Am I going to spend the day glued to my screen or am I going to walk up the hill to the Car Boot Sale? I walked up the hill. It was sunny but a bitter cold wind was blowing for this time of year.

I was hoping to find an old-fashioned oil can – my wife is planning for the flower festival – She is doing The Wizard of Oz and we’re looking for props. No oil cans, but lots of old faces in the crowd and so much stuff!

It must have become a right of passage for young teens. They look round their bedroom and realise that they are drowning in teddies and beanies and other soft toys. “Hey!” they say to mum, “I can sell this at a carboot, make some money and tidy my room at the same time!”

There is a certain kind of stall that repeats itself. An old pasting table bends and groans under the weight of fluffy stuff and old PC games that no one wants to play anymore. The kids are bored and huddled in the back of the car while embarrassed parents try to hustle up a sale. I’m sure they all stop off at the tip on the way home dump the whole load in the skip.

Of course there are lots of younger kids there, who buy the odd cd or dvd or even a fluffy ted. As they get to teenhood they will remember, the lights will go on in their heads and they will yell down the stairs, “Mum! I wanna sell all this crap in my room. Can we do a carboot sale?” They will spend all week tidying and sorting and dreaming of riches, only to join the endless line of those that came before.

Meanwhile, I did get a couple of nice plants.