When it comes to relationships, a friend, who has a beautiful flat in Kensington, says she will never live with someone again unless they have separate bathroom sinks. Another friend’s motto is, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’ She embraces femininity and the bathroom door is firmly closed to her boyfriend…

I was rather wishing Hot Danish and I had two bathrooms after a night out with friends. ‘Are you finished?’ I urged him as he showered.
‘Don’t mind me,’ he said before noticing my pained expression. ‘Oh, do you need to do a number two?’
‘Both,’ I replied.
‘A number one and a number two?’
‘I need to be sick,’ I said. He hurried up and gave me a peck on the lips. I closed the door behind me.

At lunchtime he called to check I was okay. Unnecessarily, I gave him a run-down of how ill I’d been. ‘Yes, I heard,’ he said. ‘Anyway, I’ve got to go. See you this evening.’

It’s not enjoyable for a guy to see you at your worst, but sometimes it’s when we see them at their best – that evening HD was particularly attentive (and a little teasing).

It also reminded me of the time I first heard the full details of the horrors of modern childbirth from a guy friend whose wife was pregnant at the time. ‘Can that really happen?’ I remember asking him. He seemed to revel in explaining the gory details. After his wife gave birth he said it was the best moment of his life. Hearing it from him, it didn’t sound like a cliché.