It is only when watching children's programmes such as Newsround and Blue Peter that I am reminded of how much man has progressed in terms of science, technology and medicine. Every feature seems to be about satellites in space, water on the moon and about how, in the not too distant future, we shall be wearing electronic vests which will monitor our heart rate, modify blood pressure and mop our brows when we feel a little hot under the collar.

This is all in stark contrast to the 'real' news which is horrible and scary and shows that man has not evolved from his original Neanderthal state. But life is like that: the two extremes of human experience stand side by side. Man can go to the moon, but can't cross the border of his own country. Man has devised labour-saving devices of every denomination, but he can't come up with anything better than a wobbly ironing table. You can brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush, but you still have to scratch your back with a coat hanger. And while the forward-looking among us surf the 'Net' as a form of modern-day entertainment, there is a group of us who cannot help but to partake in the Olympic sport of curling.

But one invention that I have to applaud is the telephone. Last week was the anniversary of the birth of Alexander Graham Bell and I took the time to reflect on how one man can make so much difference to the world.

Admittedly, we don't think the phone is so wonderful when we get the bill and discover how much difference it actually makes to our bank balances, but on the whole it has brought us closer to people. I am pretty certain that my mother would not have let my brother go off to Japan had there not been a communication system enabling them to keep in close contact. They do say that "Necessity is the mother of invention" and Alexander Bell probably found it necessary to invent something that meant he could have a life of his own and not have his mother following him around and worrying whether he was all right and having enough to eat.

Whenever my brother phones, the line is so clear that we forget he is in Japan and think he is at his friend's house, and have to resist the temptation to shout at him to come home quickly and tidy his room.

Phone calls from Pakistan have also become commonplace, but can be bizarre. Someone calls and says "Hello", and then nothing. You too say "Hello" and wait for further instruction. After a pause, the caller again says "Hello" and despite your most valiant efforts to prevent it, you have once again blurted out "Hello".

Your plight will continue ad nauseum until you can remember the Urdu for "Who's speaking please?" or you will be rescued by your mother, or you will become so fretful that you will slam the phone down while sweating profusely, which also happens when you ring someone up and encounter an answering machine. Aargh!

Labour-saving and hi-tech appliances are all very well if you know how to use them, but our kitchen is full of untouched gadgets and gizmos. My mother still regrets buying an expensive slow cooker: "After all," she says, "if I want anything cooking slowly, I just ask you."

Meanwhile I know what would make my life easier and that would be if someone could invent something creative and imaginative that would keep Toddler quietly amused, engrossed and captivated for hours. Or maybe I should do what my mother says and give him another Jellytot.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.