1. Alec doesn't think much of the soft play centre. I turn round to get his drink and when I look back he's crawling through an open door between some people's legs. They are glancing around anxiously, so I call him ineffectually: "Alec! Come here, you come back now."
"It's all right," says one of the women. "I just wanted to check that the baby was with someone aware."
2. We stop on the footbridge to chat with a photographer who is enjoying the light. We admire the view -- a glossy crow on a finely tilled field -- in pleasant silence while she waits for the little birds to come within range.
3. She passes us on this isolated country station platform, her dark blue silk skirt swishing. The scent of her perfume hurries after.
