Brian 48nav,
Thanks for the support ! My remarks were not intended as, and should not be interpreted as "ageist" (Lord knows, I can't talk !), but from the sad fact that our faculties deteriorate with age. It is different with H.M., she started young and has grown with the job, so to speak.
Yet I did not wish to make hackles rise, and apologise if I have done so.
But taking on something new late in life is fraught with danger. My next-door neighbour has just gone automatic at a late stage, and has now destroyed his garage with his new Lexus. ("Honest John" in the D.T. has warned against this very thing).
Danny.