Shopping for Ms J on Fridays remains (for me at least) one of life's reliable pick me ups - her list, on its usual yellow post it note, is always neatly written with the six or so items that she needs to keep her going for another week, and you just know she'll be comfortably below budget. Going round the world's politest supermarket to find the items is always a pleasure.

The past few weeks have seen the headliner item being Lamb Chops, so in my mind I'd already plotted my route around the aisles, such was my familiarity with her weekly list I thought...ah, always keep an eye on hubris, even when it comes to a small shopping list on a yellow post it note.

For this week it was lightly dusted frozen Cod that Ms J really wanted with no mention of Lamb Chops (Welsh or New Zealand) anywhere - and a madeira loaf cake too, alongside the old reliables of milk, juice, cottage pies and a wholemeal loaf.

Thankfully the shelves didn't let me down, and I was back to Ms J's within 20 minutes with her Friday Fish - she was so pleased that I'd found everything and I learned a lesson in not being so presumptive. "Contritium praecedit superbia" as they might have said in the streets of Rome...