I have it on good authority from friends in the restaurant trade that, for them at least, Valentine’s Day is one of the year’s low points: all those tables for two filled with demanding couples who expect particularly attentive service on this “special evening”. So much so that it can be a black comedy highlight for a harried waiter when a Valentine’s Day proposal goes off the rails and a disconsolate putative groom is left to finish that bottle of champagne single-handed.

This year, of course, for many of us a table for two is the only option, so why not treat the object of your passion to a little love poetry – a spot of Shakespeare, perhaps, or something from the Song of Songs? Or you could try your hand at writing some yourself.

While we’re on the subject, take this opportunity to read the story of Lucian Landau, a young Polish immigrant to the UK and his legacy to lovers everywhere. And, if music be the food of love, a new study can shed light on why we’re obsessed with the music of our youth.

This week we’ve also been marking the tenth anniversary of the Arab Spring and musing about mental health wearable technology to tell the boss you’re not happy. And why, despite the freezing temperatures, we’ll be keeping the windows open.

Meanwhile our colleagues around the world have been following the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, considering how a child soldier became a war criminal, and unravelling the complex issue involved in using indigenous identity as political symbolism in New Zealand.

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