I'm going to have to eat all my words about Clarks, and believe me there have been a lot of them, because I've gone and bought not one but two pairs in the sale, both flat and both comfortable.

My only excuse, and it's not a very good one, is that Derby lacks decent shoe shops and my very comfortable favourite sandals (that I've walked miles in over three or four years) have got to the stage where I'm embarrassed to wear them.

At least folk won't have to listen to me moaning about Clarks any more!