AT a time when the world seems so very wrong and off-kilter, I thought that a little light relief might be on the cards for this week.

There is a lot of humour around – thank the lord – and laughter is a good medicine in times of woe.

Sometimes the simple pleasures ground us and pop tension like a bloated and angry spot. I found, and have added to, a list of things that we should never be too old for.

Being excited to nab the front seat upstairs on a double decker bus. Also grabbing the rail with both hands and pretending to drive it.

Pretending that the long cardboard tube in the middle of a roll of giftwrap is a light sabre. Especially good if you have two and can have a battle to the death with your partner.

In a similar vein, pretending you are one of the three musketeers with a baguette.

Eating Hula Hoops off the ends of your fingers. Actually go out and buy yourself a bag of ‘crisps’ that you haven’t tasted for years – like scampi or bacon fries and reunite with your childhood.

Swirling around on an office chair that has wheels.

Getting into bed to find someone has put a hot water bottle in it for you (my mum used to do this when I went back to stay after leaving home).

Having a hot dog made with sausages from a tin.

Sitting in a bubble bath and giving yourself a big bubbly Brian Blessed beard and tash.

Growing cress seeds on some felt.

Having dandelion and burdock to wash down fish and chips.

Hope that’s made you think: ‘I’ll do that’ with at least one. Doesn’t take much really to lift a mood with a little visit down memory lane.

It’s a tough life out there for artists. AI is taking all their jobs, it’s cheaper to ask a machine to knock you up a design than it is to employ a person so if you lose your position, finding another is a task and a half.

I’m lucky that my agent is very strict that my book covers are NOT AI, though it’s rather like Cnut holding back the tide (that’s not a spello).

So I was delighted that a pal of mine, an artist friend, has had to try and circumvent the problem and is striking out on his own with design work.

It’s a real shame because he’s sooo good and thank the lord there are still those people who value human contribution.

I do hope that continues because all our books have been illegally fed into the great AI machine to ‘teach’ it.

I can ask an AI app to write a paragraph/poem in the style of me and up it pops in seconds. It’s a bit crap, it just harps on about friendship and Yorkshire and some tea… but it’s refining all the time.

I’m so glad I’m not just starting out in this career, let me tell you! Anyway, I digress. My friend – David Grant – sent me the most magnificent Beatles Abbey Road-esque pic of four figures walking across Regent Street with the magnificent Town Hall in the background: Professor Joann Fletcher, Yours Truly, Dickie and Billy Casper and it’s blimming brilliant.

If you want to check him out, give him a follow, support a local business and damn fine fellow, then please go to Insta and look up: @davidgrantartist2026.