GRUMPY Old Men is the title of a BBC television programme which allows well-known middle aged men to talk about issues of modern life which irritate them. It subsequently led to a spin-off series, Grumpy Old Women.
Far apart from the golden age of 1950's America, 1950's Britain was still on rations, and struggling to get over the devastation suffered in World War II. However, for the British youth a new dawn was rising. Thanks to full employment and hire purchase and a new found freedom from National Service, the British youth was on their own two feet with money in their pocket and they wanted everybody to know about it.
WHAT do the British do best when the dark nights creep in?
Why sit in front of the telly of course with a nice cup of tea and a biscuit!
My dabble into landscape painting showed me how much fun it can be to be creative.
When I was a small child, I would rise at the first light of dawn. I could not sleep past six, even when my parents begged and pleaded with me to just sleep a little longer. After they came to the conclusion that my internal clock was on its own time schedule, they decided that I could go ahead and get up, as long as I quietly watched television. This sounded good, but in reality, there was really nothing on at six on a Sunday morning. One morning, though, I came across a show with a strange French guy who was painting landscapes with oil paints.
“HOW far they can progress is anybody’s guess but they are establishing a great public following which is vital in a competition determined by telephone votes.”
Prophetic words in an article I wrote for the English Magazine a couple of months ago about the former BBC political correspondent John Sergeant and his Siberian professional dancing partner Kristina Rihanoff who were taking part in the hit BBC TV show Strictly Come Dancing.
IN common with most football grounds recently, Derby County held a minute’s silence before their English League Cup game against Leeds United as a tribute to those who lost their lives fighting for their country.
As a few noisy Leeds latecomers entered the stand, the more senior visiting fans shouted out “Sshhh…..show some respect.”
And respect – or rather the perceived lack of it – was at the heart of a bitter exchange of words in the Rugby League World Cup Group A clash between England and New Zealand in Australia.