I looked at the picture again. It was, without doubt, a garden dormouse. Did the person actually see it in this country or abroad? Where was the photo taken? Was it an escape from a collection — this was how we got edible dormice at Tring, when Lord Rothschild lost some of his. They are still feral at the house and in the surrounding area.

I looked at the record again. It was from Petersfield, in Hampshire, not a million miles from Portsmouth. I could feel my hands getting moist with anticipation. It had to be an escape. Usually, we only find out because somebody’s cat brings them in. However, they can colonise from escapes if enough get away. Tring is an example, and even the colonies of dormice on Mallorca and Menorca were introduced by man, the only indigenous species was extinct hundreds if not thousands of years ago and exists only in fossil records.

I would recommend we rejected the record but I’d like to check it out. I would call the person when I was down at Tom’s. I didn’t have to come back to Bristol for a few days, unless we had a problem with the filming and we still had one more day.

Alan eventually called me back. Apparently, Darren’s parents were not impressed with his accident and he couldn’t come out to play with us again. I don’t know why we both laughed at this, but we did. I suppose he had to be about twenty and was still living at home–but then, these days, loads of kids couldn’t afford to move out and preferred to stay at home because they could drink more that way. At the ripe old age of twenty three, I was despairing of today’s youth. I was getting more like Tom every day.

Alan had been playing with the stuff we’d already done and I still had to do some voice over stuff for the rest of the film. He liked the idea of adding the Youtube clip, to keep it balanced with some humour. I would arrange for the original to be sent to him. He thought the first edit would take him a week, then I could comment and see how it fitted the script, then he’d edit number two and I’d comment again and do a trial run of the voice over, then we’d do the final edit and add voice over and mix in a soundtrack and other noises, like birdsong.

I was free to go to Portsmouth. I packed and left within the hour. Tom was delighted to see me, more so when I told him I had a roast dinner on the go for him. We hugged and he said he was pleased to see me. I’d made up my bed and was rather glad I had, because we talked about things until about one in the morning.

I slept like a log and woke about nine–yikes, I was late for the office. I hurriedly showered and dressed and putting on a suit and some makeup, I decided I’d pretend I was an adult.

When I walked into my office, I could see someone else was using it–they weren’t actually there–but it was tidy! I went down the labs, my heels clicking on the tiled floors. Neal was there setting up an experiment. He glanced up and did a double take.

“Cathy, is that you?”

“If it isn’t then someone’s stolen my body.”

We hugged and he told me he was dating Gloria on a regular basis. What a surprise–not. He told me the guy who’d temporarily replaced me was a real lab rat. It was for him that he was setting up the experiment.

A moment later, a thirty something, balding man walked in and looking at me said, “I’m sorry, we don’t allow visitors in the laboratories without special permission.”

“I don’t usually need permission to visit my own lab,” I retorted, if this bloke was like this with strangers, I dreaded to think how my students would be treated.

“Your lab? Who are you?” he spluttered.

“Colin Montgomery (no not the golfer — wrong spelling), meet Cathy Watts, whose position you’re covering.”

“Ah, you’re the dormouse woman?”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“Sorry, let me rephrase that, you’re the lady who studies dormice?”

“Amongst other things, yes.”

“Other things?”

“Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Tour of Brit…” interrupted Neal.

I slapped him on the arm, “You fool,” I looked at the new comer, “I’m leading the rodent panel for the national mammal survey.”

“Oh yes, Professor Agnew’s baby.”

“I think you’ll find Cathy, here, designed much of it.” Neal was being very protective, “Seeing as she’s the only field biologist on the staff.”

“Indeed, prefer the laboratory myself, don’t like mud and rain and fieldwork always involves both.”

“Each to his own,” I said, “Nice to meet you, I must go and see Tom.” I excused myself. However as I left, I heard the newcomer ask how, ’she gets to call the professor by his first name?’

“She’s his adopted daughter, it helps,” was Neal’s reply. I didn’t wait for Montgomery’s. I wasn’t sure I liked him.

I chatted for a few moments with Pippa, she wanted to buy her boys new bikes for Christmas. I recommended the bike shop near the university and to mention mine or Simon’s name.

“I don’t know what bikes to get them.”

“Probably mountain or BMX depending upon what sort of riding they do.”

“I don’t know, if I ask them, they’ll know what I’m planning and I want it to be a surprise.”

“How about I call by on Saturday or Sunday on the bike and see if I can provoke the right sort of conversation?”

“Could you? That would be brilliant.” She smiled at me and went back to her typing. “Have you met your replacement?”

“Yes, bit of a dry old stick.”

“A bit, he’s very good on his lab work.”

“What about fieldwork?”

“I think Tom is hoping you’ll be back to do that with them.”

“Oh, is he now?”

Tom’s door opened, “Pippa, can you…oh, hello, Cathy, what are you doing here?”

“I think I’m on the payroll, Professor Daddy.”

He blushed bright puce, it was lovely. “Um, I thought you’d been seconded by DEFRA.”

“Whatever? Am I bovvered?” I answered in the style of a Catherine Tate character.

“I don’t know. Pippa, can you send these off as soon as poss? I suppose you want me to take you to lunch?” This latter bit was aimed at me.

“If you like,” I wasn’t that bothered.

“Maybe I should ask Colin if he’d like to come too. Have you met your replacement?”

“I think she has and wasn’t overly impressed,” said Pippa, stirring things.

“He’s an expert on phyto-plankton.”

“He’s a botanist?” I squeaked.

“I suppose he is, isn’t he? Anyway he’s doing cell biology, enjoys his microscope work.”

“Phyto-plankton?” asked Pippa.

“Pond life,” I replied before Tom could say anything, “Some people are so cut out for their work.” Pippa laughed loudly and Tom smirked before regaining his composure.

“I think you need to take some of this a bit more seriously, young lady.” He said delivering my censure.

“Why? The best job in the world is one you enjoy. I love mine.” I threw back before he could say anything else.