Hurricane Fly is collecting the pension. Douvan is going chasing and Jezki is injured and out for the foreseeable future so it looks like it is going to be a drab hurdling season. Think again. There will be a thousand great stories through the winter and ten of them could be here.

Government spending on embassies and consulate offices fell by almost 3% last year, achieving savings of €1.6m for the exchequer.