Hooray! The first Christmas Catalogue has just dropped through the letterbox. Assuming we have 24/7 shopping now, I make it 114 shopping days till Christmas – so get your Skates on!

While I’m at it might I recommend The Christmas Stocking Joke Book by one Shoo Rayner. Souped up with a new cover and hardly revised after 20 years – A classic! It was a Christmas number three best seller behind Matilda and Prince Caspian when it came out in 89 and featured on Live and Kicking one Saturday morning. I nearly choked on my cornflakes in surprise!