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Now here is a which gladdens Lady Bracknell's generally stony heart: CanesCanada.com will be setting up a stand at the Calgary Women's Show. At last - somebody is treating walking sticks as a stylish accessory, not just a utilitarian mobility aid! The owners of the company are aware that the right stick can make a big difference to a sticky crip's self-confidence. They say: "Buy a cane with your style, with a bit of your personality in mind. Then people come up and say: 'WOW, what a nice cane! Whre did you get it?' It gives a very positive response."

I hadn't come across the site before, presumably because I've tended to use search terms - including the word "stick" - which, as I'm finally beginning to realise, appears to be a peculiarly British description for those long sticky things we lean on. Almost everyone else calls them canes, apparently. It's not a particularly straightforward site to navigate, but it's worth persisting. They stock a huge variety of sticks, many of which I've never seen before, including a collection of Norman Rockwell canes. They will ship internationally, but you'd need to email them for a shipping quote.

While we're on the subject, I can't resist mentioning my own . To date, I've bought two of the lucite canes, one in blue and one in green. And I'm definitely going to be supplementing my collection with a purple one and a red one. In my experience, they really do result in complete strangers coming up to you and paying you compliments on your beautiful stick. Which is a blimmin' sight more empowering than complete strangers sympathetically asking you what you've done to yourself, I can tell you.