A Sobering Experience

I was at Petanque today (played passably and had a thoroughly good time).

There is a Netherlander and a Frenchman in the Club amongst those of many and varied Countries of origin. There is a generally a lot of French banter but today there was also some German to which I replied. I was asked how I knew German and mentioned that I had spent many Octobers in Berlin.

The Frenchman said that he'd been born in Berlin.

And now for the sobering bits. I was asked if I'd been involved in Berlin when the war ended! Not when the wall came down or anything like that but WW2.

It had been assumed that I was the age of the Frenchman - assumed by him and by me as it happens. The differences in our understandings of each other's appearance is that I thought he was 63 (my age) and he thought I was 74 (his age).

I feel rather deflated. I think I shall have to apply for one of the TV programme that seeks to get you looking younger (or less ancient anyway).

Bummer.