The Owl and the Pussycat

      More Letters From Paradise      
       The Owl and the Pussycat

" The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat. They had honey, and plenty of money, wrapped-up in a five-pound note." A rhyme by Edward Lear, I have often been fond of quoting.

The five-pound note was so very large that the bill had to be folded several times before being neatly tucked away.

This very large bill was later replaced with the smaller size bill we see today. I keep a five pound note in my wallet to divide larger bills from smaller ones. It has a picture of the young Queen on one side.

The British government has just replaced the paper five-pound note with a polymer note. This shift to polymer currency follows Canada, New Zealand,Australia, Mexico, and Singapore.

Counterfeiters will be tearing their hairs out. The new bills contain tiny letters seen only under a microscope, and see-through windows. The picture on the bill is that of former Prime Minster Winston Churchill.

The new bill is thought to last 2-1/2 times longer than paper. And it is washable. There is further good news. Small children and spies can eat the bill with no ill effects.

With all this new technology, what can a poor owl and a pussycat hope to do?

      Aloha  
      Grant