Leap, y'all

2008 is a Leap Year and today is our extra day. Tradition has it that 29 February is the day when women are "allowed" to propose marriage to their men. (Interesting how, even in this enlightened age of equality*, it is still often the man who is expected to propose - not always, for sure, but often. That has certainly been the case amongst my friends. Then again, maybe I just know a lot of unusually old fashioned people.) I have long been aware of this tradition as I expect many of you have too.

An additional proviso to the tradition I was not aware of is that if the man declines the marriage proposal then he is obliged to furnish the woman with a new gown.

Thanks to my chum Wendy Vaizey for that interesting nugget of trivia.

If any of my female readers wish to ask for my hand in marriage then please form an orderly queue and leave your proposals in the 'comments' of this post. I await your requests with great anticipation.

I thank you.

* Yeah, right - not if much of the "hilarious" commentary on Hilary Clinton's Presidential campaign is anything to go by, or salary comparisons between the sexes, or the persistent "glass ceiling" in many industries, and so on.