My mother met her new friend during the war when she and her parents left London to escape the bombing and moved to St Albans. They spoke to each other at the bus stop on the way to school. In 1948 Mum invited this friend to her wedding and at there l her friend met Mum’s first cousin and they dated and then got married. So mum’s friend became family. (You can read about it in my book Cohencidence).

Not only did the birthday girl dance and give a speech but she also travels to and from her home in Florida unaccompanied, uses email and WhatsApp and is beloved by her five great grandchildren.