Welcome to Six Damn Fine Degrees. These instalments will be inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation in the loosest sense. The only rule: it connects – in some way – to the previous instalment. So come join us on our weekly foray into interconnectedness!

When I was a child, before the age of 7 or so, my parents took the family to the cinema once a year. Always on the second Sunday of Advent, we’d go and see whatever Disney movie was on – and it seems that there always was a Disney movie on at that time, sometimes a new one, sometimes a rerun. I don’t much remember the actual films: I have faint memories of seeing The Fox and the Hound, which would fit with the timeframe I’m talking about, and I think that Robin Hood and The Aristocats were also among the Disney films I saw when I was very young. I remember the tradition, though, which included us going to eat at an Italian restaurant after we left the cinema.