AGE is a funny thing (well, it is if you're young – then, everything seems funny). You spend the first few years of your life bawling, screaming and generally irritating people and then there is a time of relative peace when you are forming your character. The teen years are usually dominated by spots, rebellion, ridiculous fashions and the belief that you invented swearing and the very core of the word "cool" and then your twenties will probably see you gradually learning a trade or profession. By the time you've mastered your chosen means of earning a living, your concentration and worth to society are half-ruined by the pressures of a mortgage and the need to support a spouse and couple of sprogs.
Middle age follows and for a while, you might even have a few bob in your pocket and the chance to enjoy y ourself without the shackles of a huge mortgage. Whoops, here comes retirement and you get presented with a gold watch, a bus pass (when you’ve got nowhere to go) and a free set of false teeth .
Does all this sound cynical? Well, it ought to because I am being cynical, although tinged with more than a small amount of humour. The point I'm making is that age can be quite a vexed subject and, in our little world, it's often said that there just aren't enough youngsters interested in classic commercials. Well, here's a refreshing change because this month, we feature the restoration story of a Ford Transit ice cream van and the project is the result of huge efforts by enthusiast Chris Copner. He is but a mere lad (mind you, so is Nebuchadnezzar compared with me) and we have carried the odd feature here and there on his passion for the subject. However, this is the first piece on his van and we're pleased to bring it to you. See, there are younger fans in the classic commercial world and I personally reckon that the scene will never die out – it will just progress, just as the following for music, films, art or whatever has. Well done, Chris, it's a great achievement and especially for a chap of your tender years. And finally, to close the subject of age, I was in a large DIY store on the day they give pensioners a discount. The queue was massive and when I finally got served, the girl on the checkout asked: "Are you an OAP?" I replied: "Well, I wasn't when I came in." Age does not necessarily sharpen one's repertoire of gags, sadly. Until the next time, chin-chin old (or young) beans,

Ted Connolly