That's why I've had a pair of armoured jeans for motorycle riding bouncing back and forth between myself and the supplier for the last few weeks.

I began by convincing myself I was a 34-inch waist, for some reason ordered a 36, changed the order to a 34 (just before despatch, but after they had cut the leg-length on the 36s) and received the 34s to find I couldn't comfortably get them done up. Whoops.

My wife questioned why on earth I thought I was still a relatively slimline 34, pointing to the clearly-labelled 36 in my last pair of Wranglers.

The point of all this is to praise Hood Jeans, of Tibenham, near Diss, – a family-run firm trading internationally which provides customer service which is first rate.

The size mix-up was all mine. Despite having the first pair ready to post out, and despite my offer to make do and pull my belt a notch tighter (poor, misguided, in-denial fool that I am) they insisited on cutting another pair for me so they could be "the correct fit".

And then they didn't flinch when, shamefaced, I asked a second time if there was any chance of changing again. Customer service like this is rarely found these days. One of my special, infrequently-produced and much-coveted Good Service Awards is now winging its way across the county.

• Borough councillor David Pope writes in response to last week's jottings about dead treelings at Yours South Lynn:

Dear Purfleet, you really must attend more council meetings for up-to-date information about what is happening in the borough.

I raised this issue of the conifers at full council nearly one month ago. My main concern is that if they are brown now, they certainly are not going to turn green overnight, and therefore I cannot understand the delay in replacing them.

Great minds, then, David. But it's to be hoped they will be replaced at a time when nature may be more accommodating, or when there's time for watering.