I am absolutely sick and tired of people referring to anyone over 50 as "the elderly". On the breakfast news the other day they showed pictures of a sign which is to be put over some supermarket parking bays. The sign showed two decrepit bent-over individuals who I would have guessed were 120. Apparently the sign signals that these bays can be used by the over-50s. Then a new mobile phone was shown, the size of a brick with big numbers and a huge screen - again, for the over 50s. I DO NOT want a special parking bay or a mammoth mobile phone - THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

I listen to Amy Winehouse, I go to music festivals, I don't walk with a stoop or with the help of a stick and nor do any of my friends. Doris, my mother's friend in Scotland, who is 91 would also be extremely insulted. Imagine if they brought out a special phone for Muslims or parking bays for gays - DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING......?

The Artist son found these in his garden this morning

My perseverance paid off! For weeks I have been destroying shelves of neat Innocent smoothie cartons in a quest to find the ones with the London son on. I have found two (needed 6 - friends, relatives etc).

We went to Dublin to see REM

and they were on top form. We were practically on the stage, it was such a small theatre. The band were rehearsing tracks for their new album, and I'll be interested to see which ones they select from the ones they played that night.

We took a tour bus around that fair city and are determined to return. We loved Southern Ireland - the people, the food and the scenery. The view from our hotel bedroom was just beautiful

I ate far too much though - Irish bread is the best in the world.

Last night I had a call from the organisers of the Knowsley Hall Music Festival - in response to my letters and emails of complaint (I've now had blood tests, lung function tests and x rays following that nightmare day in the mud). No refund will be given but - wait for it - I will be receiving two free tickets to next year's event. Not in a million years!

The Innocent Drinks son did a stint with the company's grassy van at the local village show.

I was amazed to find that my raspberry jam had won first prize, my Victoria sponge won a 2nd and I won a trophy. That evening one of the organisers rang to tell me I'd won first prize in the raffle - £100! Someone was looking after me that day.

I would normally have shared my winnings out but there was something I'd been wanting for a while - an ipod. The artist son persuaded me to go for the 8gb version and it arrived yesterday. I've now downloaded - or is it uploaded three episodes of Ricky Gervais. The trouble is I find I attract some very strange looks when I'm walking round to the bank laughing to myself. From now on I'll have to confine its use to the house and garden.

Our daughter went to London for the start of the Tour de France last weekend. She sent a picture to our mobile phones and we immediately turned the TV on, certain that there would be reports of a girl with a camera getting in the way of 400 cyclists and causing a huge pile up.

The artist son and his wife were invited to the opening night of Sir Peter Blake's retrospective at the Tate in Liverpool. I'm looking forward to going.

I love my new lamp. In fact I was so proud of it I emailed this picture to the three children. The London son was the first to reply. "Ha ha, it looks like a jam jar."

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The Knowsley Festival was all the more frustrating because as we were wallowing in mud, the Innocent son was basking in red hot sunshine in Juan Les Pins with his colleagues. Apparently there were so many planned activities that there was no time for bed and at 5am he was on a pedalo, having left his jeans, shirt and wallet on the shore. On returning to the shore he discovered that the aforementioned items were no longer where he'd left them. We got a text "I've lost my wallet". You can imagine the panic that set in on a Sunday morning in Ainsdale. But an hour later, by the time my blood pressure was nice and high, another text arrived "wallet found". After a boozy night and an early-morning stint on a pedalo, a friend had decided that it would be really funny to leave all the items in a lift!