Just when we thought that I had dealt with all my mother’s personal effects following her death, I discovered a small chest of drawers stuffed with some of her clothes – in the bedroom of a small blonde child that we were babysitting.

TPR and I emptied the drawers and laid the contents on the floor. I recognised most of the garments. However, I was surprised to find amongst them several new items. These were most likely NWT purchases from charity shops. A couple were suitable for me so I stuffed them into my bag.

The identity of the person who had hidden this stash soon became obvious. A clear plastic bag amongst the clothes crammed with screws, pins, a full pack of wine gums, and half a roll of Refreshers convinced us that the culprit was my sister S.

When we met my other sister J to tell her of our discovery, I had another surprise. She’d slimmed down to a size 8 and was dressed in a top, skirt, tights and shoes all the same insipid colour (pale butterscotch).