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From a sublime chronicler of Victorian times to a diarist of the 1980s - not Alan Clarke but (aged 13 and 3/4). We were marking the fact that Sue Townsend's creation has been on the scene for thirty years with a former fan, (Janet Smyth, mum and Director of the Children's and Education Programme at the Edinburgh International Book festival) and an avid teenage reader, Billie McKinley.

Janet kicked things off by telling us why she found Mole so funny in her youth; he'd been read by others in the family circle and she inevitably caught the bug. Having just re-read the diaries, she admitted there was still much to enjoy but the most entertainment was found in stumbling over the cultural references from a 1980s childhood - back in the day, exotic food meant a Vesta Curry (yes, remember them? In a box and dry as a prune - also loaded with guerilla sultanas. By heck, it was good!) And who could forget Instant Whip - always raised a smile in our house - echoes of Cynthia Payne! But stashed amidst the foodstuffs of yesteryear were more serious reminders of a bygone age The Falklands war and Maggie Thatcher.

Like Janet, I could relate to the 80s but what about our fourteen year old reviewer, Billie? We had coerced her into reading Mole over Christmas so had it been a pleasure meeting up with this famous comic invention? Well, let's just say Billie was a bit bemused by the nostalgia and didn't relate to Adrian Mole much. On our show, it's rare to hear anyone saying they disliked reading a book but Billie's candour was admirable. Tastes change. Today's fourteen year old is nothing like the sociopathic geek I was at that stage. Thanks to the internet, the world is at the 21st century teen's fingertips. I spent my teen years lying in bed but when I emerged from my pit, I was surly and only interested in drawing horses and deluding myself that I was going to be a vet. Time for another confession. If you'd shown me a book back then, I would have been sorely tempted to post it in your face. About two years later, I couldn't get enough of the things. The habit continues to this day - it's a kind of addiction. If I don't have a book to hand, I'm a bit lost. Then, my thoughts turn to food. Do they still make Vesta Curry? They can keep the Instant Whip!

Tuesday's Culture Café started in a "sotto voce" kind of way. We had asked a writer and two artists to tell us how they liked to go about their work. Did they require monastic silence or a bit of music or speech burbling away in the background? Modern life is full of sounds - a constant cacophony of phones, piped music, TVs and radios. For writer , silence is golden. She doesn't want any distractions when the muse strikes. Artist who has a fascinating exhibition about motherhood and family on the go (check it out at !) admitted that she liked a bit of music as she worked, with a caveat: only once the project was well under way. As for Chad McCail, he had little need for accompanying soundtracks and he found that the noises thrown up by every day domesticity were enjoyable enough. As I sit here typing this blog, there is no music, no radio, and no distraction. Just the gentle tap tap of the keyboard and some heavy breathing from the couch behind me. (The dog, not a stalker!) .Yes, at this late hour in the silence I really feel at peace with the world. Gosh, what a thrill seeker I am.