We were all travelling on the Birmingham University French 1986 graduates’ bus. DM passed along the aisle offering cups of tea. I told her that TPR and I had made a brief visit to Rhyl and she said that we should have called in on her. She could have taken us deep sea diving! If we still fancied a dip, we would be welcome to join her and her husband on holiday on their boat in the tropics.

The woman on the coach sitting next to me was older than the rest of us. She spoke with a West Midlands accent and told us that her family came from Coventry. When we asked why she had joined us for the day she explained that she was representing her son David Limmington. David had died 16 years earlier from food poisoning after eating five figs at a buffet reception in the library were he worked.

Another participant called everyone to attention. He now worked as a microphone man for BBC3. He recommended that everyone watch his latest show, Hot rod librarian. He played some footage so that we would get a flavour of it. Two beautiful silver faces were talking to one another. At first they looked like SB and HJ, but as the camera panned in they were revealed to be a couple of sweet wrappers in the gutter.