I’d dressed in such a rush that I had accidentally ended up in a shirt that did not match the rest of my outfit. I’d also forgotten to put on my bra. I could not possibly make an appearance in mismatched clothes. So, as soon as I reached London, I removed the shirt and attended the research council meeting naked from the waist up. My very polite colleagues gave the impression of not noticing my new take on business dress code.

By lunchtime I guessed that my unconventional appearance at the meeting might be making some of the others uncomfortable. Rather than network over the buffet semi-naked, I popped out to the shops to see if I could find something suitable to cover up my top half. Earlier I had spotted a Marks and Spencer in the tube station so made this my destination. However, on my way there I spotted an old-fashioned department store where it looked like I could buy everything I needed: a bra, a shirt, and matching shoes.

The shop itself was very difficult to navigate and I ended up spending a lot of time travelling up and down escalators trying to find the departments that stocked the items on my shopping list. Others were lost too. I even spotted TMcE struggling to pick his way through piles and piles of outdoor clothing. My shopping trip was probably going to take longer than the measly hour allocated for lunch.