I KNOW it probably makes me sound a bit shallow but I am finding my Lent pledges a bit hard to stick to. A lot of people have asked me just how many handbags, shoes and books I would expect to buy in 40 days , and although it might only be one pair of sh

I KNOW it probably makes me sound a bit shallow but I am finding my Lent pledges a bit hard to stick to. A lot of people have asked me 'just how many handbags, shoes and books I would expect to buy in 40 days', and although it might only be one pair of shoes or one handbag, the point is, I don't need any more shoes or handbags!

I almost crumbled on payday as it is has been tradition ever since I earned my first pay packet to have a payday treat and I have had my eye on some groovy tie-up-round-the-ankle shoes. As I stood in the shop staring at the shoes (it may have been drooling at one point) I reasoned that my purchase would be helping to revive the UK economy, but deep down I knew I couldn't justify spending the money and there were plenty of shoes in my wardrobe that I could wear to my nephew's christening next month.

I'd like to say I feel a better person for walking out of the shop without the shoes, but I don't, I feel like a person who doesn't have tie-up-round-the-ankle shoes! Going to the library instead of surfing the net for books, does, however, make me feel like a better person as I know how much libraries have come under threat of closure in the last few years. I remember spending hours in libraries when my sons were little and my parents still use their local library, which got me thinking. Is going to the library something that in the main parents of young children and the elderly do? I don't know, but I have a feeling that all the people in-between probably do what I do and buy a cheap paperback from a supermarket or the internet. So, I have resolved to use the library more even when my 40 days are up. Maybe I will have worked the tie-up-round-the-ankle shoes out of my system by then as well!

A friend sent me a photocopy of an extract from a school sex education textbook that was handed out to girls in the early 1960s and I thought I would share a few lines with you.

"If you need to apply face cream or hair rollers wait until your husband is asleep. This can be shocking to a man last thing at night. Try to achieve a look that is welcoming without being obvious. If your husband suggests congress then agree humbly all the while being mindful that a man's satisfaction is more important than a woman's. You may then set the alarm so that you can arise shortly before him. This will enable you to have his morning cup of tea ready for when he awakes."

I was tempted to write something controversial that may have sparked an interesting feminist debate among readers, but to be honest I am just thankful that 21st Century women don't have to try and sleep in hair rollers!

Debbie Davies

Debbie.davies@archant.co.uk