The lead programmer in my group here at Onyx went to France a few weeks ago to climb Mont Blanc. On the way back he and his mates stopped at what they thought was a public campground. Instead, it turned out to be a gypsy camp (did everyone see Brad Pitt in Snatch?) and the current residents weren’t too happy to see them arrive. While it all sounds pretty scary, no one was seriously hurt and AJ (as he’s known in the office) took it all in stride. During the week he was recovering, he found himself dealing with numerous requests to speak with the UK press. His mum got interviewed on telly, and his picture was all over the newspapers in his village. When he flew back to the UK, the ambulance driver who picked him up at the airport had to fend off paparazzi. His fifteen minutes of fame are over, and AJ is relieved to be free of the attention.

The police in France say that the suspected shooter has fled the gypsy camp and no one will say where he went. The gypsies are adamant that AJ and his fellow climbers were trying to break into their caravans. We keep razzing him, asking him why he thought he could find something of value in a gypsy camp.