I was asked recently to paint some prizes for the local kennel club.  Of course if I had known then what an uninspiring bird the woodcock is (think flying christmas pudding with a long beak), I would have politely declined.  So it was that Sunday found me painting gamebird watercolours whilst listening to Pride and Prejudice on Radio 4, and wondering when I had become quite so very Edwardian, Sir.

Fortunately the biblical roar of a chimney fire roused me from my musings.  I did some extremely useful running around and shouting whilst Andrea calmly climbed onto the roof with the hosepipe and washed out the chimney.  Problem solved.

It strikes me that Mr Darcy would have been rubbish.  Ms Austen never knew the joy of a really useful bloke.