Making sandcastles with Mira (2 1/2 years), and time slipped by. At first she chose sand that was too wet, and I had to tip off the excess. But the sandcastles held together well. We sat beside the row of four, proud of our work, and watched a shag swimming by, ducking suddenly under the surface for a fish, and then appearing several metres further on. Each time the shag reappeared, Mira burst into peels of laughter. A red-billed gull stood at the water’s edge, looking for small sea creatures. In the distance, a man paddled a kayak and a launch surged along the far coast.

Amongst the broken scallop pieces, I fished three perfect ones out of the tide. Mira gathered seaweed for me to place around them, breaking off the pieces one by one.

I was supposed to be working on this week-day morning, but how could I resist the chance of caring for this little one, and rediscovering the delight of playing at the edge of the sea.