I was in my thirties before I learnt that I too would prefer not to see what I could no longer have

The blank page doesn't bother me. It's the voice in my head (not always my own) that gives me the yips. It's worse when I'm not making stuff up.

What I'm saying so badly is we're bred now to believe we're in control and should be in control.

Surfers are the canaries down the mine. Those of us who surf spend more time than anyone soaking in whatever the sea has become. We're suspended in consequences, you might say.

Overfishing is an obvious threat to our capacity to feed ourselves.

Life is wild by definition. And organic existence is violent. Though I find this hard to accept. And I know it goes against the cultural grain of therapeutic smoothing so dominant in what we like to call 'cultural discourse'.

Humour is God's special gift to humanity. Handy, because it turns out to be necessary.