Hi Chris

Today I emerged from a dark place - a prison of my own making. I took my dog for an early walk on the Downs to celebrate my new-found freedom.

On my return I met a deer, separated from me by a wire fence but only some 12 feet away. He was a young buck with new antlers still covered with furry skin. The dog was ahead and thankfully hadn't seen him. Our eyes met and we both remained still. "Hello beautiful one" I found myself saying as we regarded each other. Then with another sense I told him he had nothing to fear from me. With that he broke our gaze and quietly returned to nibbling new shoots from the brambles.

It felt like a defining moment.

Clive