HAVE you ever tried to sniff yourself?

Odd question, I know, but I'm wondering what our family smell is.

Ever since we adopted Polly the dog I have been...concerned...that we have also adopted the dog smell.

Eau de dog - that wet fur, mud and (please no) bad trump smell they emit often while you are eating or sat near their bum.

I have been extra cautious to make sure I am using a bit more detergent when washing our clothes and I am going through bottles of Impulse body spray like a 13-year-old with her first crush.

But this weekend I have been thrown into a panic.

A mum approached me at a Christmas fair wondering whether her daughter had picked up Daisy's cardigan while getting changed after PE.

I have a long list of failings as a parent and to that list I must add writing my children's names on their school clothing.

I had some handy little name stickers which I bought at the start of the summer holidays, stored them in a safe place and, yep, the place is so safe I have completely forgotten where it is.

But I hold out hope they will be found so I haven't got around to penning them in yet.

Anyway, without having a name to go on, her daughter said she thought it belonged to us because it "smelt like Daisy".

Smelt like Daisy. Smelt like Daisy. That phrase is echoing in my head over and over.

What is Daisy's smell? Please just Persil Non Bio. Please not some unpleasant family smell which lingers around us like a cartoonish green cloud.

And how can I find out what our family is as I am probably now nose-blind to our smell?

I've come across family smells before - particular brands of softener, deep fat fryer, stale cigarettes, perfume.

But I've never been aware we have a smell.

It is absolutely no coincidence that after the fair we marched up to a farm shop and bought our Christmas tree.

It's going to buy me some time so the rest of December we can smell like pine, Father Christmas can look into buying Polly some dog perfume (does it exist?) and I can stop worrying that we are not coming up roses when it comes to our family smell.