Column: The little things that show that men and women really are different

In an idle moment my thoughts turned to the things that men just don't understand about women.

I’m not talking about the profound “Men are from Mars and women are from Venus” sort of stuff, but simply the mundane, everyday things that show that we are on different planets.

Let’s start with four that cause raised eyebrows/deep sighs/’what’s your problem’ type conversions in our house.

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Cardigans. If you’re female, what’s not to like? Casual, boyfriend styles for weekends, a cute little shrug to cover the shoulders of a strappy dress, luxe cashmere for chilly days. In short an essential item in any woman’s warobe from childhood up to old age- which is why any store you care to name has the racks of them all year round. So why do many men turn their noses up at them? My other half refers to a cardi, annoyingly, as “granny outfits”.

Candles. Ladies, we love them. What better aid to relaxation than lying in a warm, bubbly bath - oh, and our habit of a lengthy soak is another thing that men seem to find odd - in the calming glow of a beautiful scented candle? Well, you could add a glass of something sparkling, too I suppose. Perfect. Except that the man of the house is likely to start fretting about the potential fire risk and while not quite standing by with a fire extinguisher, it rather spoils the ambiance. And don’t get them started on the cost of our scented luxuries. In fact, it’s better just to keep the price of some of the high-end offerings to yourself if you’ve splashed out. If not, he’ll need smelling salts to recover.

And then we have cushions. Cosy, characterful - and they make those leather sofas that men so love more comfy. As we women know, well-chosen cushions can make a whole room scheme work, and a make-over of the soft furnishings can give a room a real lift without spending a fortune. If you think cushions are useless and get in the way as you sprawl out in front of the TV, then forget buying new ones and embark on a full scale redecoration project instead to get that new look- it’s your choice chaps.

Finally, we have coffee. Not the beverage itself, but rather our habit of going for a coffee. An innocent enough pastime. But why do men seem to think that we are meeting up with the girls to literally have a coffee and be home again within an hour? Like going for a beer is a one-hour turnaround? No, going for a coffee is a euphemism for putting the world to rights.

Right, that’s my list done.And oh, lists is another thing that men don’t get.

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