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If someone trots out the phrase...

"That's just health and safety gone mad"

I usually think well maybe it looks a bit overprotective, but there's probably a good reason behind it.

Weird stuff happens from the most innocuous implements. !

Common sense however is something we seem to have abandoned.

I am going to a wedding soon and wanted to buy a tie pin.

A well known high street store advised me:

"I am sorry Sir, we no longer sell tie pins on the grounds of health and safety."

What! Am I seriously in danger of fatally stabbing myself with it? Has ever used one as a murder weapon?

Sadly other stores were equally unhelpful. I ended up having to get one online. I felt like I was secretly ordering weapons of mass destruction from a dodgy arms dealer, rather than trying to get a cheap bit of bling.

I once got a nasty paper cut so on that basis let's ban all stationery.

I'm sure you'll have your own stories of over-the-top reactions to safety - feel free to add them to the comments section of the blog.

The madness of course continues this coming weekend with the . As sure as eggs is eggs (non salmonella variety of course) Greece will vote for Cyprus as their favourite and someone will have a costume gimmick as part of their routine.

I admit it's a guilty pleasure watching a couple of hours of Eurononk, but amongst this I have been alerted to some semblance of sanity - from, of all places, Belgium.

Well, strike a light (safety matches only please), if their entry is not only musical - it is made up of pure vocals. What appears to be a backing track of instruments is in entirely human sounds as you can witness here:

Belgium have to get through the 2nd semi-final before they are in with a chance of winning.

However if the contest really is about the music then on the big night they'll surely be up there at the top of the leader board (with safety harness on, naturellement).