THE LATEST GEAR

I did a spot of shopping today (did I mention that I like food shopping?), and not for the first time, I was the object of a lot of female attention at the checkout. You're probably expecting now that I am going to boast about the effect of the gym, or of the new coat, or maybe about my boyish good looks, wit and charm. Well, I am sure all those had some influence, but the ladies' attention was more particularly focused on the foldable plastic crate that I use to carry my purchases back home.

Thank God, I am not one of those scarily organised persons whose whole life is neatly stacked into little boxes (I wish I were sometimes!). But I have lived in Germany for a while, and although I have been assured that they don't actually shoot on the spot people who needlessly use plastic bags for their shopping, I have never beeen willing to put that to the test. So ever since, even after moving to the UK (they can get to you anywhere), every time I go to the supermarket, I have been bringing with me one of these.

This may look like an ordinary foldable plastic box to you, but this model, reinforced with metal pins, is specially imported from Germany: the puny British version just doesn't compare in terms of sturdiness and durability.

In the end, my status as a hero of nature conservation and practical living was short-lived and both women went back to their own shopping. Still, my friends were right: if you want the girls to notice you, nothing like buying the latest German import...