One week and two golden anniversaries; 1958 was certainly a good year for bright ideas. This time we wish many happy returns to that fine vessel upon the tele-visual airwaves that is the BBC children's programme, Blue Peter.
I shall save the low wit that I guarantee you'll read elsewhere, regarding "sticky-back plastic", "here's one I made earlier" and lavatory tissue cardboard tubes (yes, my words not a Blue Peter presenter's, as one must maintain some kind of standard!).
However, I shall cheerily join children both past and present in recognition of the fond memories garnered from watching Blue Peter and its recipes, creative projects, charitable endeavours and work I have no intention of ever doing in the garden of my own volition.
One of my favourite clips from the show is below. Before Christmas 1993 the Thunderbirds Tracy Island by Matchbox was nigh on impossible to find in the shops. In 1994 I found myself working in a store that had, without exaggeration, pallet loads of unsold Tracy Islands; the ship carrying them reached the docks too late for Christmas. In two different years since then Santa has had difficulty in fulfilling his Thunderbird Tracy Island promises.