IT is a strange world. At the weekend, just for a minute - well, a little less, if I'm strictly accurate - I found myself feeling sorry for Prince Edward and Sophie. They renounced the business ventures for which they'd been so heavily criticised, and immediately they were denounced as spongers off the state.

It was a clear case of a couple who could never win.

But then the milk of human kindness turned sour, and I realised that it was Edward and Sophie, who rattle around the 57-room Bagshot Park together, I was feeling sorry for. I am quite better now, thank you.

AND so to far more important things. The most extraordinary fact that has turned up this week concerns the ice cube tray, without which the world would indeed be a poorer place. Fred W Wolf Jr included the world's first ever ice cube tray in his 1914 Domelre (Domestic Electric Refrigerator). The Domelre received a cool reception, but the ice cube tray caught on.

But it was a fellow called Guy L Tinkham who really made ice cubes what they are today. In 1933, he patented the flexible ice cube tray so that, with only a little bending, the ice cubes plopped out of the tray.

It was not as simple as that, though. Tinkham realised that each compartment in the tray had to have sides that sloped at an angle of five degrees. Then, when the tray was flexed, the cubes would fly out (invariably onto the floor).

Without such a mind, the world would be immeasurably poorer today, and without such knowledge, our lives would be a damn sight duller.

THE English language continues to evolve in marvellous, mysterious ways. This week we've been tempted by the delights of the new BBC Four television channel. Whereas our parents would have complained about more bloomin' repeats on the BBC, the current generation is supposed to be thrilled by the prospect of a third of BBC Four's programmes being "second chance" viewing. And at Peterlee, where the people must be heartily sick of being offered work in yet another bloomin' call centre, they are now thrilled by the Inland Revenue's kind offer of employment in a "customer contact centre".

HOW others see us. An American tourist from Virginia was in North Yorkshire at the weekend. "Gee," she enthused without prompting. "What a great transport system you guys have here. Everywhere is so accessible by both train and bus." Stephen Byers and your integrated transport policy, go to the top of the class.

THE most extraordinary thing about Alain Baxter was not that he became the first Briton to ever win an Olympic skiing medal, nor that he has failed a drugs test. The most extraordinary thing is that he was welcomed home from Salt Lake City last week by his mother and her sister who exalts in the name of Auntie Pennie Rennie.

A PLANE from Wales bound for the Alpine ski resorts failed to take-off on Tuesday because it was overloaded by too many men and too much luggage. Was Tony "four changes of clothes a day" Blair on board?