TPR and I didn’t miss the city when we moved to the outskirts of Edinburgh. Our house was a luxurious new-build with an extraordinary number of bathrooms. From a thin window on the top floor, we could see in the distance the outline of the Edinburgh castle and other landmarks along the High Street (amazing at sunrise). So we really weren’t that far away from our old life in town, after all.

My sister S came to visit one day. She arrived in her dentist’s blue sports car, complaining of toothache. She didn’t stay long, and was about to leave when she noticed that her cat was missing from the front passenger seat of the car.

My parents joined us to hunt for the errant pet. I was the one who found the boney bag of thinning fur. This made me the hero of the day, at least in the eyes of my relieved sister.