somehow managing to 'squeeze in' a meal for six:

our daughter Alison (51) plus our grandkids Josie (20), Rosalind (18) and Isaac (16),

their busy dad Edward being away in London for 3 days doing his so-called 'business' (!)

No wonder Lois and I just fall into bed at 10pm each night, having watched just a paltry 3 hours of television,  totally exhausted by our frantic daily schedule!!! 

What a crazy world we live in !!!!!

Will this do????

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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

Monday September 14th 2026 "Deadlines, eh! They're there to be ignored basically, aren't they!! "

Yes, Friends, so-called "deadlines", eh! They're there to be ignored, basically, aren't they! Especially the so-called "final" ones!!! And yet it seems like every day there's a new one laid down, if we're to believe the press! Here's what my today's copy of Onion News is telling us, would you believe!!!

What rubbish isn't it!!!! However, all these "headlines about deadlines" (!) certainly bring a smile to the cheeks of me and my wife Lois this morning, here in semi-attractive Liphook, Hampshire, no question about that!!!!

my wife Lois and me - a recent picture

Deadlines missed can sometimes cause problems, however, as our daughter Alison (51) knows to her cost, and "in spades" (!).  Alison and her family - husband Edward (51), and offspring Josie (20), Rosalind (18) and Isaac (16) - were supposed to be quitting their rental home this week and moving back into their 'real' home', a crumbling Victorian mansion which has been in the hands of builders who have been engaged in a renovation job on the ageing property for the last 18 months.

Well, the family has "quitted" [sic!] their rental home okay, which has been sold to new owners - no problem there. However, their builders won't let them back into their 'real' home yet, because it's "not safe", as yet - what madness!! So the family are technically "homeless", and are spending a horrible time at the moment, partly living in a shepherd's hut in their mansion's 7.5 acre grounds, and farming their offspring out to Lois and me, so we pair of "old codgers" have had a nice surprise being asked to temporarily accommodate three cheery, chatty young scamps, which has blown some of the cobwebs off us, to put it mildly!

What madness!!!! And it's fortunate that the family has at least managed the occasional 'treat' to brighten up their lives, escaping to Oxford at the weekend to see a concert by "happening band" Arctic Monkeys' very own tribute band, the "Antarctic Monkeys", which has helped to ease some of the family's pain, the poor things!!!! See this post (below, right) that Alison put on social media this weekend...

(left) builders refusing to let the family back into their crumbling Victorian

mansion, with a cheery wave and a "Sorry, it's health and safety, mate, innit!",

and (right) poor Alison's post last night on social media - what madness, isn't it!!!!

Poor Alison-and-family!!!!!

Lois and I have done what little we can to help the family, temporarily having Josie, Rosalind and Isaac to sleep in our house and providing evening meals for the whole family, when they arrive at ours in the evenings, totally exhausted, typically. But what a crazy world we live in!!!!

flashback to last night: (left to right) Josie, Isaac, Rosalind,

Lois, Alison, Edward and Yours Truly on the dessert course

- what madness!!!!!

And today, what was going to be a "one off" evening meal looks like being extended to probably the next two evenings as well, since the family still can't eat in their own dining room, which is mad, and by evening they're totally exhausted anyway from spending their whole days moving stuff, packing stuff and unpacking stuff - yikes!!!!! 

For Lois and me, meanwhile, the crisis means some "emergency shopping trips" to stock up our larder, now that we suddenly find ourselves feeding a family of five with pleasantly huge, and healthy, appetites, and not just feeding ourselves - the scrawny couple of scraggy "old codgers" (!), that we are, to put it mildly!!!! 

And hence, this morning, Lois and I find ourselves nipping round to the local "Co-op" again to stock up with more 'supplies' for tonight, before taking a rehabilitatory - is that a word? [No! - Ed] - yes, before taking a rehabilitatory walk over the 'hallowed turf' of local Hampshire Premier League soccer giants Liphook United, and checking on team selection for next Saturday, which is nice!

(above) we pop to the local Coop this morning to stock up on food to feed

our daughter Alison's family of five tonight, before taking a calming walk

over the 'hallowed turf' of local soccer giants Liphook United, stopping at the

team's dilapidated "clubhouse" to check team selection for Saturday, which is nice!

What a crazy world we live in !!!!   [You've done that one once already, Colin! - Ed]

For us, however, the nice part of Alison's "family crisis" is that "old codgers" Lois and I get to spend our evenings with our three chatty and cheery grandkids, after their exhausted mum and dad have left to go home to their meagre shepherd's hut around 7pm each night, where the family's 2 dogs are waiting patiently for their arrival, which is touching!

flashback to early August: our daughter Alison and family take delivery 

of their charming shepherd's hut, seen sited in their extensive 7.5 acre grounds,

and (right) family dog Sika making himself at home there. Poor Sika !!!!

18:00 Alison's totally exhausted family ring our doorbell and gratefully 'fall on' the food that Lois and I have prepared for them - and, by the end of it, we have 7 empty plates, which is nice to see!

Lois and me this evening, treating our exhausted daughter Alison and her exhausted

family to an evening meal of chicken breast, potatoes and peas - yum yum!

And later tonight, while Josie and Isaac are up in their rooms doing their college and school homework, Lois and I get the chance to entertain Rosalind, who doesn't have any homework, which is a blessing: she'll be starting at UCL (University College, London) in a couple of weeks' time to begin her 4-year degree course in International Politics,  so for the moment, at least, she's a "lady of leisure". 

flashback to June: our granddaughter Rosalind

celebrating her 18th birthday on holiday in Majorca

Tonight we decide to let Rosalind listen to some old audio tapes of her own "mummy" Alison, as an 8-year-old little girl, recorded during our 3 years in the States between 1982 and 1985, tapes which we discovered today in an old drawer - awwwww!!!!! 

What fun for all three of us, especially when we hear 8-year-old Alison's "American accent" - how we laugh!!!! We also hear excerpts from some of the school concerts that we recorded at the our two daughters' American primary school, Dasher Green. Happy times!!!!

(above) flashback to 1984: Lois and me, with our two daughters Alison (9) and Sarah (7)

touring the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and (right) me, cool as a cucumber,

driving our All-American car, with the steering wheel on the 'wrong' side (!)

and (below) some of the tapes we recorded of our daughters 'speaking American',

and tapes recorded at their primary school, Dasher Green, Columbia Md

Also, we listen tonight to some amusing, but slightly more embarrassing (!), tapes of Lois and me larking about and playing our guitars together before we got married, including time from my study year in Japan, when Lois came over to stay with me - yikes, was it all more than 55 years ago?????!!!!

(above, left) flashback to 1970: the first ever picture of Lois and me together, in a rented cottage in Shropshire, and (above right) us in 1971, when Lois came to visit me during my study year in Japan 1970-1971, and (below) some of my slightly embarrassing audio tapes (!) from those times

Happy days!!!!

Will this do?

[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]

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