You learn something new every day!

There are many occasions when I wish I could put a smile on the faces of my children but I rarely succeed.  Teenagers seem to turn drama and disapproval into an art form and even when they are no longer teenagers old habits die hard, so it is very unusual to see all three of them smiling at once. 

Tonight was an exception, all three of them were helpless with laughter. I guess on balance I would rather have them laughing at me than sitting there looking miserable. The cause of the hilarity King Richard III, or to be more accurate it was a joke about him that led to the laughter. It was confirmed today that a body found buried beneath a car park in Leicester was Richard III the last Plantagenet king, and the last king of England to die in battle. Having warned me that it was in slightly bad taste my daughter shared a joke from Twitter 'What was Richard III doing in the car park - dogging'

My other daughter was crying with laughter at my reaction and she made this comment on Facebook
That awkward moment when your stepdad has to explain what dogging is to your mother.. 'You are joking arent you...? What are they, double jointed?!'

Oh well, it was nice to see them happy, and it led to a nice family evening, with everyone chatting and laughing. They helped me to choose a ringtone for my new phone, it is 'Me and Mrs Jones' - it was the obvious choice really!

Thanks For The Memories

David Croft died a few days ago. This man whose face I would hardly recognise has brought me and countless others considerable pleasure over the years. With Jimmy Perry he created Dads Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi. He also co wrote Are You Being Served?, 'Allo 'Allo, Grace and Favour, Oh, Dr Beeching and You Rang M'Lord? David Croft's work brought smiles and laughter to my childhood and the humour continued through my adult life. Oh Dr Beeching was among my favourites, with it's gentle humour and nostalgia for a time past, but my absolute favourite was Dad's Army.

I was only 7 when Dad's Army first came to our screens, I watched it with my Dad and he used to tell me that when he was in the Home Guard he was a bit like Frank Pike, obsessed with the cinema, not quite grown up and burdened with an over protective mother - but my grandma was much more straight laced than Mrs Pike. I remember my dad taking me to see the Dad's Army film as a special treat. It is special because I have so few memories of doing things with my dad. My favourite characters were Joe Walker and Arthur Wilson, I remember feeling so sad when James Beck the actor who played Walker died. Perhaps more than any other comedy Dad's Army has stood the test of time. It is still regularly shown on television and it is still enjoyed by viewers, in fact when I got home this afternoon I turned on the television and found that the Dad's Army film was on. I am sure I laughed as much today as when I first saw it all those years ago. If David Croft and Jimmy Perry had found the secret of successful writing it was perhaps that they wrote about what they knew, they had both been in the army during the second world war. They also understood character, they wrote about real people with strengths, weaknesses and funny little quirks. Their humour did not mock, it recognised the humour in a situation but it respected the strengths and humanity of the characters. 


David Croft has left a legacy of laughter that I am sure will live on for many years to come. Thank you for the memories.