When I walk from the office to Tesco at lunchtime to buy my lunch, I will occasionally also buy some chocolate to cheer myself up, if I'm having the sort of day where I feel I need it.

Usually what then happens is that six hours later I get home entirely un-cheered-up. The reason for this is not, as you might immediately suspect, that chocolate is a transitory thing and any self-respecting source of angst can easily outlast a sugar rush. It's because, nine times out of ten, I then completely forget about the chocolate and so I don't eat it! I suppose the advantage is that I don't bloat like a balloon in times of great woe, but it generally makes me feel somewhat silly later on.

I've just found a pack of Minstrels from one of the bad days last week. I'm actually more cheerful today and don't need cheering up that badly, but I'm going to eat the Minstrels anyway because I know if I don't then they'll only lie there forgotten for anything up to a month or so.