Elgan shrugged, and offered an open-handed gesture. ‘I’m sure many in Wales waved the Union Flag when the British troops left for the Falkland Islands, but even today there are strong family ties between Wales and Patagonia.’

Fridolin pondered these things for some time and then, after a deep breath and a long sigh he said, ‘I know you were a priest… but… do you hate her?’

Elgan ran his fingers through his cropped hair. ‘‘Do not be deceived,’ Frido: ‘God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.’’

‘So that’s the priest’s answer… you quote Scripture,’ he said, and shrugged his shoulders implying both dissatisfaction and non-comprehension.

‘Okay Frido… I’ll try and do better,’ Elgan offered, scratching his beard with both hands. ‘Let me tell you two stories: Story number one – Margaret Thatcher did her first degree in Chemistry and worked for a while as a research chemist. As a scientist, she would have understood the need to back up her research findings with evidence, and if evidence could be produced to show that a process or procedure worked, other people might use that procedure without doing all the groundwork over again to prove it works. Are you following me?’

Fridolin nodded, ‘I studied physics and chemistry until last year.’

‘So, medicine and dentistry and even education took this concept and developed what’s called evidence-based practice; what you do in your teaching or your nursing practice is based on evidence… based on what works.’

‘That’s totally straightforward… so what?’

Elgan scratched his beard again. ‘Did your dad ever tell you about how I was kicked out of the church and had to go and find another job?’

‘I know you stopped being a priest but I don’t know why that happened.’