About this time last year, I remember writing about the pie gene and my winter fascination with stodge. This year, instead, I've developed a sensory addiction: I can't stop sniffing candles! Today, I spent at least half an hour at the crammed winter candle counter at TK Maxx. I was trying to buy one for Daughter1 as a small pressie. But I realised that, like perfumes, everyone is attracted to different scents. Personally, I can't stand any vanilla combo, and I'm now a bit iffy about the omnipresent coconut.

After sniffing through a selection including: Let it Snow, Winter Spruce, Champagne Fizz, Woodland Path and Lamplight, I discovered that I only really liked Clove & Cranberry. But would Daughter1? Then my nose started hinting: That's it. No more. I'm on lock down.

No candles were bought.

I spent a bit longer looking at some tinsy photo frames - the sort I like to use on finished pics as added compartments. I was deliberating about how I could use them - thinking up new ideas - while absentmindedly checking the catches, by opening and closing them several times.

I was only cogitating.

But I became aware that a shop assistant had started to rearrange stock very close to me. That got me twitchy. I've worked in retail. This standing-close, then asking if the person requires assistance precludes a suspicion of imminent shop-lifting!! Eek! I'd better make my mind up quickly, I thought. Luckily I decided seconds before the inevitable: Can I help at all? I shook my head, smiled vacantly and chose a direct route to the till. I resisted looking back, in case that confirmed suspicions!

In my defence, I can only admit to being a canny shopper. I don't make hasty purchases. I'm not often found in the Customer Services queue waiting for an exchange. Instead, I'm an awkward customer: that annoying one who blocks aisles, 'cos I'm scanning the backs of food items - and shampoo bottles and jars of face cream - interrogating the list of ingredients.

Oh, and I'm always suspiciously dilly-dallying in clothes shops. I'm always fumbling along the inside seams of jumpers to find that label that tells me its material content. I have to ensure that they're not 100% anything that might bobble, shrink or, heaven forbid, need ironing!

Normally my face is strained - my eyes squinting at the tiny print like Mr Magoo. If only I'd remembered my reading glasses! Being a canny customer takes much effort.

Emergency Retail Therapy doesn't always work for me. Luckily today wasn't an emergency. Because today I bought nothing much!