Yes, Friends, have you looked at YOUR shoes lately? You can be sure that others have been looking at them, particularly if they're not too introverted! You know what they say - "introverts" look down at their own shoes when they're talking to you, whilst "recovering introverts" look down at the person they're talking to's shoes, which makes for a handy, instant, psychological character diagnostic if ever you need one haha!!!
Luckily, with the weather suddenly becoming more wintery, the shops are all full of hard-wearing shoes, which is fortunate! And popular tabloid Onion News, which always "has its finger on the pulse", is keeping itself up-to-date with all the "Shoes News That's Fit To Print".
Turn to their popular "Doozy Shoozy Newsy Stories" section on page 94 !!!!
It's all quite mad, isn't it, but these stories - and others in the same vein - bring the tiniest hint of a smile to the lips of me and my wife Lois today, here in semi-conductive Liphook, Hampshire - that's for sure!!!
And it's all topical for us, because shoes are very much on our minds this week, would you believe!
The assistant assured me that the shoes are quite suitable for hard-core "intermediate strolling", so my plan is to "walk them in" a little when we get home, or should I say "stroll them in" [No! - Ed]. Obviously I want to impress our fellow U3A "Old Codger" strollers tomorrow, on mine and Lois's first "outing" with the group: advertised as a short stroll over Shortheath Common finishing up with a pub lunch at "The Hangar", so what's not to like haha!!!!
Will this do?
"Do have some cake!" - me and my wife Lois: a recent picture
We recently decided to join the local U3A group, "Intermediate Strolling for Old Codgers", and the first meeting of the 2026-2027 season is tomorrow (Friday). However, I realise today that I haven't got any "strolling shoes".
What an idiot !!!!!
Hence our decision today to drive to fashionable menswear shop David's, just over the county line in Haslemere, Surrey, and hopefully find a nice pair to strap on for tomorrow's stroll. People are always suggesting to me to "strap on a pair, Colin", and I'm not sure what that means, but maybe it's time to "go with the flow" on this one, maybe?
But your views welcome - (postcards only) !!!!
(left) peaceful Shortheath Common, and (right) local pub "The Hanger"
Yes, Shortheath Common looks peaceful today, but it's not far from the old Roman Road between Chichester, Sussex and Silchester, Hampshire - see the dotted line on the map below, where the Roman centurions used to tramp (not stroll!!!) with their legions, if you don't believe me!!!
(left) map of the Oakhanger area of Hampshire, showing Shortheath Common, and
with dotted line indicating the route of the Roman Road from Chichester to Silchester, and (right)
typical Roman soldiers tramping (not strolling (!)) over the local heaths and moors
When our little group tomorrow has had enough strolling, we're all booked in for lunch at nearby pub "The Hanger". And the stroller club rules specify that if you're feeling tired or "out of sorts", you can skip the stroll and just do "the lunch bit".
However, for Lois and me, tomorrow is our debut in the group, so we don't want to look like "a couple of right 'Jessies' ", as some of our neighbours in Liphook have styled us, would you believe, so we're going to do the 'stroll' as well, which is mad!
Next month perhaps haha!
At the lunch we've both signed up for the "chipolatas bacon and onions" option, if you're curious!!!
[You don't say! - Ed]
some of the pub's typical promotions: Lois and I have booked for the
chipolatas, bacon and onion option if you're interested [not shown, sadly!!!] !!!!
On 'the stroll bit' tomorrow, however, I very much want to look like a "pro", and I think about asking Lois to cake a bit of mud, or even brown paint (!) on my shiny new "strolling shoes" tonight, but I suspect she'll be too busy!
Yes, this chilly but sunny Thursday, for us, is another non-stop day for us, again - just look at the photos, if you don't believe me!!! A coffee and pain au chocolat at Darnley's, Haslemere, after I buy my "strollers", plus a trip out to our local Co-op mini-supermarket, and a session at our local doctor's surgery as Lois has been booked in for a blood test - see the pictures below! Not to mention a couple of hours in bed for "statutory nap-time" (not shown!).
our frantic day today - a coffee and pain au chocolat in Darnleys,
a trip to the local Co-op mini-supermarket, afternoon nap [not shown],
somehow finding time to get Lois to the local NHS surgery for a blood test
- what madness !!!!
Busy, busy, busy!
What a crazy world we live in !!!
And on top of all that hectic "rushing-around", we've got an absolutely enormous list of TV programmes we've got to watch tonight - you would not BELIEVE!!!! Here are just some of "what we've got to cope with", as Lois's dear late dad Dennis used to put it !!!
Luckily, most of the programmes will help us with the current projects that Lois and I have secretly been working on: (1) "The Future with Hannah Fry", talking about the so-called "Quantum Arms Race" between the US and China, and (2) "AI - Probably Nothing to Worry About (!)", with Geoffrey Hinton.
By coincidence, Lois and I have been working hard on these two very issues, i.e. quantum computers and AI. And, what's more, our results are due to be published shortly, so watch this space!!!!
[I don't think I'll bother! - Ed]
And the maddest part of it is that Lois and I have both been retired for 20 years - how did we ever find the time to go to work, back in the day!
[You lazy so-and-so's, Colin! - Ed]
flashback to March 2026: my 60th birthday and also the day we both retired
- little did we know the madness we'd shortly be getting into!!!!
Will this do?
[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzz!!!!!
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