I suspect the amount of time I spend on public transport in the company of plants isn't quite normal. Today it was a large scarlet and slightly squashed cyclamen which elicited the friendly smiles of fellow passengers on the bus home. Travelling with a plant is rather like wearing fancy dress - a guaranteed key to the kindness and/or interference of strangers. Once, in a rare act of courtesy, a man gave up his seat on the bus for me and my tray of a dozen pansies. Perhaps the elderly and pregnant should each be given a small pot plant to carry around with them as an invitation to similar kindnesses.

Two weeks ago a woman on the central line openly wanted to sniff my baby Christmas tree, bending down and having a serious inhale to the point where I was worried some of the needles were going to be vacuumed up into her brain, or even that she would have sniffed up for herself all the smell that my 'delicately scented' little arbor contained. Then upon leaving the carriage, a small child waved me 'bye bye Christmas tree'. I resisted the urge to ventriloquise a response.