All chirpy and cheery on his way to the hospital to have a kidney stone removed – he called me to tell me exactly what was planned – he then decided he didn’t like the sound of the procedure he was about to undergo. In fact, he disliked it so much, he promptly checked out of the hospital and booked a flight to New York, apparently for business, telling the bemused hospital staff: “Call me when you’ve sorted out the anaesthetist.” They should have responded: “Oh come on, it’s only a little prick.”