LESLEY KEATING: Would you dare hold a door open for a woman?

Well, I’m an independent woman myself. Yet I have no problem if a man – or a woman, or child, for that matter – holds a door open for me, particularly if I’m struggling with shopping bags, a tray or whatever. But conversely, I’ll also happily hold a door open for someone else whenever I wish, whether they’re male, female, animal, vegetable or mineral. Why does gender matter anyway?

On Facebook the other day a man said he’d met a lovely woman and invited her out for a meal.

The evening had gone well, they’d chatted, flirted, laughed and found they’d lots in common. In fact, they’d got on so well, they decided to move on to a nearby bar to extend the evening.

But, as they left the restaurant, the man made the apparently cardinal sin of holding the door open for his date.

‘I can open my own door!’ she growled angrily.

Sorry, but how the hell can that be acceptable in any way and why did that offend her feminine principles? The poor man didn’t deserve that! And she certainly didn’t deserve him.

But isn’t it also bad manners to mock good ones?

Without manners, we’d all be barging, shoving, snatching, grabbing, interrupting and arguing our way through every day, setting a terrible example for our children.

Mike often holds doors for me and for other people too. I don’t see it as old-fashioned or demeaning, just considerate. He’s often thanked, but sometimes not, however he’s always quick to say, ‘That’s OK, you’re very welcome!’ when ignored!

Manners cost nothing. In my opinion, anyone who thinks someone being considerate is insulting their principles is just being controversial for the sake of it.

Come on women, just because you ‘can’ open your own door doesn’t make it an insult if someone else does it for you. Learn to be gracious.

HERE’S HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PERFUME-SPRAYERS

Shoppers in department stores are often accosted by salespeople spraying perfume or aftershave.

It frequently happens to me, but Mike also often has to run the gauntlet of overly-enthusiastic spray-waving assistants. One particular store has a very pushy young woman he actively tries to avoid.

One day he was shopping when she barged over, waving her latest fragrance inches from his nose, shouting: ‘If you love your wife, why not treat her to this!’

Naughty Mike summoned up his most tragic face.

‘I don’t have a wife any more,’ he said sorrowfully.

‘She’s just left me... for my best friend!’

‘Oh my, that’s dreadful!’ the girl stopped in mid-spray, visibly shocked.

‘Only joking!’ chuckled Mike, walking off.

She doesn’t bother him any more.

IT’S THE WEE THINGS IN LIFE WHICH CAUSE THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS

Honestly, you’d never believe how something seemingly small and innocuous can have such a big impact.

Since having our new en-suite installed we’ve had what can only be called an ‘issue’ with the toilet.

A really tiny part needs replacing but, as it’s under warranty and it’s a fixed cistern, we can’t just get a local plumber to fix it quickly.

Oh no, it’s got to be a ‘special’ part, flown in from sunny Spain amid great pomp and circumstance and proudly hand-delivered by a man from Porcelanosa.

Until this is resolved, we are resigned to waking nightly to a sudden, yet loud and constant trickle.

It’s like someone with prostate issues has nipped in for an unscheduled wee in our toilet.

Water torture doesn’t even come close.