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Princess Mary is up the duff again (well, what else is she going to do? Get a job?). I'm sure you'll all be fascinated to know that we went to the same high school. She was in grade ten when I was in grade seven, but I don't remember her and I am sure the amnesia is mutual. Still, I know she's most likely an avid reader of Eglantine's Cake so I'd like to wish her well. You know, it occurs to me that Mary was probably a pretty daggy name at Taroona High School circa 1987. But it's worked out well for her, it's quite a good name for a Danish princess. So that's foresight for you.

The Age's headline tells us Duran Duran have split, but rest assured, if you read the article (and I know you will) you will be reassured that it's only that Andy Taylor became unworkable (if you look at the picture you kind of get a glimpse at what they mean). I wasn't an enormous Duran Duran fan (my sister's wall was plastered with posters of John Taylor from Smash Hits magazine) but I did have many an afternoon of happy angst, listening to Hungry like a Wolf over and over again.

On a far more sombre note, I feel like I should say something about the DVD circulating Melbourne's western suburban high schools but to do so would be to imply that I understand the psychology of such acts and I'm afraid that in this case my usually overactive imagination fails me (or it's a place I choose not to send it). It does make me scared of the whole school experience. I don't know if Princess Mary's memories are rosier than mine (perhaps by contractual obligation) but my high school experience is not something I would wish on my daughters. I know Martin feels the same about his. But what are the options? Even if we could afford private school, I think we're all kidding ourselves if we assume exclusivity is a guarantee of warm happy memories and golden afternoons of happy learning and lovely skipping happy kids who are only kind to each other. And is it insane to want Frederique and Una's whole life to be a long golden afternoon? But it is what I want for them, I can't help it. I don't want to send them to the school of hard knocks. I don't think you need to be hit by a car in order to see it makes sense to take care crossing the road. All I want for them is to feel safe at school. I don't expect it to be full of constant joy. But I do expect it to be a relatively protected environment.

And then there are girls like Alexandra Adornetto, 14 years old with a two book deal under her belt. So you can find another, happier way of being 14, it would seem. I can't wait to read her novels and I wish her the best of luck.