I was staying in the tiny estate house that belonged to the family of my school friend KM. They lived next door to a newsagent.

I looked out of the window and asked who cared for the patch of green next to the house. KM explained that the newsagent’s newspaper delivery customers took it in turns to mow the grass. She implied that her parents were part of this arrangement.

I thought that this was ridiculous. Why would you pay to have your papers delivered when you lived so close to the shop?