Peter Rhodes on thunder, grandparents and bumping into that nice Mr Osbourne

Take a look around every street, mall and park as this school holiday enters its second week and ask yourself this: when the creators of the Welfare State set to work on the great project back in the 1940s, did they ever foresee a society which could never function properly without grandparents?

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Yesterday I mentioned being close to a couple of recent lightning strikes. After the second one, I felt a dull ache in my back. A day later it felt like someone was trying to remove my shoulder blade with a crowbar.

A little online research produces this: “Muscle pain associated with storms can be due to a combination of factors, primarily changes in barometric pressure and temperature.” First I've heard of it. All grisly lightning-related anecdotes gratefully accepted.

Ozzy Osbourne performing on stage, during his Ozzfest annual rock music festival at Donington Park, in Leicestershire
Ozzy Osbourne performing on stage, during his Ozzfest annual rock music festival at Donington Park, in Leicestershire (Yui Mok/PA)