My name is Vicky and I'm a bonnetaholic...

Regular readers of this blog might be forgiven for thinking I'm a cynical, miserable soul, filled with hatred for everything and everyone.

I'm not; I think it's just the way I write. Or the fact I tend to blog when something has irritated me to such an extent that only the written word is a sufficient outlet for my fury.

But this time I've decided to write about something lovely: Lark Rise to Candleford. I love it. I can't get enough of it. It's very, very sad that, as a young woman, I look forward to a nice evening in watching LR2C (as it is known by... well, me), preferably under a duvet and with some chocolate.

I know nothing ever happens and quite often the episode is filled with the kind of sugary, sentimental fare that, while being sweet at the time, leaves you ultimately unsatisfied and having an energy crash an hour later. But I can't help it. I think it's an actual addiction - when the current series comes to an end, there will be support groups set up all over the country for those experiencing bonnet withdrawal.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what is so appealing about the programme. Olivia Hallinan is charming as Post Office assistant Laura Timmins, while Julia Sawalha makes a fascinating Dorcas Lane (she may only ever purse her lips and raise an eyebrow, but wouldn't you have wanted her as a guardian when you were young?). A brilliant supporting cast, including Claudie Blakey and Brendan Coyle as Laura's parents who are forever arguing and making up (if I ever get to Lark Rise the break-up may be a little more permanent...), makes for a heart-warming, community feel to the programme.

But I think my favourite element of the show is little Minne, the housekeeper, whose misunderstandings and confusions lead to some of the funniest moments in the programme. Recent observations include: "Your hair don't suit your face" and "They say he eats his own hair" (much funnier when said by her).

If you're not already addicted, I would certainly recommend giving it a try - if nothing else, it's a good way of reminding yourself of the lighter things in life on a Sunday evening before subjecting yourself to another week of work.

At the risk of sounding rather more like Terry Wogan than can ever be advisable,is it me?

I've noticed a growing trend in recent weeks that whenever I spend any time in the company of females, the talk turns to diets. To put this in context, none of the women in question is above a size 12 and certainly none of them could be classed as over-weight.

In fact, the woman I know who is the most obsessed with what she does or does not consume on a daily basis is probably the skinniest of them all. She recently lost half a stone and I can't even imagine where it came from - her clothes already hung off her as it was.

Aside from the debate about the ideal image of women projected by the media, fashion industry etc, I think this kind of obsession raises and important point: nobody cares.

It might just be me, but I'm just not interested in hearing the ins and outs of other people's dietary habits. I find it boring and, in the worst cases, far too graphic.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for a healthy lifestyle and when people I know are getting in shape by eating carefully, I'll encourage them as much as I can. But I am getting so bored with the daily office discussions about exactly how many cups of tea or coffee we should each be drinking, how much water we consume, how many pieces of chocolate can be allowed each week and whether bread should ever be included in anyone's diet. Perhaps it's something unique to working exclusively with women - there are three of us in my office and the topic comes up at least once every day.

But when we work from our head office, where there are plenty of men around, the conversation always seems to come back to food at some point. So perhaps it's not women generally - just some of the ones I work with. One of them is so bad, she once confessed to feeling light-headed as we left the office for the day and then revealed she had had nothing but a salad since breakfast. Was she really surprised?

For most people. food is just a normal part of every day life. But for the women I work with, it is an obsession. They think about everything that passes their lips and the impact it might have on the rest of their body in the most ridiculous detail. Surely it takes all the pleasure out of life?

The ironic thing is, if they spent less time thinking about food, they would probably find they ate less and enjoyed their food more. But, since it would mean another conversation about diets, there's absolutely no way I'm going to point that out.