Hi everyone, what a great thread! Thanks to Cass for starting it off, I hope she still visits occasionally.

My name is Treen (short for Catriona) and I live in a town a few miles north of London, England. I became 50 this year and have been happily married for 20 years to my wonderful husband. Unfortunately we do not have any children of our own, but he has two sons by a previous marriage, both of whom I love dearly. Through the wonders of the modern family, the elder one blessed us with a granddaughter who is now 17 months old, and the light of our lives, a real treasure. We don't use step-son, etc., in our family, so I get to be her grandmother, or Nana as she calls me.

What I should be doing right now is writing up my PhD thesis for a doctorate in Criminology. When I was 40 I threw in my job as a secretary/PA and went to university where I did a BA, followed by an MA and now working towards completing the PhD - well, actually, not working hard enough. This has been a marathon and I'm not sure I'll ever see the end of it.

It has been great fun meeting you all and spending time on this forum, but now you all know my guilty secret - I should be working!