Mike, I'm like you. I get in an awful state if I see something suffering. We get beautiful little damsel flies, iridescent turquoise wings and so delicate, trapped in our conservatory. I nearly break my blooming neck climbing on the furniture to reach the ceiling, trying to cup them gently in my hands and set them free outside.

I once went on Retreat to a convent of nuns, and I was given a lovely shell to take outside and examine as an aid to meditation. Sitting in their peaceful garden, I was rapt for ages just examining the colours and the form.