Thanks for the replies... and for letting me moan a little bit! I'm feeling more cheerful this afternoon. It just comes in waves, like any emotion.

Quote Originally Posted by Duck on Wheels View Post
it may well be a bagatelle
Bagatelle? I had never heard that word before! Is this what you mean?

From Wikipedia: A bagatelle is a game-like literary tool used in fiction. The author empowers a character or object beyond natural or expected abilities (i.e. of comprehension, awareness, memory, etc.) so that it may carry a point across to the reader more transparently. A bagatelle creates a more direct communication between author and reader than common in fiction; it is the equivalent of a wink.

Ha! Maybe the fates are just winking at us!