There’s something oddly nostalgic about a power cut. The kind that plunges your living room into total darkness mid-episode, when everyone looks around as if the lights have personally betrayed them. The Wi-Fi drops, the fridge hum fades, and the grandkids instantly assume the world has ended. But here’s the thing: once the initial panic […]

You’d think Netflix could cope. After all, it can stream a blockbuster film into your living room in 4K while your neighbour’s kids are clogging up the Wi-Fi with Minecraft. And yet, ask it to distinguish between you, a sensible adult of a certain vintage, and your six-year-old grandson who is currently obsessed with animated

A friend of mine, who lives abroad, recently asked me when is grandparent’s day in the UK. I’d never heard of it. Some lightly confusing research later: it turns out the UK has one. It falls on the first Sunday in October – a few weeks time. Yet if I asked ten friends when it is, nine would shrug and one would say, “Isn’t that American?”

When our grown-up children visit West Lancs, the lack of Starbucks hits hard. By day two, the headaches arrive. Tea won’t help, instant coffee is an insult, and sachets don’t stand a chance. The fix is simple: a capsule machine and a milk frother like the Aeroccino and suddenly your kitchen is their coffee shop. Pair a sentimental mug, not a flimsy paper cup. Out here, we may lack a drive-through, but we’ve got better coffee—and sturdier mugs. Although we don’t really wish they lived next door. Not always.

It’s a familiar scene: the grandchildren arrive, full of beans, running through the house like a small pack of stampeding goats. You’ve done the biscuits, you’ve done the juice, and you’ve read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt twice. And then it happens: those dreaded words: “I’m boooored.” Now, we could hand them a tablet.

Now, I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how our lot would take to West Lancs Light Railway. The youngest thinks “steam” is something that comes out of a hot chocolate, and the oldest has probably only seen a train if it’s in Roblox. But we bundled them into the car—three kids, two grandparents, and enough snacks to survive a minor apocalypse—and set off.

Do We Need Better Wi‑Fi Before the Grandkids Arrive? Technically the answer is (number of Grandchildren) * 200Mbps. Which is WAY more than enough. BUT… But it’s not really a technical question is it? After 40 years of marriage and about as many software updates, I can tell you: this isn’t about the Wi‑Fi. It’s