The 2:00am train to Paris from Edinburgh was packed. I lost SL and the boys in the crowd of passengers as soon as I boarded and ended up sitting on the floor in the last coach. Only much later on did I find SL and discover that there was a reserved seat for me in coach C.

First on our list of ‘things to do in Paris’ was to purchase a quilted anorak in the nearest TK Maxx. I’d left the house in Edinburgh in such a hurry that I had forgotten to bring a coat.