Rediscovering my stamp collection has brought me joy, nostalgia – and a handy distraction from study

I had two weeks to prepare for my medical school exams. Two weeks of blissful solitude at home, with nothing to do but revise. I sat down, opened my laptop … and immediately began to glance around for a distraction.

I’ve long been a masterful procrasti-cleaner, but distraction was difficult to find because my house is generally quite spick and span. I wandered into my beautifully curated storage cupboard to grab the vacuum cleaner – surely the floors could use a once over? Little did I know that lurking at the back was an unexpected addiction.