"So did you have a good day then?" I asked..

Truth be told, I was feeling a bit like a louse and a worm. There I was, feeling sorry for myself at having to stay at home looking after a baby. I had spared her not a thought - returning to her high-powered job worried that people will have forgotten about her, stolen her desk, changed her screensaver etc.

Above all, despite all the legislation from Europe that says that they are just as good as us, sometimes women who have fallen pregnant or borne children do not progress in their career because their (sexualist male) bosses think they do not have their mind on the job and thus do not take them seriously. I knew the LTLP had been very keen to make an impression on her first day back.

"I locked myself in the bike shed on the way in," she explained. "I had to shout for help. Eventually some passers-by heard me and went to the Facilities Department, who sent someone over to get me out." She poured herself a large glass of wine.

"Oh."