The Flemish centre of old Lille, with its cobbled streets and gilt-edged stonework, has been scrubbed up; new cafes and boutiques flourish.

Once the long slog toward bedtime was over and my two children scrubbed clean and in bed, I would sit on the couch and ache for grown-up company.

When I got up the next morning, I found she had scrubbed and wrapped my ankle with linen bandage.