I was timid and frightened as a child. Yours truly did not shin up mountains or do any other kind of adventurous stuff.

Beslan, where the Russian authorities stopped live coverage of the school being stormed, was an illustration of the progress we still have to make.

I don't want to be involved in endless media gossip.

Now children as young as nine carry AK47s which can kill 30 people in seconds.

Up until about 12 years ago we never, ever, wore flak jacket or helmets but now the nastiness has got worse.

Having had loving people who brought me up, and then I find another set of people. That really is a double blessing.

Hair is also a problem. I remember once, when I was reporting from Beirut at the height of the civil war, someone wrote in to the BBC complaining about my appearance.