Walking towards a parade of Japanese warriors twirling swords on horseback, I tried to get my bearings. Was I in the far east in the fifteenth century? I panned my vision out and realised I was actually in Canada. I sat in a cinema in an oriental coat and realised I was not dressed for the torrential rain outside.

I admired a tan leather coat with a big fur collar and offered to buy it even though I had one just like it at home. Sitting at a desk, reading with my head down, a colleague’s appraisal was taking place next to me. That’s how I found out she earned £62,000 a year.