Anyways, there he was, making fun. I’ll do my best to get his voice right, if it helps, but don’t go laughing if I sound like I’ve gone soft in the head, OK? Cordelia’s told me that she wants this all done properly so I’ll tell you what was said and what I remember and where I can’t be sure I’ll do my best. So like I said, he’s off work. Bored. Getting a bit niggly. He’s not earning, which puts him in a grump, and I’ve had to go back to doing some cleaning jobs here and there to bring in a bit of cash while he’s getting better. Worked his whole life, our John. Worked up at the rocket place, though you’ll know that if you’ve done your homework. RAF Spadeadam. They tested rockets there in the sixties and seventies. You probably won’t even know that we were in the space race. Most people don’t. Massive great place it was and it brought no end of money into the area. Gilsland did bloody well out of it all and our John worked on the base. It was a good job for a plumber, getting a job with Rolls-Royce. They used liquid oxygen so it was all a bit dangerous and it was a bit of a pat on the head for our John to be able to say he was part of it all. Got the push when they sold it on to the military, of course. Worked here and there but not long enough to get much in the way of holiday pay so when his kidneys packed up it was proper tightening of the purse strings for the pair of us.

‘She is, you know. I swear it. Jane Bone, that’s what they’ll call her. Moneypenny, if not.’