As to the birthday boy, his health has also been cause for concern lately, in that he has been losing weight steadily since Christmas, and over-grooming to such an extent that his abdomen, back legs and 'armpits' show raw, red, bald patches. I took him into the vets' on Monday who, going on the assumption that he's developed an allergy to house dust, has given him a long-lasting steroids injection. I must admit, I was sceptical at first; but I have noticed that since then, he's left his poor belly alone for most of the day.

Anyway, enough of this! I'm feeling a lot better now than I did 7 weeks ago, and so I will redouble my efforts as from today!