Twenty years ago my friend E and I weaved brightly coloured threads together in that gap between school and sitting down to a meal which definitely would have included oven chips. We never gave one another these “friendship” bracelets, oddly, but made them together often while pondering much the same things we do today (namely food and whatever will we do when we are grown-up).

I’m not sure how I still remember to make these, especially as I’ve forgotten a lot of what I once spent hours learning since: EU Law (now outdated anyway), how to drive (never really mastered it) and Hangul characters (but I can still recognise “bibimbap” so all is not lost).

It’s been over 40 degrees in Dubai for over a month now so indoor activities are on the agenda. It’s not so bad in a country designed for hot temperatures – anything can be delivered to your door in under an hour and most activities have wound down for the summer so there’s no guilt in devouring all seven seasons of Mad Men with a cold Diet Coke (we may have Waitrose but it doesn’t sell gin) in hand until outside becomes a little more pleasant.

Making these these bracelets is also an ideal way to prevent online shopping (harder to resist when you have a trip home approaching and can avoid shipping charges), mindless snacking and booking flights to cooler places, as well as being a nostalgic reminder of a much simpler time.

If you want to give them a go and need a refresher then these links should help (1), (2) and (3).