So to ward off the nastiest effects of the cold, I'm sucking on a Fisherman's Friend, I thought these lozenges were a curiously British phenomenon, like Irn Bru or Cornish pasties, but Asri has assured me they're also very popular in Malaysia of all places.

I can't really begin to imagine the surprise of Malaysian prawn fisherman who'd been dumped on a trawler in a freezing North Sea, culture shock is probably an understatement.