Have you noticed they always do that now? Barbers used to sell nothing but combs and contraceptives; now every 'head stylist' thinks he needs to have his own range of products, and you get the hard sell when you're settling up.

You generally say yes, as the receptionists are so sexy - another recent development that's crept up on me. There's even a hair salon in London with a beer garden. I think they need to be careful not to make these places too nice, though: men don't like things to be too nice. What would your mates say if you actually looked forward to your haircuts? Especially if you've recently started using the gym, as I have, and own one or two pink shirts. It doesn't look good, does it?

I was thinking about how men don't like things to be too nice as I drove home in this new two-seat convertible from BMW. When they first tried a 21st-century roadster, in 2003, the result was the Z3, which a lot of people didn't like.

I'm afraid I was one of them - mainly because of its little 1.9-litre engine, but also because it just looked too, well, nice. With its long nose and cool side-vents - a bit like the Batmobile if you chose black - it had easy appeal. My mate bought one of the first ones, and to be fair, he's still got it - loves it - and with 160,000 miles on the clock it's still going strong, complete with mould in the boot. It wasn't for me, though.

The BMW Z4's leather steering wheel and dash