We must be corrupting Smudge, who many of you will know from her regular and lovely comments, because she and I were struck by the same startle last Friday.

I’d been heading to work when I found myself driving behind a truck with the registration number “FL06 ABC”. (Well, the final three letters weren’t ‘ABC’, before you track down the driver – but it was the thought of the flogging that caught my eye).

I’d been wondering all day where I could buy the registration “FL06 HER” for my car. And then Smudge emails me:

“I was in a car park and there was this little car parked opposite me. And its license plate’s last 3 letters were ‘oww’. And my first thought, when I realised that? ‘The driver of that car got spanked.’”

Smudge, my dear, Haron and I are duly ashamed for corrupting you. Honestly… (Haron, stop that hysterical laughter right now).