2026

Peabo Bryson died, aged 75
Peabo Bryson was an American singer and songwriter. During his career he won two Grammy awards and collaborated with Luther Vandross and Cissy Houston. He duetted with Regina Belle, Celine Dion and I remember him best for his single with Roberta Flack: ‘Tonight I Celebrate My Love.’

Anthony Head died, aged 72
Anthony Head was an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, which led to major roles in several television series.

Judith Chalmers died, aged 90
Judith Chalmers was was an English television and radio presenter. She was best known for presenting the ITV travel series Wish You Were Here…? from 1974 to 2003.

Dennis Locorriere died, aged 76
Dennis Locorriere was an American musician best known as a founding member, guitarist, and one of the lead vocalists of the country rock group Dr. Hook. Although he sang lead on several of the band’s later hits, the group’s primary lead vocalist during its classic era was Ray Sawyer.
Their Biggest Global Hits: “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” (1979) – The band’s biggest international success, reaching No. 1 in the UK and the Top 10 in the US. 
“Sylvia’s Mother” (1972) – The band’s first massive breakout hit, which reached the Top 5 in both the US and UK. 
“Sexy Eyes” (1980) – Another massive disco-infused transatlantic hit, peaking at No. 5 in the US.
“Sharing the Night Together” (1978) – A major soft-rock hit that peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard charts.
Other Major Charting Singles: “A Little Bit More” (1976) – Reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 11 in the US.
“Only Sixteen” (1975) – A highly successful soft-rock cover of the Sam Cooke classic that reached No. 6 in the US.
“Better Love Next Time” (1979) – A Top 15 hit in the US and UK.
“Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk” (1982) – One of the band’s final major Top 40 hits.
“Carry Me, Carrie” (1972) – An early fan-favourite written by Shel Silverstein.
“If Not You” (1976) – A notable international charting single.

Alan Rothwell died, aged 89
Alan Rothwell (9 February 1937 – 14 May 2026) was an English actor. He played David Barlow in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as a regular from 1960 to 1961, and again from 1963 to 1968, and Nicholas Black in Brookside between 1985 and 1986. His other acting credits include playing Mike in Top Secret (1961–1962), a recurring role in Heartbeat (1994–1995), and various roles in Doctors (2004–2016). He also presented the children’s television series Picture Box and Hickory House.

Hector is 1 year old
Today is Hector’s birthday, born on 10th May 2025.

Test drove the Kia EV3
Billy, the sales guy, asked me about their competition and I mentioned the C-HR+. He replied, “Oh that’s okay then… you’re definitely choosing us.” He was right. After 30 minutes driving this incredible electric vehicle I was hooked. The technology is top-notch.
UPDATE: It’s ordered, 1st May and ready for handover on 7th August 2026. I can’t wait!

Test drove the Toyota C-HR+
What a stunning car to drive. All the luxury of a Lexus in this re-vamped C-HR all-electric small SUV. I loved my last one and this one is even better.

Elsie Kelly died, aged 89
Elsie Kelly was an English actress. With a career spanning five decades, she appeared in various television shows including Crossroads, The Famous Five and Harry and the Wrinklies, before taking on the role of Noreen Maltby on the ITV sitcom Benidorm.

Alan Osmond died, aged 76
Alan Osmond was an American singer and musician. He was best known for being a member of the family musical group The Osmonds.

Andy Kershaw died, aged 66
Andy Kershaw was an English broadcaster and disc jockey (DJ), predominantly on radio, and known for his interest in world music. He presented shows on BBC Radio 1 from 1985 until 2000 and co-presented BBC television coverage of the 1985 Live Aid concert.

Moya Brennan died, aged 73
Moya Brennan was an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist and philanthropist. She is best known as the lead vocals for the band Clannad and features in the single: Theme From Harry’s Game amongst others.

Nick Pope died, aged 61
Nick Pope was a regular guest on one of History Channel’s longest running series Ancient Aliens and appeared on UFOs Declassified. In addition, he was an English media commentator, author, and onetime civil servant. Whilst an employee at the British Government’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), Pope was responsible, among other duties, for investigating UFO phenomena to determine if they had any defence significance. In February 2026, he announced he had Stage IV cancer, which had metastasized.

Amanda drove down
Amanda came down to see us and we exchanged birthday gifts. She insisted I open mine, and she’d bought me the limited edition of the Metals, Step One underwear collection. She’d also bought us both an Easter egg each and finally, she made me a birthday cake. It’s morello Cherry Bakewell flavour.

