There is unquestionably something very special about gems that you find yourself. The onlytime it stops is when I'm going downhill. Debt counsellors say many compulsive shoppers don't even recognize their problem when the bags and boxes start stacking up around the house or the bills start draining bank accounts. But last week we went to Kate's house for tea rather than feed the ducks, who wouldn't have been there anyway since the rumour of Noah building a Modern Interpretation of the Ark to escape the rain and flooding meant all the local animals have been queuing for days.