Most tales of overcoming obstacles involve genuine, deep-rooted hardships; this one involves dress-ups and a plastic bowl.

It was medieval day at school (a spin-off of our year 9 history studies), and a sea of students came decked out like folks from the Middle Ages: fair maidens, court jesters, a regal Pope. I’d been assigned the role of medieval minstrel, responsible for the nobility’s musical entertainment throughout the day – weeks of rehearsal with my fellow musos had prepared me for this.

A feast was held in the school hall, complete with lavish banquet (roast chicken and veggies) and endless spirits (apple juice and water). Performers took their turns between courses, until it was time for the main event: an elaborate maypole dance, accompanied by a rousing drum solo.

This was my time to shine; to beat that drum with the confidence and flair of a seasoned entertainer. But disaster struck: the instrument was nowhere to be seen. Rumours about its whereabouts circulated. Was it an inside job? A rival minstrel, perhaps? Despite frantic searching, the drum had seemingly vanished. Still, the show must go on. I reached for the nearest bangable object – in this case, a historically inaccurate plastic salad bowl – and wholeheartedly thumped out the lively beat.

There were titters around the room from robe-adorned teens, and yet the maypole spectacular went off without a hitch. Which brings us to our lesson about resilience and not giving up: sometimes, when it seems like you’re dead out of luck and there’s no feasible way forward, you just have to reach for the closest kitchen implement.

xx Sophie and the frankie team