‘I never saw the Ready Brek kids as fashion icons but it’s good to keep an open mind’

A small part of me still believes that to be the person in the room with the most feelings is to be the best person

I’ve divided present buying this year into those who need soothing and those who need excitement

This is not Starbucks! You can’t just order essence of Helsinki to sprinkle over your pinecone Frappuccino

The clientele included a housekeeper who used to ‘do’ for the Queen Mum, and the actor who played Zeffirelli’s Romeo

‘Oh I love “The Crown”, too,’ said my friend. ‘It’s just that the brooches are so disappointing’

One of the handbag’s functions is to serve as an instant memorial to you in the event of your sudden demise

I darted into what is perhaps my very favourite shop in the world, which I keep for emergencies

‘In the morning, the squalor of having to make your own toast!’

The day lacked promise and I did not feel myself. Where can you go in such a mood? To the cinema, that’s where!

You know you have the coat you always wanted when you long for winter — and when your friend ‘borrows’ it

I get shy and nervous when it comes to sweet things. There are mixed feelings and layers of meanings to cut through

My father said that gambling was only worth doing if you risked more than you could afford

A pert and eager doppelgänger could take my place when I’m not feeling quite up to it

‘The man from the Amazon’ staggered in under the weight of 14 boxes, his head obscured from view

It’s the autumn term at last, a time for reinvention and rigour . . . except, none of it is forthcoming this year

I don’t know what the completed jigsaw is but I had the sense my friend might be the missing piece

Now that I’m being asked to judge things nine times a day, I feel it’s healthy for things to stay mysterious