Thumbing through the pages of a Sunday supplement this week, I was intrigued to come acoss an article about our esteemed, veteran village resident Val Corbett. Had Val just featured in the King’s Birthday Honours? Had she just swum the Channel? Or had she been picked for the England women’s football team? No, none of these. The article was about Val’s age, or lack of it. The author was none other than Val’s daughter Polly. It turned out that Polly had grown up never knowing her mum’s age, and still doesn’t. Apparently Val went to such great lengths to hide it that she prevented anyone from finding out by leaning over the marriage register at Polly’s wedding! Polly says her mum’s view is that you shouldn’t be judged by age. But as she turns 50, Polly says her mother’s obsession has made her feel ashamed of growing old. As the saying goes, you’re as young as you feel. Meanwhile Val marches on into the great unknown!