Hilary and Frances describe themselves as being of “the bus-pass generation”.

We were talking about inspiration when Frances said Hilary had inspired her to try something new – horse-riding and show-jumping. From being something she had never tried before, she now sees her job as financing her new hobby.

“We don’t jump very high,” she told me. “But when we do jump, ohhh...” She was at a loss to describe the feeling

– in a good way.

There is a lot to be said for keeping our feet on the ground, especially as we mature. But those moments, in whatever way we find them, when our feet (or our horse’s hooves) leave the ground, can lift the heart in a special way.

A solid grounding is important in life, but it can often be a springboard for something better.

Ladies, you both inspired me. Who needs a bus-pass when you can fly?

Getting ready to leave the house, Oliver looked out and saw the most miserable sight. An old man, hunched over in a wheelchair, being pushed, step by painful step, along the pavement by his elderly wife.

He pulled on his coat, determined to catch up and maybe offer to help. But, as he approached, they sped up. Passing by, they each wished him a cheery good day.

“It was only when I got close enough to hear their conversation,” he told me, “that I realised the man had been bent over because he was laughing at something his wife said.

“And her faltering steps had actually been her gasping for breath because she was laughing so much. If I hadn’t gone closer, learned a bit more, I would have been stuck with that one bleak image.”

It’s so often the case when we judge by appearances or first impressions. Get closer!