I turn 40 next year and have just a little over a year to get all those things done that I feel I ‘ought to’ have acheived by the time I hit that milestone – you know, those little things, like publish a novel, buy a house, be a director of a company … 

I’m glad to say I got in one of my ‘firsts’ a couple of days ago. I did that really, proper, grown-up thing and ordered room service. We were staying at the exquisite five-star Jumeirah Grand Hotel Via Veneto in Rome and after an afternoon of fun in their vitality pool we were all starving at 6pm – far too early to go and eat out in Italy. And with a room service charge of just 15% (I’ve seen charges of €15 during my stay in Italy!) the idea of having a bowl of pasta and chicken burger and chips delivered to our room was just too tempting. 

And actually, with two small children who run around screaming at any opportunity, room service is perhaps the most stress-free dining experience when away from home and not in an apartment. A table laid with crisp white linen was wheeled into our room with two delicious plates of food (which we were able to split into the side plates) and we were able to eat in the comfort of knowing we weren’t disturbing anyone else’s peace.

And having opened the flood gates it was just a small step to do another grown-up thing that I had thus far resisted … Help ourselves to the minibar! Needless to say our bill at checkout was a little more than the city tax, but we got to experience such a fine hotel, with impeccible five-star service, that it felt only proper to treat ourselves.