As the guests arrived for my sister J’s wedding, I chatted to my young cousins in the kitchen. This was more interesting than making small talk with middle-aged men in dark suits. I also wanted to avoid getting into arguments with my family over the upkeep of the house. I’d already witnessed my niece ruin an antique mahogany table when she used it as a cheeseboard.

A few minutes before the ceremony I left the kitchen and went upstairs to help my sister climb into her jewel-encrusted bridal gown. It looked rather large to me – as did my long lilac linen shift dress (size 14).

Rather than attend the ceremony, TPR and I took a long walk across town to photograph the birds that guarded their eggs on the pavement next to the cricket pitch. Provided that you were quiet kept a reasonable distance of about a metre from each egg and bird, it was relatively easy to capture some amazing shots of a wide variety of species.