Having been out for most of the day at a family get-together in Somerset, Chris drew up at my sister’s place to drop her home when Mary suddenly realised that she didn’t have her keys. She checked her handbag a second time, spilling the contents (a red lipstick, a pink flower clip and a pair of joke glasses) onto her lap.

“I’ll have to come back…” Mary began then had a change of heart, “No I won’t, I’ll break in through the back – like I’ve done before.”

She jumped out of the car and was about to wander around to the back of the house when another thought struck her.

“Maybe Geoff forgot to lock the window, seeing as he knew I’d be home soon.”

And Mary checked and found, to her great satisfaction, that she was right. Mary and I looked at the narrow window.

“I think I can fit through there,” Mary said and looked to me for confirmation.

I nodded but I rather fancied the idea of having a go myself (we’ve always been rather athletic and daredevil sisters).

“Let me try,” I said as nonchalantly as possible to hide my excitement at the prospect. “I’ve got longer legs than you.”

“No that’s alright, I’ll grab a chair from the garage.”

Amongst the many items of furniture housed in the garage, the only chair within reach was a wooden high chair, which Mary dismissed, no doubt after imagining the difficulty of trying to step up onto it (almost as hard as climbing in through the window).

“This paint tin will do,” Mary said, putting it in place under the window sill.

My sister stood on the paint pot and raised one of her legs in the hope that it would stretch effortlessly over the sill and into the window. Sadly, although a former expert at doing the splits, she found that her knee was crooked on the wrong side of the sill.

“I’ll do it – let me try,” I urged. (Surely, being that little bit younger, I was still limber enough to extend my leg to the desired elevation.)

Mary stood on the paint pot and twisted and turned, working out her method of entry.

“I’ve got it,” she said delightedly, “I’ll just dive in head first and you can give me a push if I need it.”

And that is exactly what happened, as you can see from the photographs…