Now here is a press release which gladdens Lady Bracknell's generally stony heart: CanesCanada.com will be setting up a stand at the Calgary Women's Show. At last - somebody is treating walking sticks as a stylish accessory, not just a utilitarian mobility aid! The owners of the company are aware that the right stick can make a big difference to a sticky crip's self-confidence. They say: "Buy a cane with your style, with a bit of your personality in mind. Then people come up and say: 'WOW, what a nice cane! Whre did you get it?' It gives a very positive response."

I hadn't come across the Canes Canada site before, presumably because I've tended to use search terms - including the word "stick" - which, as I'm finally beginning to realise, appears to be a peculiarly British description for those long sticky things we lean on. Almost everyone else calls them canes, apparently. It's not a particularly straightforward site to navigate, but it's worth persisting. They stock a huge variety of sticks, many of which I've never seen before, including a collection of Norman Rockwell canes. They will ship internationally, but you'd need to email them for a shipping quote.

While we're on the subject, I can't resist mentioning my own Stick Site of Choice. To date, I've bought two of the lucite canes, one in blue and one in green. And I'm definitely going to be supplementing my collection with a purple one and a red one. In my experience, they really do result in complete strangers coming up to you and paying you compliments on your beautiful stick. Which is a blimmin' sight more empowering than complete strangers sympathetically asking you what you've done to yourself, I can tell you.