My sister J boasted so much about the new path from the main road to her house, that I felt compelled to test the route myself. I was well prepared in wellies, waterproof trousers, and an anorak for the mud that came all the way up to my waist. I just hoped that my mobile phone was safe inside the nylon pouch strapped across the middle of my body as I half-waded and half-swam between the two lines of hedgerow.

My sister had not been entirely honest in her description of the path. It did not lead directly to her house. At the point that it ended, I turned right along a small suburban road into a well kept English village. I didn’t recognise this place, but some friendly passers-by pointed me in the direction of my sister’s house – miles and miles away.