RECENTLY, I had to go to Edinburgh for a funeral.

When I booked my overnight coach ticket, the weather map showed a bullseye in the Atlantic, which was predicted to be over Scotland with gales and sleet on the actual day.

At 4am, I woke to find the coach swaying about as it roared up the A1. Should I keep awake, I thought, just in case it gets blown over?

Well, it didn’t get blown over, and it wouldn’t have made any difference if I’d stayed awake staring anxiously into the dark.

Worrying, for me, is a choice not inevitable. I was prepared – I had my seatbelt on, thick coat and emergency food in case the coach got stuck in a snowdrift. I couldn’t control the wind, or the driver’s concentration.

So I went back to sleep, and safely in Edinburgh gratefully joined old friends in remembering the life of my former colleague.