And all because I once loved her husband.

Got you there, didn't I? Couldn't resist. There is no sordid confession forthcoming. No. There is only:

LINDA McCARTNEY'S HOME COOKING
by Linda McCartney, Rs 95 at the Kaaba Book Fair.

I was never that fond of Linda - after all, she had the man of my dreams. But with age and wisdom (mine, I mean, she already had both) this mellowed into a certain mature acceptance. Then she went and became this healthy vegetarian animal-loving activist. And then she went and died. And then the new Mrs. McCartney just made her seem even more saintly than ever.

So I was quite happy to see her face smiling at me from the cover of her famous cook book. A flip through, and the recipes seemed do-able, even for me. More than I usually pay for book fair books .. but what could I do? I who once wore a folded piece of paper with "Paul" written all over it (lovingly covered with sellotape and religiously worn as a pendant through most of my 17th year!). It seemed wrong to pass over this book, so I brought it home, and am so happy I did.

In fact, as I type, my stomach is digesting perhaps the most exquisite soup I have ever made: a sweet corn noodle soup with celery. Very sumptious, very filling, very delicious, and best of all, very easy to prepare. I used to think only dessert could taste this good.

This is the best cookery book I've ever used. (Well, I may change my mind after trying some harder recipes, but today, at this moment, this is how I feel. It could be the celery talking.)