When we were recalled to my parents’ house to finish the clearing job, we admired the garden in the beautiful spring sunshine. Our progress was slow, especially because all the utilities had been disconnected. Even the simplest of tasks, such as washing up, were impossible.

Added to this, we had to deal with our mother. She now regularly consumed seven bottles of wine a day. Then there was my super-skinny sister S. She found nothing odd about getting up at 6:00am to gorge herself on a huge plate of salami then returning to bed for the rest of the day. Of course, my long-dead father insisted that there was nothing wrong with these behaviours, even when I dragged him into a cupboard to express my annoyance.

TPR and I escaped my family for the afternoon when we headed to the beach. Here we stored all our valuables in a yellow carrier bag to hide under some stones in a cave that was used as a changing room by old ladies (including a retired librarian). Then we joined in the water sports from a boat anchored in the bay. HVJ was there, desperate for me to join her for a ride on a ‘water envelope’.

Of course the distraction of the house, the garden, and the beach meant that I completely forgot that I had promised to deliver a 7pm lecture at the university. If asked, I would blame my absence on flooding.