I half closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I'd ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it, and if I waited long enough, a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field and gradually get larger until I'd see it was Tommy, and he'd wave, and maybe even call.

After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished?

I loved cowboy films and TV series, and I learned bits of English from them. My favorite was 'Laramie', with Robert Fuller and John Smith. I used to watch 'The Lone Ranger', which had been famous in Japan as well. I idolized these cowboys.

There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.

What is pertinent is the calmness of that beauty, its sense of restraint.

It was like there was some parallel universe we all vanished off to where we had all this sex.

I've always had a great fondness for English detective fiction such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers.