1. She leads me through a clot of French students, past a cottage garden full of sprawling perennials and bird feeders ("This is the bit that looks like someone's garden") and over a bridge to Greyfriar's meadow, walled on one side, with an arm of the river on the other. There is a thick herbaceous border, a broad lawn path and a swathe of wildflower meadow. "It's my favourite place in Canterbury," she says.
2. I follow the directions and find the mother, Rosey and Alec cool in the shade. Alec has sweet potato round his face, and looks pretty cheerful. I don't think he's been worrying about me at all -- even though I've been worrying about him.
3. I climb up the cool spiral staircase to the museum's reception, and am led halfway back down, back up and then over a glass bridge and down another cool tower stair (smelling of stone and iron) to a bright glass and brick space that will soon be a coffee shop.
