When the sun came out, I persuaded Mum to come and sit outside with me until the clouds covered the sun again; we sat by the water looking at the boats go by and the noisy sea birds, and talking about raising children, her mistakes and triumphs and mine. Nearby, a great blue heron stalked about, then stood motionless on one spindly leg while I took his picture. He seems to live in the backyard of the neighbour Jim – someone told us that Jim feeds both the heron and his friend the egret, who is often there too. But today the heron was alone, not at Jim’s but near us, dignified and still.