WHAT I'VE LEARNT ABOUT...my T-shirt collection

Am I the only human alive who can be transported with pure clarity straight back to very specific happy moments just by observing a visual cue?

- with CHRISSIE SWAN

Equally, am I the only one who can forget whole chunks of my life, the good and the bad, if I am not actively reminded it happened with something I can see with my own eyes? A photo, a dress I used to wear, a used chair that pops up unannounced on Facebook Marketplace that is the same as the one I had at that time.

Alternatively, a smell will suffice. Certain moments remain utterly forgotten until an aroma unlocks them. Last week I had one such recollection. I had entirely erased the existence of an elderly gentleman called Ed from my childhood. Then, out of the blue, a man of Ed’s approximate age walked past me and the odour from his armpits of all things (tangy and pungent from sweat living far too close to a polyester short sleeve shirt, plus a valiant masking effort from a can of Brut 33) brought his big, round face and English breakfast tea-stained sloped front teeth to the forefront of my mind. Hello again, Ed! I was thrilled to “see” him.