"And I want to be surrounded by the smell of spring roses at all times...."

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is entitled to their Mariah Carey moment of exquisite diva-ness when they flatly refuse to contemplate life without some luxury item that they view not as a luxury but as an essential.  For my mother in law, it is in-car air conditioning.  For Simon, it is good coffee, and for my son it is tomato sauce.  Mine are Radio 4 and tea, both of which are very easy to come by and therefore not very diva-esque at all.   It's hardly cashmere puppies, is it?

I have felt the need for something to be a diva about recently, and I may have found it.  These pillowcases are silk on one side and cotton on the other, which is extremely sensible otherwise they'd skate all over the bed.  The press release claims that it helps keep your hair smooth as the fabric doesn't rough up the hair cuticle, the silk doesn't absorb face cream so it stays on your face not smeared all over the bed and it helps prevent wrinkles as a rough night flinging your head back and forth across the pillow is the equivalent of exfoliating with a grater.

The silk is cooling and obviously very pleasant to rest one's weary cheek on.  I checked with David, the stylist at Eleven hair salon in Blenheim Street, who said that "a silk pillow will definitely help keep your hair smoother and it will also keep a blow dry in place for longer."  I rocketed up out of bed like a pheasant out of a hedgerow on Tuesday morning and demanded Simon inspected me for signs of youth and beauty.  "Hmmm," he said, surveying me critically through eyes puffy with sleep. "Have you brushed your hair?"  I said delightedly that I hadn't;  it was all down to the pillow.  He was not able to tell me that I now looked like a dewy seventeen year old but it was 6.45am and compliments normally take three good meals and a bottle of something nice.

I can definitely feel a diva moment coming on.  I think I may be taking the pillow case with me when I go to stay elsewhere. The cashmere puppies can worry it while I yell at the chauffeur.