Unusually, for a woman, Helena Morrissey - the chief executive of Newton Investment Management - has spent quite a bit of time in the desert.
In an exclusive interview with me, she said: 'I am one of the very few female financial shamans, and the desert is my second home. The astral plane is where I have my fun, and who is going to stop me? It's about time women broke through the glass ceiling. We are not happy to be money mystics any more. We want to be financial shamans. Everything is up in the air because of the credit crunch. I'm referring to the desert air, of course. And I ain't talking about vultures. You know what I mean. You've been there, Michael. You've lived the life. You've burnt the money. You've danced with the ghosts. And not in the desert sands! Oh no, you have flown through the air with these ghosts, and so have I. That surprises you, doesn't it?'
Helena then went on to talk about avoiding banks or something. But, yes, I was surprised that Helena has actually flown through the air with ghosts. I had no idea she was so advanced. Or maybe she was talking about the astral desert, not the physical desert. But it doesn't matter really. It's still a great achievement.