James Tolkan died, aged 94
James Tolkan was an American character actor. What I can’t get past is his uncanny resemblance to Sir Jon Gielgud, particularly in his later years. James Tolkan was best known for his roles as high school vice-principal in charge of discipline Mr. Strickland in Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part II (1989). He also played the character’s ancestor, Marshal James Strickland, in Back to the Future Part III. (1990). His other memorable film roles include Serpico (1973), Love and Death (1975), Prince of the City (1981), Top Gun (1986), Masters of the Universe (1987), Viper (1988), Dick Tracy (1990), and Problem Child 2 (1991). He’s also appeared in TV shows including; Hill Street Blues, Remington Steele, Miami Vice, The Equaliser, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Wonder Years and many more.

Movie: Cellar Door ★★★★
A good thriller about a couple who are given a life-changing decision to own a mansion for free in exchange to never open the cellar door. But what was in the cellar in the first place?

Movie: No Good Deed ★★★★★
Another great thriller starring Idris Elba and Taraj P. Henson. Gripping to watch. Loved it.

Chuck Norris died, aged 86
Chuck Norris was an American martial artist, actor, and author. He held black belts in karate, taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and judo. His acting career featured him in movies including: A Force of One (1979), The Octagon (1980), and An Eye for an Eye (1981), which elevated him to international fame. He later starred in studio productions such as Silent Rage (1982), Forced Vengeance (1982), and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983). His success led Cannon Films to sign him to a multi‑picture deal beginning with Missing in Action (1984), which launched a trilogy and cemented his status as the company’s leading star throughout the 1980s. His work during this period included Invasion U.S.A (1985), The Delta Force (1986), and Firewalker (1986). Outside of Cannon, he also starred in Code of Silence (1985), which was regarded as one of his strongest films. In the 1990s, Chuck Norris also played the title role in the long‑running CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001). He continued to appear in action films until 2006, and his final major film role was in The Expendables 2 (2012).

Meal out: The Star of India, Cheam Village
Jezz and I went to the Indian restaurant The Star in Cheam Village to meet Nik, Caiger and Zoe. The occasion was to celebrate Nik’s 61st birthday. Food was great if a little slow but then it was a Saturday so. Caiger paid for us all.

John Alford died, aged 54
John Alford was a British actor, convicted child sex offender and drug dealer.[1] He played Robbie Wright in the BBC series Grange Hill (1985–1990) and Billy Ray in the ITV series London’s Burning (1993–1998). He also had three Top 30 hits on the UK singles chart in 1996. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (#13), Blue Moon/Only You (#9) and If/Keep On Running (#24).
He was convicted in 2025 and received a prison sentence for 8 and a half years. He was found dead in his prison cell on 13 March 2026.

Wendy Playfair died, aged 99
Wendy Playfair was an Australian radio, television and film character actress. She became best known for her stint in television series Prisoner as inmate Minerva ‘Minnie’ Donovan.

Neil Sedaka died, aged 86
Neil Sedaka was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. He is known for songs including Laughter In The Rain, Oh Carol, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Love Will Keep Us Together, and more.

Jesse Jackson died, aged 84
Jesse Jackson was an American civil rights activist, politician, and ordained Baptist minister.

Robert Duvall died, aged 95
Robert Duvall was an American actor and filmmaker. With a career spanning seven decades, he is regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time.

Ju’s funeral service
We were all there to pay our respects at Lower Morden crematorium. It was a pleasant service with lovely memories and tributes.

John Virgo died, aged 79
John Virgo was an English professional snooker player and sports commentator.

Catherine O’Hara died, aged 71
Catherine O’Hara was a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter, whose career spanned over 50 years.
See Wikipedia‘s page.

Valentino died, aged 93
Valentino was an Italian fashion designer who founded the Valentino fashion house in 1960. His main lines included Valentino, Valentino Garavani, Valentino Roma, and R.E.D. Valentino.

Hector’s first 6 monthly check-up
Jezz and I drove Hector to his first bi-annual check up at the vets, Creature Comforts in Putney. All is well except we have to cut down on how much we’re feeding him.

Hector has his own electric toothbrush
On one of the rare occasions that Hector was upstairs with us, he was staring while I brushed my teeth with my electric toothbrush. As is always the case, I show him everything so that he never grows up afraid, and so I put my toothbrush in his mouth while it was on. Instead of running from it, as I thought he might, he just let me do it! So, needless to say, he now his own electric toothbrush that we use every night.