So, across from my house is a kind of overly-wide boulevard - on which a crowd of young working guys have taken to playing, of all things, croquet. They are out there now, stripped to the waist, muscular and tattooed, beers handy, tapping mallets to wooden balls, and occasionally cheering and high-fiving.

Here's my question: has croquet all of a sudden become a 'thing', or did these guys actually come up with the idea of playing it all by themselves (which in this day and age, I would find extraordinary)? Have you spotted any unlikely croquet-players in your neighbourhood?