Yesterday was a ...

Good Day for romance, as an opinion poll in Paris Match revealed that most French women prefer a "reserved man who prefers to listen" and who also sends her flowers and bombards her with phone calls. 52 per cent of men, however, prefer women who have condoms in their handbags.

Bad Day for acupuncture, as a patient in the Netherlands had to be freed by police after he had been forgotten by an acupuncturist and left for more than an hour bristling with needles. The doctor was called away to an emergency then went home. The patient was said to have been "very good about it", and even made an appointment for more treatment.

Frugal Day for Scots, as it was revealed that none of the 29 adults on the islands of St Kilda has bothered to register for the electoral roll. As a result, the Western Isles council will be spared the expense of organising a polling station on St Kilda, and will also save the pounds 5,000 it would have cost to charter a helicopter to transport ballot boxes. Of the 29 non-voters, 22 run a missile tracking station, six study sheep and one is warden of a bird sanctuary.