TELEVISION, the drug of a nation. Apparently children are watching more and more television every day.

Now that might have come as a surprise to some people but in all honesty, everyone knew it was the case. We didn't need a survey to tell us that.

However, if there's nothing better to do, what is a child really supposed to do? With less playing space for kids, I can see why parents would rather keep them at home.

When I was younger, there used to be plenty of space to play football or build a mini-Lords cricket ground in a back alley.

Nowadays that would be almost impossible, what with the NO BALL GAMES signs and the wheelie bins. If there is any space anywhere, a housing company soon moves in and claims it as its own.

When I was younger though, most of the time I was forced into manual labour, working hours on end with 15-minute breaks.

I am not talking about paid work ... I speak of that craze which grips most households at this time of year - decorating.

It is officially decorating season. Well, for the people I know anyway.

In the beginning it used to be so simple. You either painted it or put woodchip paper everywhere. Only the posh people managed to do both. And that was that.

You wouldn't re-decorate your house for 10 years unless you moved home.

After months of nagging, I finally ran out of excuses.

The problem was, I didn't have any tools to do the job. I have a friend who has borrowed everything. This gentleman was recently at my house borrowing my wallpaper paste-up table last week.

Paste-up tables cost £10. The amount of petrol he used to come to my house to check if I'm at home equates to more than that. But it doesn't matter because for many it's the thrill of knowing you got something for free.

Even if it means going to the other side of the country, it was free so it was worth it.

He then lends my paste-up table to his cousin and then to another friend. By the time the table was returned to me, as well as being broken it looked like it had been to India and back.

September, for some reason or other, is the worst time of year and you will get stung. Three months ago my carpet cleaner went, then my wallpaper stripper and my drill set. None of which was ever returned.

And what can you do? Nothing, that's what.

When you go to the borrower's house to get your stuff back, he's never in and his wife pretends she doesn't know where he puts things.

She's usually in on the scam. And their front room is immaculate as is the rest of the house.

No wonder, they have the tools to do the job!