We visited the spectacles shop today.

Mummy’s vision, alas, is on the wane, thus making it necessary for her to wear corrective glasses for reading and some other daily tasks.

It’s the natural way of things. My knees are not what they used to be. We all age in our own way.

I was there to give sartorial advice on the choice of frames. Sadly ignored.

However something occurred to me when mummy got the results of her eye test.

They demonstrated that one eye was significantly stronger than the other.

I don’t know why this should have been a revelation. After all I don’t expect my knees to deteriorate at exactly the same speed, so why should the eyes?

My first thought was that the optician might get mummy to wear a patch.

I remember they used to do this for kids in school who had a lazy eye.

But it was never even discussed.

Instead they tailor the glasses with slightly different strengths in each lens.

I couldn’t dispute this was an effective remedy, but weren’t we all overlooking the obvious?

I asked the nice man who worked there what sort of trade they do in monocles.

He said they did none.

This surprised me. It was a solution that was practical, economical and surely more elegant.

Also you are less likely to lose or break a monocle than a pair of spectacles if you have it safely attached to your waistcoat.

I asked if it was something they might consider.

He said it was not.

This saddened me a little. However my faith in the durability of a good idea restored me.

I was glad that I had made a useful contribution to the day. I hate wasted time.