Her class was learning about Countries of the World. Lindsey told her Teacher that I was coming over from England. So they thought it would be a good idea to invite me there to talk and to ask questions about England.

Lindsey’s Mum drove me to the School, on a Monday morning, and we were late!

Well, we had to state who we were and what our business was through the School intercom before being allowed in. Then the register had to be signed. We climbed the stairs to where the Teacher was waiting for us in the corridor, - but I can’t remember her name, except that she was young and nice. Well, Panic! All those eyes looking at me, about twenty five boys and girls between eight and nine years old, and I couldn’t see Lindsey anywhere.

Anyway they were a lively, interested class. Teacher pinned a map of the World on the Blackboard, so I could point to England and Southampton, where I had travelled from, and explain the British Isles are surrounded by water; that our Cruise Liners travel from Southampton Docks to New York Docks – their own harbour.

They asked lots of questions: Do we have houses and what kind of Castles. A lot of explaining there! The Guards at Buckingham Palace, standing to attention! One young fellow asked, “Do they never move?”. Is our television black and white? Have we rivers and lakes? What language do we speak? (Very diplomatic there!) One boy knew that our Police were called ‘Bobbies’.

I was telling them that it took six hours to fly from London to New York. One little girl asked, “How long would it take by car?”. With a straight face I explained we have to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Some thought we didn’t have much of anything. I did try to explain that we had had two World Wars and, years ago, when I was young – which they could not believe was possible – we were very poor and people had large families, there were eight in my family. A little girl came up to me and whispered, “My Mom’s Mom had thirteen children”.

They were delightful, and very well mannered. Their Teacher said that they weren’t always so well behaved. Anyway they thanked me and clapped their hands.