Lucky bugger to have found that lovely man Taylor and to have successfully made the trip across the pond, now you have the best of both worlds. As an ex-Brit myself, tho still really a Brit, I would like to know if Helen still feels she’s going “Home” when she returns to London. She has two completely different worlds there and here, stage v. film, but has managed to reign in both - what a pleasure to anticipate such upcoming juicy roles - take that you age- naysayers!

I should have added I was 48 at the time, hence his laughter at the passage of time.

I was on a flight to London and across the aisle sat Ian McShane, known in the States for “Deadwood’, but when I was growing up in England he was a heartthrob for many years. I bided my time and then as he stood in the aisle in the dark, as everyone was sleeping, I leaned over and touched his hand. He turned startled and looked down at me lying with my head on the arm of my seat, I beckoned with my finger and he bent low to listen to me:”Do you know how long I’ve been in love with you?” I whispered in his ear - he smirked and then climbed into his seat, glancing over for a second he stared at me and then whispered loudly: “HOW LONG????”, I replied: “Since I was 16!” - and then we both burst into silent hysterical giggles. Once daylight dawned we spent the rest of the flight comparing childhoods in England - and crushes!!!

Candice, I’m getting to your comments a little late but have only just joined this site after watching Charlie promote it. Diving Bell is one of the most profound experiences in film that I and my husband have ever seen. and we are still affected by it, and presumably will continue to be, as you say. It’s so great to read someone else feels the same way - my husband had me re-read your comments to him in the next room and then said: “Nothing more to add really”, though he did then say: “Well, she also like Parmesan cheese, so you know we think alike” !!

Oops!!!! meant to asterisk out the B word, don’t want to lower the tone, but I clicked on “submit” before erasing the letters - my apologies to offended readers!

Suzanne, I recognised your name from a brief perusal through the prvious comments so went back to read over to see if I could detect what kind of personality responded to my slapstick criminal past and discovered you are a ballsy broad, like minds I guess. Keep fighting that fight, my husband also is behind me pushing me on, can’t let those bastards win! or at least go down telling them that!

Tackled an obnoxious guy in a parking lot who swerved into an empty space ahead of an old couple slowly trying to reverse into the space. When I pointed out what he had done he gave me the finger and stalked off shouting F-words about stupid broads etc., so, God forgive me, at age 60 I went and keyed his car - BUT he had just turned round and saw me! He yelled and started flying towards me. Well I have never run so fast, heart pounding, into the shopping mall, it was only a small strip mall easy to be seen but I ran through the shoppers and ducked into a small old-fashioned lingerie stor, corstes in the window etc. and grabbed some bras and ran into the changing room. I could peek out of the door and saw him run by the window 2 or 3 times, and then nothing. Eventuall I crept out and exited the mall at the opposite end and had to phone my husband to pick me up cos he was pacing near my car - we went back for the car later. I never realised I could think fast like a criminal, but boy what fear, I was terrified!

Sometimes if you are lucky, friends will find you. I lost touch with my best friend at High scool in England when I moved away to university in 1963 and then to Canada. This past Fall , 40 YEARS later, I got a letter from my School Board, where I just retired as a teacher, saying they had heard from someone in England who had seen my photo on a Retirement Dinner video on the School Board website!! they gave me her number to contact her. Her son-in-law had suggested scouring Montreal schools on the web, knowing I was over here, and the first face that came up was mine, and she screamed to him “That’s her! I recognise her”, even after 40 years - just amazing, and exhilirating proof of the long bonds of friendship.

Sorry, I was so excited reminiscing that I didn’t proofread that reply - beg pardon!…Ellen

Sandra, I knew as soon as you said hitting the wall against the wall, up and over and under etc. I knew you were a Brit, or rather Scot. I’m from Sheffield and I taught the children in my elemantary school in Montreal tp play those ball games - what fun eh? Didn’t take much in those days…..Ellen

Reading some of the pursuits followed by your children, or offered to them, either for fun, exercise or to alleviate boredom is all very well when parents can afford such pursuits or are so involved with their children they can understand and satisfy their needs. However there are many, many children out there who do not have access to such luxuries. Watching TV and playing video games is all they understand. I taught in an inner-city school, and it seemed sad to me that we had to bring in a “play” expert to teach games to the children to play at recess in order to stop their aimless wandering and picking fights during recess. The basic buiding block of early childhood education is learning through play, or play acting. Using the imagination in Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, even Hide and Seek (showing my age here) were all ways of projecting and creating AND having fun. In addition we were OUTSIDE running around, not sedentary indoors, and we hated to hear that call for dinnertime or bedtime. Yes, children still get bored (ask any teacher how many times they hear that cry) but when they are left to themselves so few of them are equipped to entertain them selves without expensive gadgets or arranged after school activities, also becoming more expensive. “Go out and Play” should be the cry, then, when they hit their teens and beyond, their imagination and social skills, plus their bodies, will have had a productive workout.