It was a Friday night and, as was the custom, the EdCM crowd was meeting at the Curry Kettle in Merchiston for a balti. However, something was a little different this evening. Instead of giving your order to the waitress you had to go up to the hatch and quote the barcode for each dish chosen. Thank goodness that JW was in the queue just ahead of me and I could copy her order! We also learnt that evening that the cafe was about to close for refurbishment. This would be the last time that we would dine together in its yellow peeling-paint glory.

Just along the road from the Curry Kettle was my office. Once again my careful planning had been thwarted. When I returned to work after my holiday I discovered that three women from the Business School had moved in and one had completely taken over my beautifully appointed workstation corner behind the red room divider. I was absolutely livid and told her where to go.

After work I walked through the snow to NP’s place. She lived in beautiful two floor flat on Morningside Road, complete with a verandah covered in blooms. I was sorry to hear that she had recently put it on the market – but why had she decided to move?