The broody blues explained.

And finally I understand.

At work, each of the staff team conspire against me to bring news that they are pregnant. Seven maternity leaves since 2002 and many more to come. I give them photos of myself to place on their bedside tables to give them pause for thought but to no avail.

Why so many pregnant women, when similar workplaces seem to have many fewer?

At last I understand.

Andrew was telling me that his eight bantams very rarely go broody. My Light Sussex do not have a propensity for broodiness at all and their aunts at my cousins house have no problem. Having sorted one of my three hens out, I now find that the other two are broody and the supply of eggs has stopped. They sit hunched in the nest boxes, wings extended, grumpy.

Then I understood: it’s me! There’s some chemical message I’m giving out that induces it. Females of whatever species come into contact with me and ‘bingo’. Someone in Beijing will read this and ask me to sit by the panda house.

Perhaps this could be my fortune.