It will soon be Breast Cancer Awareness month, but I am already more aware of breast cancer than I would like. This week, another friend was diagnosed with it: a particularly nasty kind, so I am told, though of course no cancer is good news. I have had my own scares in recent years, and am grateful they were false alarms.

I think I should do some fundraising for breast cancer charities. I am drawn towards a sponsored head shave, both because it seems symbolically appropriate and because I have long harboured a secret desire to see my scalp naked.