SC confessed that she had frittered away all her savings on foreign holidays, so I was somewhat surprised when she said that she was joining me, JC and TPR on a trip to Hawaii.

BR helped make the travel arrangements for us. We were to be picked up on our bikes from a bus stop near the airport. After the flight we would cross the US in the company of a huge brown bear and its cubs, using the beast both as transport and a safe place to sleep.

I was only too happy to abandon my work colleagues for a few days, especially since N’s misery was starting to grate on us all.