Louise read and liked russell barnes's review of Silly Verse for Kids (Puffin Books):

"As time has passed my opinions on my parent's relationship has changed from 'How could they get divorced' to settle more or less on 'How did they ever get together'? However over the last year my strongly-held position of them having nothing in commo...more As time has passed my opinions on my parent's relationship has changed from 'How could they get divorced' to settle more or less on 'How did they ever get together'? However over the last year my strongly-held position of them having nothing in common and their 20-year marriage just being an aberration has been modified, and spike milligan is partly to blame.

I've got a shelf of old Milligan books rescued from second hand shops and given to me by my parents for various birthdays, and re-reading this reminded me so much of my childhood. Both my parents love Spike Milligan (and Round the Horne, The Navy Lark and The Goons come to think of it. And Gin but I think that's probably for another discussion) and for me he is pretty much emblematic of my parents at their best when they were together; funny, silly and laughing.

A shared love of spike milligan clearly wasn't going to be enough for successful marriage, but at least it's a nice piece of the jigsaw to have, as well as arming me with amusing poems to entertain the milos with in the years to come.(less) "