Pierre celebrates his anniversaire

I'm just back from an overnight stay in Paris (is it sad that I still get a thrill out of getting on a train in London and getting off it in the capital of France?)

I was there for the 70th birthday celebrations of an old family friend. I say 'old' advisedly because the one thing you would never describe Pierre as is elderly. Or conventional. He has two adult children from his first marriage. One is a well known singer in France, the other is married to his husband and has a seven year old daughter. Pierre, meanwhile, has a five year old daughter from his second marriage and they live in a fabulously quirky converted former laundry. Oh, and he's just reconnected with his brother after a 20 year estrangement.

What brings him joy is family, friends and music

If you ask him what brings him joy in life, he will say his family, his friends and music, especially singing. So there was lots of that at the chilled, happy party in a restaurant near his home. I reckon he could lay claim to the song he sang with the most gusto - My Way - as his theme tune (to hear him singing it, have a look at the These Are The Heydays Facebook page) . But then isn't that what we all want to be able to say, or sing, about our lives? Bon anniversaire Pierre!