When I was about ten years old, I owned a reel-to-reel tape recorder.

This was serious technology. At least it was to me.

I spent hours recording things. My voice. Music from the radio. Various sounds around the house. Anything that seemed remotely interesting was worthy of preservation on magnetic tape.

Then one day, I decided to investigate one of childhood's great mysteries.

What did adults talk about when children weren't around?

As a kid, I was fascinated by adult conversations. I listened when my parents and grandparents talked, even when I didn't completely understand what they were discussing. Sometimes I remember those conversations today, nearly sixty years later.

But surely there was another level.

Children would be sent outside or upstairs....

Please subscribe to keep reading.