I WANT to take the opportunity today to salute our Queen who, at 92, is still working, still doing that extremely hard job she has carried out all her life.

Not for her the chance to nip off and do a bit of shopping unnoticed - being watched and monitored all your life must be hell.

Then again, if it has always been your way of life, maybe you just accept it and take the problems, the lack of privacy and the duties, as normality.

So may I express my great admiration for the Queen, combined with a big thank you, for being the one constant person in my life, who has never, ever disappointed me in my expectations of her.

The royal family has gone through some difficult times over the years but she has acted with dignity and grace through it all.

When I reflect on her life and how difficult it must be to be under that massive scrutiny, I feel that she must be really looking forward to Charles taking over and that she might at last have a little normality, a little privacy and maybe do some of things that she personally really would like to do, but which, living forever in the public gaze, have always been denied her.

She is amazing for her age that's for sure.

There’s no doubt, people are living a lot longer these days.

When my gran died many, many years ago at 71, I was about 14 and every one was saying ‘well, she’s had a long life and lived to a good old age.’

I’M at the dentist this week.

I don’t feel helpless often, but sat in that dentist’s chair, mouth wide open and having no control at all, then I do.

When he says ‘now, this is not going to hurt’ you know in your heart that it is not quite true; even if it doesn’t hurt, the fear that you are feeling is a sort of pain in itself.

Your head, though, tells you keep calm, for you know that the result will be well worth it, because your face is what people see first and instantly evaluate you by.

When you meet people by chance in the street, you can usually tell how they are feeling by their expression, but that doesn’t stop you from using the normal greeting of ‘ hello, how are you today?’

You just hope they will reply ‘Oh me, I am just fine.’

If they don’t, then you just have to listen and try to be sympathetic, while feeling rather glad you don’t have their problems – as you no doubt have quite enough of your own.