On the first day that Ani and I moved into the new flat, a small, unidentified flying object hopped in through the big glass doors to say hello. He looked a bit like a sparrow, but his legs were too long. A bit like a thrush, but he was too small… it took a while to work out that he…or she…was a juvenile robin. Symbolically, the robin is a harbinger of renewal and new beginnings, so it seemed rather appropriate that he should be my first visitor… especially with what was going on with my son and the changes that would bring too.

Since then, the robin has dropped by almost every day, waiting where I put the scraps until I come out and feed him.  I have watched as he has grown, seeing the baby feathers start to change and the first traces of colour show on his breast…