My first name is Candida which is from the Latin, candidus meaning white, pure, bright. It is the name of a play by George Bernard Shaw, which is where my mother saw it and thought that it would be a good name for her oldest daughter.

Sadly, the name, nowadays, has a different meaning to most English speakers – Candida albicans which is a yeast infection.

Luckily for me I have been Candy since I was a tot and few people ask what it is short for. In America it’s the general name for sweets like chocolate and Mars Bars and pear drops and lollipops. Grown-ups sometimes would say to me, “Are you as sweet as your name?” and I would always say, “Yes, of course!”People often say things like that to me here in England – obviously they’ve watched a lot of telly or have visited the States and I often groan – I’ve heard it so often.

I wonder what the Chardonay’s of the world will think when they are asked if they taste like wine. (I once was on a bus when a mother shouted to her small child, “Chardonnay, come here this instant!” and I suppose there isn’t just one girl with that name.)

I guess I’m happy that my mother decided on Candida!