I was learning how to climb the castle ramparts wearing a pilfered riding hat for protection when a bunch of equestrians came looking for their kit.

My teacher – a rough lad mounted on a white stallion that could scale vertical walls – told me to ignore them. This was somewhat of a challenge when I spotted that the equestrians were bearing cake, and included in their number my school friends EF (was D) and AR (was H).

I also was keen to discover where AR had bought her gorgeous black and tan silk dress.