‘How convenient that you chose to be dropped off here after our weekend away. Once again, I bet that you have assumed that I will give you a lift home?’ snarled DM at LB.

Poor LB looked aghast. None of us had ever witnessed DM in this kind of mood. Dare I now make my confession to her? I felt that I had no choice.

‘I need to tell you something’, I began. ‘I forgot to pick up your quilted coat when we left Pitlochry. I could drive back there tomorrow and collect it then, if you like?’

DM gave me a big hug and told me that this was no problem. She had plenty of other coats, and could easily find another way to recover the one that I forgot.

DM clearly just had it in for lift scroungers.