SATURDAY, the sun shone, people were out in droves and suddenly my world’s a wonderful place.

Stuff the credit crunch! We were out and about, having poached eggs on toasted wholemeal bread, followed by apple crumble and custard.

And we were ‘throwing the cat another goldfish’ as my dad used to say – for at long last the winter seems over.

I think as we get older, memories change; they start, not to fade, but to be ‘selective’ – discarding the nasty and unpleasant and recalling only the good, nice things.

Why do I say this? Because the winters of my childhood were never in the least cold and wet, but hot, with the excitement of making slides, snowballing, sledging and big bonfires – not a bit like the cold, wet, freezing relentlessness that we have all just endured.

And the summers! I can feel now the hot, shimmering sunshine as I sat on the kerb popping tar bubbles, hearing tinkling ice cream carts and feeling the sand between my toes on central beach at Blackpool.

Oh yes, I know we only had the Wakes week there, but in my memory, it’s much, much longer.

I forget I was naughty and got smacked, but remember only loving hugs and a warm, comfortable lap and that’s how life should be.

We shouldn’t harbour grudges and rake over old slights, life’s too short.

I know, for the older I get the more I realise that ‘time is of the essence’ and you must do what you can while you can, so don’t just sit there waiting for things to happen.

You get out there and make it happen. Here endeth the lesson!