As a Catholic, I should be used to it but there’s a permanent feeling of guilt suffusing daily life, as we are constantly told to be more ‘green’. I recycle as much as the local council will collect, no longer own a car, turn the television completely off every night, turn off the tap when brushing my teeth, and even joined the local library at long last in order to curb my habit of buying lots of brand new books. One hopes these things make a difference, but how to know?

Last week I stayed in a tiny resort at the foot of Mont Blanc and there was no snow in the village, just about enough snow to ski at the top of the mountain (but only slush on the nursery slopes) and the sun shone brightly throughout. On arriving back home, the weather reports were full of dire warnings for snow, gales and blizzards. A direct punishment for my short-haul flight from Geneva to London? Or merely a topsy turvy weather system, such as we have always known? I’ll play it safe, as Catholics do, and atone for my (eco) sins by filling the recycling bags and praying for forgiveness.