My first outing with the Welsh Labour leader, in September last year, was pure Rhodri.
There we were on a flight to Louisville, Kentucky for the prestigious Ryder Cup golf tournament.
From my seat in economy, I could see him up ahead, reading James Joyce’s fiendishly difficult novel, Ulysses. And wearing the scruffiest pair of jeans I have ever seen in business class…
The man who’s led the Welsh Assembly Government for nearly 10 years has no time for the modern obsession with image.
His advisers, though, would have loved him to have given it a bit more thought, especially when trying to boost Wales’ standing abroad.
On arrival at Louisville airport, his battered old suitcase actually began to fall apart as his welcoming party helped him get it into the waiting limo…