I’VE been having a very busy time lately.

We attended the swimming gala at QEGS, among all the proud parents and grandparents, who were all desperately trying not to look too triumphant if their child won a race.

Even so, it was so nice to see the youngsters really enjoying themselves.

We also went on a lovely outing to the Lakes – it’s a place I never tire of – then later on in the week I was guest speaker at a lunch at the Astley Bank Hotel, where I also ate some lovely food in the very swish dining room.

I have not been there for quite a while and had quite forgotten just how nice it was.

The lunch was to raise cash for the Macmillan Cancer Fund and I am very pleased to tell you that £626 was raised.

I am filled with admiration and often quite staggered by the amount of hard work and organisation that so many women do to ensure that the good and vital work of our underestimated charities is carried out.

I also believe that such a lot of it is taken for granted because I think we automatically assume that the money is there and often don’t give enough thought as to how it does get there.

Flaming June!

I think we must be in the centre of a climate change, because the Junes of my childhood were always hot, sunny and full of ice cream.

Or is it that when we look back on those days, we are always wearing our “Wasn’t it wonderful then” spectacles?

I’ve been trying to remember just what it was we used to put into the bottles of water to make ‘Spanish juice’ back then.

I do recall sitting on the rec, vigorously shaking the bottle, which my mum had given me to drink with the jam butty, as I left home to play out with my friends.

Looking back, life appears to have been so simple, but I don’t suppose it was.

I mean you always had to make sure that you had enough pennies for the gas, and with no fridge, food had to be eaten so not to waste it.

You had to ensure that you had an extra one of those funny glass batteries for the radio, which my dad said were dangerous as they contained acid.

To think, we look back and call them the good old days!