Origins 2.

It’s only recently occurred to me how much I was drawn to water as a kid. Three of my favourite occupations were fishing, snorkelling and skimming pebbles. And even when I was much older and living on the fringe of the grey North Sea in Northumberland, I would walk into the surf every morning and put my hand in to acknowledge the spirit of the water.

I remember one occasion when I was on holiday with my parents at around age 10 or 11. I went snorkelling as usual and swam way out to sea and rounded a rocky headland, then found a sea cave and sat in it for ages just to be alone with the water. And when I got back it seemed my parents hadn’t noticed that their kid had swum out to sea and disappeared for an hour. It’s hardly surprising that I was ready to leave home by age 12, is it?