For most of us, when our 'dreams' - I use the word with reservations - came true, and marriage and motherhood became a reality, the romcoms, like horoscopes, swiftly lost their allure.

As a species, we tend to be doers, forever shaping and reshaping the world to better suit our purposes.

The great advantage of being human is that we can employ rational thought and resolve to change our circumstances.

I wasn't allowed to be clever when I was young and blonde, but now I am 50 and an old blonde, I am allowed to have gravitas. With wrinkles comes wisdom.

Too often we forget that an ideal partner is someone who enhances an already full existence.

We invest less in our friendships and expect more of friends than any other relationship. We spend days working out where to book for a romantic dinner, weeks wondering how to celebrate a partner or parent's birthday, and seconds forgetting a friend's important anniversary.

Seeing the world differently is one of the toughest incompatibilities to reconcile in a relationship.