The terms “August” and “camping” go well together. However, when the word “Scotland” is thrown into the same sentence, a small alarm bell should sound in your brain. Unfortunately TPR and I were so delighted when my sister J and her family asked us to join them on holiday in the far north west that we conveniently forgot that August is Scotland’s rainy season.

So now I found myself deep in misery, sheltering from another downpour at the tiny basin of a communal camp site bathroom. I had volunteered to wash a long dress and two shirts, none of which were mine. When I stepped back outside into the damp gloom of the rainy camp site I geared myself up for a day sitting in the car waiting for the clothes to dry. However, I’d temporarily forgotten that the others had taken the car to go fishing, so I would have to hide from the rain in the tiny, soggy tent. What a waste of annual leave!

When the others eventually returned to the camp site my sister J had already embarked on yet another madcap plan. She wanted to host a party at which she would “do” a Nigella Lawson. When she showed me the lobster and spaghetti recipe, I pointed out that she would, in fact, be “doing” a Gordon Ramsey. This dish was one of his creations. I could tell that I was putting my place on the guest list at risk by questioning her knowledge. However, it didn’t matter because I already knew that I would not make the party. On that day I had a prior engagement in Finland.

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At the end of the conference programme committee meeting PB handed me a small yellow guide to information retrieval. I leafed through to see if any of my papers were referenced. There was no mention of me at all, but PB’s work on social media was covered. Best of all, however, were all the examples, each of which was based around the exploits of Winnie the Pooh.

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Edinburgh butchers came up with a scheme to get rid of their surplus stock at the end of the week. Passengers returning home at Edinburgh airport were offered slabs of steak to take home for their supper.