On Monday, I came across an article in the BBC News Magazine that was a joy to read. I thought I would share parts of it with you.
In 1969 when they were 11-years old, 14,000 British children were asked to write 30-minute essays predicting what they might become in the future.
Forty years on a small selection revealed whether or not their aspirations came to fruition.
Below is just a small sample of the comments left by other people who responded to the article setting out their ambitions, that I particularly enjoyed reading.
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Aged 10 or thereabouts, and loving books, but also being a child of the Apollo era, I wanted to be either a librarian or an astronaut. And in reality? Also being good with numbers, I became an accountant. I'm not too upset at not becoming a librarian but I would have loved to have flown the space shuttle.
Helen, Berkshire
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My sister and I used to imagine we were surgeons and do 'operations' on each other, pretend to suture and mend broken arms and legs when we were little. As a teenager I was adamant that medicine was definitely not for me, especially as our dad wanted one of us to follow in his footsteps. I later went on to graduate from medical school and become a real-life doctor after all.
Katherine, Birmingham
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One of my very first words was "tractor" and I always dreamed of being a tractor/digger driver. I fulfilled that ambition in my teens and early 20s and now I work for a large construction machinery company in the world where I now teach people how to design them for a living. This also means I have unlimited access to a vast array of the very best big boys toys known to man. No wonder I'm always smiling as I walk into the office each day.
Simon Wright, Cheshire, England
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I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. Although I am not one, I work as an aerospace engineer, which is the practical implementation of my dream. I may not get to space, but my work will.
Cristina, Bristol
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My whole childhood and teen years I wanted to be an astronaut and visit the moon and I am now lucky enough to be sending this e-mail from MARS!...sorry I meant eating a MARS on lunch break from my IT job.
Mark, London
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When I was a child, I wanted to be an ice skater, an England footballer (mens' team) but also the team medic, a doctor, an actress, a pianist, an RAF fighter pilot, a long-distance lorry driver, a relief worker, the wife of Prince Edward and a writer. I now work as a freelance writer, probably the only option on my list that is still open to me.
Catherine O, Maidenhead, UK
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From about the age of 10 I wanted to join the Royal Navy. My uncle had served in the RN - I heard the stories of the Far East, and think that lit the fire. At 16 I joined Ganges, went on to become a CPO WEA Submariner, served in the Falklands on the Sheffield. Good times.
John Young, Glasgow
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One day at the supermarket, my little daughter said she wanted to be a check-out girl when she grew up. Now she runs mathematical models of atmospheric chemistry on a supercomputer at NCAR, Boulder, Colorado.
John, Clacks, Scotland
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Currently my two daughters aged six and three want to be a Princess and a Tooth Fairy respectively.
Jonathan Smith, Warboys
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Our eldest son wants to be The Grand Old Duke Of York, & his brother an "ice-cream van man". I wanted to be a pathologist, ended up in customer care, then a full-time mum.
MJ Golinski, Midlands
And my personal favourite ....
Like many children I had an ambition - to be a flute-playing, ballet-dancing nun. Obviously The Sound of Music had made a huge impression on me. I learnt ballet and the flute, so two out of three wasn't bad.
Jane Gordon Clark, Guildford, UK
