I have made a rather unpleasant discovery. The Pantone guide (which I use to ensure I have chosen the right colours for our book covers before they go to print) has always sported a disclaimer stating that the colours within are subject to fading and discolouration and as such the sampler should be replaced annually. Time to do just that, I thought. Until I found that the taken-for-granted, slightly battered guide which ranks no higher than, say, the stapler or the calculator in my everyday workstation consciousness, retails for a whopping NINETY-ONE POUNDS (and that’s the discounted price).

So, the fridge is where is my Pantone sampler is going to live from now on. In an air-tight, lightproof, padlocked metal container.

Christina Griffiths, Art Editor