Dear LPG,

One day last summer I found myself at a local charity event and I bought an item which cost 90p. I gave £1 and the lady selling offered me his change and then suggested that I put it in a collection box which was standing on the edge of her table. I asked what she was raising money for and she told me that they were collecting for their elderly people’s lunch club; to which I replied, “Good, when I come you’ll be able to give me an extra spoon of sugar in my tea.” She said “No you don’t understand, it’s a club for old people”. I said “But I am old!” She answered me “No you’re not”. I pointed out that I was coming up to my 70th birthday and she intimated that she was 85. I did ask her a question that I would like to ask our readers; “Just how old is ‘Old’?”

I did a little research and found that in Psalms 90 verse 10, the bible tells us “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”

...but in Genesis 5:27 we learn that Methuselah lived for 969 years.

I have to conclude that “It ain't over till the fat lady sings”, as the old adage references and perhaps we need to get on with life and not measure so much.

I would really like to hear from other readers though. Just how old is old?

MM, Kent.