DO you ever find yourself idly thinking: "I wonder what happened to that pram wheel that disappeared all those years ago?"

Well, the Diary can put your mind at rest. You left it at the Odeon, you foolish film fan.

All sorts of odd things have been left behind by patrons of York's threatened movie house.

George Shepheard, who was manager from 1967 to 1986, kept a bizarre collection of lost property.

There was that single pram wheel, for instance.

Anyone who spent early childhood being trundled around York at a 45 degree angle will now know why.

One of most curious abandoned items was a corselette, a woman's foundation garment, not easily removed. It must have been a hot night. An absent-minded railway engine driver left his peaked cap under the seat. Another moviegoer left his shoes, and a third his bike pedal.

Other items discovered by Odeon staff included a bangle engraved with the ten commandments and what Mr Shepheard described as "the thousand pound dart" - as it caused a grand's-worth of damage to the screen when some vandal threw it.

A pair of false teeth was also relinquished but not, alas, during a screening of Jaws.

And more than one woman left her most precious and closely-guarded secrets on the cinema floor.

"The most sensitive things were personal diaries," confided Mr Shepheard. "They never put in personal details like their name and address, but included quite remarkable personal details in other regards."

He has a moral to this story: "I don't leave my seat without having had a good look around."

THE Football Association has sent out a ten-point checklist for those considering buying a pair of footie boots for a loved one this Christmas.

According to the FA, boots should "protect against direct trauma (a kick or contact with the ball)".

No need to buy pairs for the York City strikeforce, then.

TALKING of Chrimbo, the Diary is compiling a list of the worst gift ideas. Here's one: the Breville comedy kettle/toaster/sandwich toaster set which will say something "funny" in a celebrity voice each time they work.

If anyone's found a Christmas present which is more horrendous than a kettle doing a bad Tony Blair impression, please let us know.

MORE names are suggested for the Diary. Julie Fahey of Dringhouses suggests Loose Talk (around York). Tell-Tale Titley comes from Heather Smith of Heworth, while on a similar theme, Mr M McManahan of Woodthorpe says Titley's Titillations.

Mrs A Corbett of South Bank has put forward a top ten, including Life And Strife, Daily Doodles and The Onlooker. R Hutchinson of Manor Park Close likes The Daily. And he has a separate suggestion for our new entertainment tabloid: "Get rid of Twenty4Seven as we are not America. How about '24 Hours A Day'?"

Finally for now, Dale Minks has responded to last week's news that his suggestion ("Diarrhoea-y") has already been ruled out.

He would like a consolation prize: to be the arranger of the live model in Browns' shop window (pictured left). "I used to be a window dresser at York Co-op many years ago, and I want to keep my hand in..."

Sorry Dale, this is one model who will be adjusting her own corselette.

MODERN language is odd. Yesterday York police said the victims of the horrendous Gillygate double murder were "known members of the city's drug community" and appealed to those who are part of "the drug scene" to come forward.

It makes the whole horrible business of addiction sound like membership of a church youth club.

GOOD news. Diary fashion correspondent Anne McIntosh has filed her first despatch, to be published imminently.

But still no suggestions as to what we can hang from the Evening Press flagpole.

Chocolates are on offer for the best bright idea.

Updated: 09:37 Tuesday, December 09, 2003