There was very little that could be salvaged from the manuscript after the reviewers savaged it, so I gave up on the job and instead responded to EH’s pleas for help.

Just pregnant with her third child, EH was dealing with two crises: (1) coping with the outrageous demands of a newly-appointed member of staff and (2) finding a venue with good acoustics for a one-day conference in Manchester.

I climbed into the open ‘boat car’ and drove down the M6 with EH and DG. However, I regretted my decision as soon as I realised that this trip would involve an overnight stay. How would I ever get back to Edinburgh in time to attend the following day’s poster presentations by my immediate colleagues?