I'm very concerned about my husband and the fact that he's started lying to himself about his age. I myself am reaching a new milestone in my life but have accepted the fact, and am even looking forward to it.

As I say, the worry is with my husband, and even though he is a couple of years junior to myself, he's started to rebel against his age. I can accept that he still wants to be one of the lads and get plastered now and again, but he's now started to wear jewellery, the kind of which I would expect to see on a teenager. I'm concerned that he might start shaving his head, or wearing an earring which I'm sure would get him into trouble with his employers.

How can I assure him that getting old gracefully is perfectly natural, and nothing to get defensive about ?

Yours comfortably on a personal level,

Name and Address Withheld

The symptoms you describe are very common - starting to wear jewellery, having "David Beckham Haircuts", (although I hope your husband did not pay the £300 reportedly paid by David Beckham for his new cut!!) - these are all symptoms of lying to themselves about getting older.

Other "in-denial symptoms" include the Bobby Charlton Haircut which involves keeping one side of the hair very long and sweeping it over a bald pate in an attempt to kid themselves (and incidentally, the rest of the world) that they are not bald; insisting on buying and squeezing into 28 inch waist trousers when we all know they should really be buying 36 inch waist trousers; and staying down the pub of an evening with their mates eyeing up all the local 18 years olds (of which, fortunately, there are not many in Tunaville).

No doubt there are a myriad of symptoms inherent in the middle-aged male. Unfortunately there is very little you can do about this except grin and bear it or indeed join him in a new short hair cut and get him to buy you some jewellery too - preferably diamonds/sapphires etc. etc - some EXPENSIVE little trinkets.

As a last resort you could quietly mention - HRT - the thought of a few injections of testosterone just might just be enough to make him grow his hair again!!! One last thought - he really should grow his hair - while he can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last weekend I appear to have lost 'the plot'. I know I had it on Thursday but somewhere over the following three days it completely disappeared and I am now in a quandary as to what to do.

Do you think 'The Plot' will return ? Do you know of any other people that have previously lost 'The Plot' and could maybe offer some assistance as to how to retrieve it ?

Any help would be seriously appreciated.

Yours,

'Plotless'

So, do not despair, take yourself down to the Police Station and look for your lost plot. I have to advise that it may take you a while to find your own plot amongst the other 40,000 - perhaps you might fancy a change though and settle on someone else's plot for a while - could be interesting!!

Just think there are 40,000 poor souls walking around, as we speak, and every one of them has "lost the plot" - I sincerely hope you all find them again.