Today my borderline obsessive compulsive disorder has been tested to the limit. There are crumbs on the kitchen surfaces (and – shock horror – even on the floor). The bathroom is in urgent need of cleaning, the mirrors are crying out for a polish. The coffee table is sticky with jam. There are even unwashed dishes in the sink. But whilst I normally wouldn’t be able to sit amongst such filth, today I just couldn’t bring myself to deal with it, so it will have to be sorted out tomorrow.

In some ways this temporary spell of slovenliness is good for me. Being house proud is a positive quality, but the last thing I want is to be the sort of person who has a nervous breakdown the second a morsel of food erroneously makes its way onto the floor. It’s good to test the limits of endurance once in a while, if only to give yourself some much needed perspective. High standards are one thing but manic obsession is quite something else, and if it’s all the same to you I’d like to walk the right side of this particular line. Just as soon as I’ve picked that speck of fluff up from the carpet, that is. What can I say? Old habits die hard…