Can you think of the last time you felt homesick? I imagine most people in this room have known that experience at some time or another—whether it was your first time spending a night away from your home, or if you had to spend an extended period of time away for some reason.
Have you ever been in a situation where you have done something that has left a bad impression on somebody else, and then later you needed the help of that same person, and you had to go back with your tail between your legs to ask for help, knowing they will remember? I asked our young people before the service if they had any recall of this, and there were quite a few nods around the room, and quite a few hands went up when I asked if anybody had a story along those lines they would like to share. Well, these were stories people preferred to keep quiet. It's embarrassing.
When you apply for a job, as I did years ago before coming here, one of the questions they ask you is to list your hobbies and interests. Here's what I put. I can’t remember if it's on the application form for this job or not: the best quality coffee in the world, hiking and running, the books of John Le Carré, and the films of Laurel and Hardy.