ONLY those who have fallen out with their partner and have spent recent weeks down an abandoned coal mine in a huff will be unaware of the latest craze sweeping the land.

I refer to the Ice Bucket Challenge.

It has got me wondering how far back in history did crazes begin.

Did cavemen indulge in crazes? I don’t think so.

Supposed images of these days show angry looking individuals wandering about armed with spears, clubs and perhaps bows and arrows. If they got up to any craze it would almost certainly have ended in tears.

Also, cavemen may not have been the brightest citizens but they fought a daily battle for survival and would have had little time for frivolity.

A modern day craze that has been around for a while is the ‘selfie’, which involves taking a picture of yourself with a camera phone.

I can see the point of this if one is alone in a beautiful location and would like a reminder of the occasion. I can also understand if one bumps into a favourite actor or entertainer and he or she is happy to be part of a ‘selfie’.

What puzzles me is it would appear many people regularly take solo ‘selfies’ to post on social media for some strange reason.

Furthermore, I have no desire to create a massive collection of self-images.

I know what I look like.

The passage of time has given my face what the General Manager kindly refers to as a “craggy” appearance (perhaps she is not being kind?) but I am unaware of changes occurring on a daily basis which might make one feel the need to record them.

Back to the Ice Bucket Challenge. This craze for allowing one’s self to be doused with super-chilled water has been raising money for charity and that is praiseworthy.

What I cannot understand is why it has caught on in the west of Scotland, of all places.

Given our climate, if we decided to give money to charity every time we were soaked by freezing rain everyone would end up bankrupt.