FROM BANKNOTES TO CHOCOLATE.

Just to let you know that Husband dearest is doing well. On steroids for the next three days to see how he responds before deciding if surgery is needed. Thanks for all your kind words.

What price romance?

Some are transformed into assertions of love. Some become outlets for artistic expression. Others turn into shopping lists. What they are they supposed to be, however, are banknotes.

Colombians' passion for adorning, defacing and scribbling on their bank notes is wreaking havoc on the nation's money supply, prompting protests from the central bank which is weary of replacing millions of notes each year.

Examples cited by the bank include sweet if banal expressions of ardour: "Gordis, my love has no price, Memo," was written on a 2,000 peso note, which is worth about 66p.

- Rory Carroll, the Guardian. (click HERE for full article.)

Talk about accident prone!

Rather accident prone myself, I'm a mere amateur compared to Michael Wilary who is possibly Britain's most injury-prone person for the farmhands catalogue of catastrophes include:

* Shattered Legs - Pinned against the wall by a JCB, he badly fractured both of his legs last month. * Broken Ankles x 4 - Fell from the raised bucket of a JCB seven years ago breaking both his ankles when he hit the concrete floor. THEN, mistakenly standing on a potato (sorry, I shouldn't laugh) in the cattle shed, Mick fell breaking both his ankles ....... again. * Cracked Ribs - Broke the ribs on his left side when grain in the trailer he was towing shifted and tipped his tractor on to its side nine years ago. * Cut Off Finger - Clumsily took a chunk off the end of his finger while he was attempting to cut through some rope with a knife. * Stab Wounds - Found his stomach dotted with minor cuts when he failed to notice he was catching himself with a stanley-knife as he cut through a stick. * Split Head Open - He tripped over a cat (easily done as I know) and fell down the farm stairs while carrying bales of hay. * Broken Collar Bone - Thrown from a horse (so it's not just the cat trying to kill him) when the nag was spooked by a .... plastic bag. * Broken Fingers - Hammered his own hand countless times. He estimates he has broken digits at least 10 times. * Deep Bruising - Fallen foul of frequent kicks while ushering cattle into their shed, including wounds to his shins and (all men ooh now) groin.

- Rob Pattinson, the Sunday Sun.

The waistband says it all.

Middle age, it oft is said, is when your age starts to show around your middle. And for men, it seems, the moment is marked by the inexorable rise in the position of their trouser waistband.

A survey shows that the last time most men are able to fasten their trousers around anything resembling a natural waistline (I'm thinking Simon Cowell here) is at the age of 39. After that, the only way is up (Simon Cowell) or down.

'Over achievers' as they are known in the rag trade, hoist their trousers so high by the age of 57 the waistband can be just 7in (17.8cm) under the armpit. The 'under achievers', making up about 20% plump for below, fumbling to fasten belts, buttons and zips they can no longer see. (So how about it, is the man in your life an over or under achiever? I promise I won't tell them what you said.)

- Caroline Davies, the Guardian.

Grey hair is in.

If like myself you are noticing one or two grey hairs (ok then 3 or 4 grey hairs) don't worry - it seems grey is the in thing. Hang on ........ (what's that?) Grey hair is the in thing but not if it's down to ageing.

It may have started with a few botched home dye jobs, albeit in some very elegant bathrooms. Now it's out there. Fashionistas desperate for something new and bold, and whose colour palette is nearly exhausted, have faded to grey in what they are calling 'granny chic'.

Ageing women - and increasingly men - have fought a chemical battle against greying for generations. But now silvery streaks are turning up on models in runway outings at the spring shows in Paris and New York.

But this 2010 trend is strictly for the young (so don't say I didn't warn you.)

- Tracy McVeigh, The Observer (For full article click HERE.)

Chocolate is depressing (NO!)

Knowing how much I love my chocolate, Husband dearest just had to send me this article.

Going back on their assurance that chocolate is good for us on many levels (the only reason I eat it of course) including the fact that it releases the same hormone as when we are in love, scientists have now decided it's bad for us as (wait for it) ......... it causes depression.

Chocolate lovers 'are more depressive', say experts.

People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found.

Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.

Many believe chocolate has the power to lift mood, and the US team say this may be true, although scientific proof for this is lacking.

But they say they cannot rule out that chocolate may be a cause rather than the cure for being depressed.

- BBC News Channel (Click HERE for the whole story.)

What utter rubbish, the only chocoholic in the family, I'm the only one who is truly happy. As for one bar at week? Ha, at one bar a day, I should be well and truly depressed.