Seventy-Five Years

So, seventy-five years since VE day. That number's a bit worrisome. It's a nice round number, divisible by itself and three.

Because here's the thing reader(s). After 1945 we got off lucky. Of course there wasn't peace from 1945 till 2020 anymore than there was peace during the 99 years between Waterloo and the Marne. But from 1815 to 1914 there was no continent-wide conflagration. And then it all ended with a trivial assassination. Why, we bet on the morning of 29 June, 1914 the average Englishman saw the headline, shrugged and got on with his morning tea.

'What's this about Austria then, dear?'

'They assassinated the crown prince.'

'Oh I do hope they have a lovely and proper funeral.'

'Hyacinth...'

When the Wuhan Flu from Wuhan China broke out, we assured Middle Daughter, 'Don't worry. China's a real country. They can handle this?'

Go on, hit the laugh-track button. Because The Seventy-Five Years Peace is a great title for a history book.