Q. I was caught out last week during dinner. The guest on my left was droning on at length and I had tuned in to a more interesting conversation down the other end of the table when to my horror he suddenly said, ‘Sorry… I lost my train of thought. What was I talking about?’ Mary, although I had an ‘interested’ expression on my face, I had stopped listening long before. Can you advise so that I am fully prepared should a similar situation arise?
—Name and address withheld
A. You should reply with great enthusiasm, ‘I’ve no idea what you were saying because I’ve been staring at your face and it’s completely mesmerised me. Did you know you had a perfect Grecian profile/enchanting half-smile?’
Q. How can I kindly tell a new neighbour and potential close friend that she needs to do something about her stained teeth and have her moustache bleached or waxed? I would not want to strike the wrong note but I happen to know these things have already put some other neighbours off.
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