It is worth pointing out that when I go on a walk with the cats, they tend to get less keen the further I stray from home. Tabby is the bravest, he has followed me for a good half hour in the past. Mark is the next bravest. But Patch and Minxie prefer to remain closer to home. Consequently, by now, they are getting a bit restless.

So why are the tulips purple this year? Is this colour change a regular thing? In the previous five years they have always been red. I know that some scientists have been doing some experiments in the field (yes, they really have!) but I had assumed it was more to do with monitoring them, rather than altering them. Is it a scandal, or is nature just doing what comes naturally?

Tabby promised me he would have a think about it, and get back to me.

So, what will the ramifications be if the crop has indeed turned purple? Will the stall holders hastily airbrush their designs? Will scientists be run out of the neighbourhood the moment they set foot on our hallowed soils? Who knows. I will however be monitoring the surrounding hedgerows, and the top of the Akamas, to see if the tulips that appear there are also purple, or whether they are the more familiar red.

Few things are more invigorating than a distant view of a snow-capped mountain.