THE longer the marriage lasts – and ours has just reached the 37-year mark – the harder it is to earn brownie-points.

The days when youthful charm was enough are long gone, along with the dark curls, bagless eyes, and smooth skin.

So, when my wife lost a treasured earring in the back garden a couple of days before our anniversary, I saw it as a golden opportunity.

After all, I’ve had a lifelong reputation for being considered a good finder, ever since Sister Mary Ursula told us at primary school to always pray to Saint Anthony – the patron saint of finding lost objects – if we misplaced something.

It always helped me find my tennis ball in the rhubarb patch when I was a kid, and it worked spectacularly when my son, Jack, lost an expensive AirPod in the forest during a Centre Parcs........

© The Northern Echo