Dear Agony Aunt

My husband and I are going on holiday in a few weeks' time but this year I fear the airline might be clamping down harder than usual on excess baggage. I've never been a compact packer – I mean, one needs to be prepared for so many eventualities. How can I ensure I won't come a cropper?

Case In Point

Dear Case In Point

What's a girl to do? Either you sacrifice that essential pair of Gina sandals and adorable Missoni kaftan or you take the excess baggage charge on the chin. I'll bet Joan Collins never has to deal with dilemmas like these before she heads off to Monte Carlo.

However, follow my failsafe rules for creating the perfect capsule wardrobe and you'll stay within budget: try everything on first to ensure you don't take anything with you that no longer fits; don't pack anything you will only wear once; always ensure everything goes with at least two other items, so you can mix and match; and restrict colour combinations to just three to keep things simple – say, navy, white and a bright.

Lastly, just be thankful you're getting away on holiday. Some of us are having to make do with a caravan in Cumbernauld this year.

Dear Agony Aunt

I've always considered myself an easy-going sort and find confrontation terribly difficult, but recently a work colleague has become so irritating I'm tempted to break with tradition. His hayfever means he sneezes from 9am to 5pm, punctuated by loud and wet nose-blowing. Would I be at risk of disciplinary procedure if I took a stapler to his face, do you think?

I'll Be Blowed

Dear I'll Be Blowed

A little compassion, please. Hayfever is a terribly unpleasant condition that affects as many as 12 million people in Britain – and that's a heck of a lot of staples.

Surely it would be better to direct your energy in a more positive fashion by trying to help your colleague through this uncomfortable spell instead of attacking him with whatever piece of office equipment comes to hand. For instance, don't be so keen to throw open the office windows on a hot day. Perhaps suggest the odd natural remedy. And, if all else fails, invest in a box of nice, soft tissues to protect his tender nostrils. Bless you.

Dear Agony Aunt

I've recently been dipping my toe in the murky pool of internet dating and have had to give one particularly persistent gentleman the brush-off (I told him I had met someone else). Now he's bombarding me with e-mails asking why I'm still on the site. I'm rather new to this game and am feeling distinctly uncomfortable. What can I do to ensure he gets the message?

Date Mate

Dear Date Mate

Clearly this particular piece of pond life is thicker than the scum floating on some of the more unsavoury stretches of the Water of Leith. So my advice to you is this: be blunt. Brutally so, if necessary. Tell him you don't want to hear from him again, then block him from your list of contacts. It's the only way you'll get this stalker off your back. But don't let it put you off your experiment with website winching; just be wary about who you get up close and personal with.

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