After I'd been to the aisles of the world's politest supermarket to get everything on Ms D's list today (thankfully this week in bright sunshine, so no soggy lists to try and decipher), and was emptying her shopping bags onto her kitchen top, she asked me if I could help her to open something.

Behind me was the box of laundry tablets that I'd bought the week before, with a pair of tongs jammed into them - Ms D confessed she'd been defeated (i.e. frustrated) in trying to open the (childproof) box...after a quick inspection of the instructions (and removal of the tongs), I found the small safety tabs that were holding the inner box in place, and after removing them and applying a little force, managed to get it open.

Ms D was delighted (as was I), although not for the first time it made me realise that modern packaging that has been made "child proof" is also becoming more and more "older adult proof" too...