Hot water, a clean and sharp razor, a tub or shower to shave in, shaving cream and alcohol-free lotion are essential items to have when shaving your legs.

In the lucky chance of mutual friends existing, perhaps they could find a means of bringing you two together without the strategy seeming too obviously matchmaking.

A third party could suggest drinks or a meal out or an outing to which both of you are invited along with others. On the other hand if you wish to ring him yourself I suggest you resist the temptation to propose a solo date in favour of one in the company of friends.

I’m not forgetting that the modern women has every right to assert her preferences and take the initiative. But if you play like one of the boys you must be prepared to take what comes!

What do you think? Let us know your feedback by leaving your comments in the comment box below…

All people, men and women alike, don’t like to feel used or rejected, which should be a guide in approaching the break-up. One could try to convey that however brief the acquaintance, the experience of knowing the other person has held some real meaning.

Any verbal expression of thanks or pleasure would be preferable to a casual parting phrase, or the hurtful way of simply drifting off without a word – the worst possible way of approaching a break-up as many a Love Stories reader would attest.

Flowers would suit; also a tender letter or even a brief face to face conversation would show consideration. In Love Stories view, email and SMS should be forgone for the purpose – we think that either is a chilly and impersonal means as well as being a fallible method of calling it a day.

It may be that the affair was ecstatic and is only being brought to an end through tricky personal circumstances such as a move to a new city or country, or simply because a new job just doesn’t give one enough time for a relationship. Saying thanks for the memory and expressing sadness in having to part are lines that have stood the test of time.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

One strategy to recommend to Love Stories readers, whom I hope will have no truck with the above case, is to wait for the noise level of the general conversation at the party to rise to a volume at which a polite remark, while being perfectly audible to the neighbouring nuisance, is likely to be missed by the company.

You may say that a joke is a joke but he has misread the script, or mistaken his quarry, or simply that you are not enjoying the experience. The aim is to keep smiling all the while. If you can manage a put-down joke in language that doesn’t compound the impropriety, well done.

Another means that regrettably works only at a free and easy gathering is to ask if trading places is allowed, and, if so, you would love to move along to be with so and so as you have been longing for a chat.

Escape may lie in bringing the talk round to a topic that is a prelude to saying goodbye. Simply thanking the person for ringing or for relaying a piece of news may do the trick as this has an air of tying up the loose ends of the conversation. An end to the dialogue is then relatively easy to introduce.

Some Love Stories readers have a ploy for dealing with the inconvenience of talkative callers. You could schmooze callers by stating that you really mustn’t keep them any longer or you must let them get back to their busy life. A diplomatic stroke, as it suggests that you are the one who has to forgo the pleasure.

Of the usual standby excuses for ringing off, such as saying you will ring back, or there’s a car waiting or you must go to run an errand, we think that the claims of having to answer a doorbell or the arrival of somebody probably works best.

Love Stories advice is to go for what you feel comfortable with for a first date, however do also try to make an attempt to raise your game by a point or two. You should aim for effects that are a tad sexier, and more self-confident than might have been the case in your normal day to day fashion style.

For example, if your legs do you proud, then it could be shorter skirts for you with racy high heels to boot. If you look great in a hat, wear one. If romantic soft things become you, give tailored silhouettes a miss.

Give thought to the small but telling elements, such as chic tights or a handsome handbag. It isn’t so much that the new man will notice such fine points in a woman’s attire on a first date, though of course the more observant ones (and perhaps those particularly keen to know you better) may well may.

Obviously plans for the first date will largely determine what you wear. If you are heading towards a fashionable bar or restaurant, and you want to shine in the eyes of an appreciative guy, my tip is to keep it simple but elegant. Or if you are heading to a casual walk in the park or just drinks at the local coffee joint, wear something simple but not dull, avoid looking sloppy at all costs.

All said and done, as any Love Stories reader would well know, it is important to keep in mind that half the battle is feeling good about yourself as you step out. And don’t forget to have fun!

However, an element of personal judgment comes into play when tipping, as whether tipping is considered acceptable very much depends on the prospective recipient and his or her general standing. When the person to whom the tip is offered shows a genuine reluctance to accept, and you wish to reward him or her, Love Stories advice is to rely on the face-saver of proposing that they put the tip in the staff box or pass it on to the ‘proper quarters’.

A doubtful area in tipping guidelines concerns personal friends who may work as freelance cooks, beauty therapists, waiters or masseuses, for instance. Love Stories advice is not to rate friendship above professional practice and to offer a tip as a recognised deal between equals. Another is whether you are obliged to slip a gratuity to your host or employer’s chauffeur who drives you to your destination without the driver’s employer on board. For a short drive perhaps not, but otherwise offer a tip.

Many of the old limits in tipping guidelines are still in place. No tipping of the maid or the nanny who accompanies her charges when they come to stay on holiday, though a present for special help given would be thoughtful. No tipping of the saintly staff nurse on duty in your ward – see above. And absolutely no tipping in traditionally run dining or recreation clubs when you are the non-member guest of a member.

Sound practice is to avoid declaring your hand too early in the game; keep your options open for a while. For if someone’s heavily signalled intentions fail to be reciprocated, the fact will be common knowledge in no time, and that can’t be much fun for the loser. On the other hand, should an interest be sparked in the early stages which subsequently quickly cools, this too is unlikely to be ignored by witnesses.

When you are travelling as a group, people don’t miss a trick. Instead, Love Stories recommendation is to be where the favoured one is, but in the company of others – at the pool, the bar, the table, on the same excursion -as an introduction to each other. Be a satellite if you will, not a shadow.

Participating in mutual interests has always been fruitful ground for Cupid.

Keep a sense of distance without turning a cold shoulder. Try to cast a web of doubt over the other’s premise on which their interest in seeking your company is based. If you can diplomatically suggest that they have it wrong about your burning interest in their pet subject, be it a hobby or affiliations or sport, you may have done the trick without losing a card.

A general caveat is to be wary of allowing yourself to be swept willy nilly into the bosom of the person’s family with all the intimacy implied and obligations entailed about asking back. The problem comes, of course, if you have already accepted their hospitality or generosity. Honour must be done.

You could repay with a small present in place of a reciprocal invitation. You could suggest as a follow-up a gathering with several people at which protracted one-to-one conversation is hard to come by. Your letter of thanks could be sincerely grateful but include no word of any further association, which is a pretty strong hint. It is not a crime to seek someone’s friendship; in Love Stories view, people should be let down lightly.