We're younger than that now.

Emails have been flying back and forth across the Nullarbor between Jessie Mo and me on various delightful and, at times, rather juvenile subjects. Well, the subjects themselves aren't juvenile, but the approach we like to take to them certainly is. We agree that 40 is not the new 30. It's the new 21. Which is fine by me. I'd like a giant cake in the shape of a key. And lots of presents.

And it was the juvenile approach that QEII and I were taking to our interrupted discussion on the, ahem, congress of the bee. We were thinking about a girl about town, out with a rakish gentleman, enjoying a light and breezy time together, sparkling with conversation. They find themselves retiring to the home of one or the other. How does a young lady, keen to show she's a good sport, keep the mood easy going and carefree? Particularly afterwards, when things can be a bit tricky, perhaps even awkward. After much careful consideration we came up with our top three insouciant lines that a fair young maid might use to kick start the free-flowing banter once more:

- "You must really love me!"
- "I can't wait to tell my mum we're getting married!"
- "You're going to make a great daddy!"

New Girl, when I told her, heartily approved of all of these approaches. (She, too, had had a couple of glasses of wine.) Not only did my stylish and flair-some friend applaud these suggestions, she threw in one brilliant one of her own: "Can I blog that?"

Girls, feel free to use any of these should the situation, and the need, arise. Fellas, if you find yourself in the intimate company of a sweet lass and she murmurs one of these lines to you, try to control the spasm of horror and simply enquire of her, "Perchance, do you read 'A Bex and a Good Lie Down'?"