4th September 2008

After talking about French numbers yesterday, to all those of you who think we should now discuss Letters......No!! (You can read the final extact from 'Sex a la francaise' on Sunday). I know - I've led a sheltered life. They say that my generation has lived through more changes in the last 50 years than any other generation ever. I was born just after the war when English rationing was still in force. Everyone had a little brown book where there was one page for each major item, like tea. All householders had to register with their local shop so that the shopkeeper could then authorise us to buy food by crossing off and subtracting the relevant points used for each product for that particular month. Oh, how times have changed. It was when I hit 13 in the '60s that all hell was let loose. From the time when John Lennon told the London Palladium audience to 'rattle their jewellery', attitudes, perspectives and morals were all transformed. And technology! For original personal secretaries like me, technology advanced at an alarming rate. From those wonderful IBM golfball typewriters, we zoomed ahead through AppleMacs, Fax machines, P.C.s, the internet, i-phones and now E-books. Where will it all end? So, to our daughter whose special day it is today, I'm glad we've survived through it all - even a new language - to be able to wish you Bonne anniversaire!