When you start watching gardening programmes (especially the relatively staid Gardener's World), you know that you're getting older. I don't even have a garden (just a rather small balcony), but I hit 30 and found myself starting to take an unhealthy interest in garden centres and not changing channels when the gardening programmes came on. It's a mystery, but as far as I can tell, it's an inevitable part of the aging process. Like wanting to wear slippers, and thinking the music's too loud, the gardening gene gets activated at a certain age and there's nothing you can do about it.

There's one consolation for your age-activated gardening genes making themselves felt: Mony Monty Don is now presenting Gardener's World. I like Mony Monty Don. He's a straight-forward, intelligent and non-patronizing presenter, and doesn't mug to camera or have any irritating gimmicks. There's also the fact that he's a rather irresistible combination of practical, strong and earthy but sensitive -- not to mention quite good-looking.

I remember watching 'Fork to Fork', which he presented, and seeing him gently cupping a pear on one of his trees while talking about how lovely and ripe and plump it was. I could picture women of a certain age (and probably a few men) all over the country turning to their partners and saying, "Is it me, or is it a bit hot in here?"

Update. I don't know what was wrong with my typing brain today. Original spellings left so that I can look an idiot in perpetuity.