Wednesday 21 February 2024

We went down to Wherwell Wood, a small village near Andover, to have lunch with Laura Jane, the eldest Ogilvy of the four children that Lady P nannied in the 70’s. She’s 60 now and still lots of fun for a young woman. Lunch in the local pub with her four dogs, asleep on the floor, was great and the ladies had a good catch up.

The weather has turned English winter. Well, you might say, it is mid February and you are in England, what do you expect? I would respond, that up till now we have had beautiful, mild and dry days, enabling us to ramble about the countryside. However, I think we are in for an Arctic blast in the next few days, if you can believe the Met.

I might have mentioned before, that we are in the land of imperial measurement. Miles, yards, feet and inches, pounds and ounces pints and half pints (only for ladies!). It’s nearly 60 years since Australia went metric, but the old stuff never goes away. Flashy is constantly converting for Lady P. “How far?” “A mile.” Er… “Well that’s 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards.” Doesn’t seem to help. But, you know, a Collingwood six footer is still a Collingwood six footer… 60’s footy reference there. 

And a pint of beer is still two middies. Just for the record, and this wouldn’t happen in Ireland, you can ask for and get, a half of Guinness here. Yes, I know, why would you bother, but times have changed.

Drink half, darlin' that's a half pint