Recently I asked my youngest daughter if she was excited about starting back to school. Like most little children, she lives completely in the present and it took her a moment or two to even consider what it might be like following the routine of a school day again. Eventually she said “it’ll be nice to see my friends again.”

Like many Irish people, the last time I have actually paused for breath in a conversation and listened to someone uninterrupted, was back in 1982.

The most common topic of conversations I have with my friends is how we don’t see enough of each other. Life is so busy for everyone, now we are a certain age.