OK, then, this is a bit more earthy and manly.
Having recently written about the Northumberland farmer who won the North Pole race and the land agent who trekked to the south pole, I hear today that Sir Ranulph Fiennes left base camp yesterday to begin a charity climb of Everest. The 64-year-old hopes to reach the summit on Saturday.
As you know, I'm not one to name drop (it's positively ages since I've seen my old friend Clarissa Dickson Wright) but I met Ranulph once. I was actually interviewing his late wife, Ginny, who was a farmer and he dropped in to say hello.
He was a nice bloke - and it's one hell of a name: Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes.
I understand that, at school, the Great Explorer was nicknamed "Twickenham-Richmond-Barnes".