TPR made a huge effort with his appearance, first straightening and then dying, his grey hair into a glossy burgundy red bob. This was all in readiness for the arrival of a bunch of his former work colleagues at our flat.

They all piled into the study and sat on a mattress in front of a huge television. When I first saw the politicians on screen, I thought that TPR and his colleagues were watching a programme about politics. However, when they all started addressing one another directly, it was obvious that this was an important company conference call with the government in London.

A few days later I was in the English capital myself. I crossed the road beneath Big Ben on the way to a research council meeting beyond the Houses of Parliament. Since I had plenty of time (because I had no idea of the meeting venue), I stopped to admire the new floating art installations near Westminster Bridge that I knew from KJD’s online photography.