We now lived almost permanently in a tiny house on a rough estate in Birmingham. Even so, we welcomed many visitors, the majority of whom were young men taking breaks along the route of their very long journeys south. I remember one in particular who was in need of a good wash. Rather than dirty our white porcelain bath, he plunged into the lavatory bowl for his ablutions.

It was several weeks before I realised that our house was close to a site of outstanding natural beauty and geological significance. If you walked just a few steps beyond our front door you reached a massive canyon, so big that it rivalled the Grand Canyon itself. If I could only shake off the annoying teenage girls who followed me everywhere around the estate, I would head over to the canyon and take some photos.