Prospective client calls, at 10.10 pm on a Friday night on a Bank (national) Holiday weekend. He says it is absolutely imperative that a piece of work is done a.s.a.p., preferably before Sunday. The work involved is perhaps eight or nine hours from the description given. In other words it would occupy the whole of Saturday on a Bank (national) Holiday weekend. Agreeing to do the work entails cancelling all other activities. But prospective client is the press office of the London embassy of a major South American country, and desperately needs this stuff out, he pleads.

Saturday morning comes, and prospective client neither calls nor emails the material. Calls to the 24/7 mobile number for this benighted nation return nothing but an answering service (which unlike Friday 10pm is not its returning calls). The desperation that was being experienced the night before in this corner of the international diplomatic universe has clearly passed. The press officer for this star in the southern firmament is, like every other sensible person, out of office, clearly not having cancelled his national holiday weekend entertainment (as you have done at his behest); and also has his 24/7 phone switched off.

So if you ever ask a consultant to work their national holiday weekend, don’t be surprised if the estimated cost you are quoted is extraordinarily large: they are trying to tell you they really don’t want this kind run-around and would rather be enjoying the sunshine.