Paul Heiney

‘I defy anyone not to be cheered by the glimpse of this cheeky, ridiculously-coloured bird’

Have you ever launched a brand new boat? We did some years ago, and it is thrilling. There’s pride in that dazzling showroom finish, anticipation of how she will look when the sea is lapping round that graceful waterline. All the pain that has led up to this moment is forgotten; the frustration of bits that didn’t arrive, the engine that was a fraction too large