Today our son leaves for New Zealand; soaring from the nest, the last lark leaves. He is the symbol of freedom; He is Jonathan Livingston Seagull, He is The Eagle of the poem that he and countless others studied at GCSE, soaring high and viewing the world and he is the swallow, waiting, on the telephone wire in late summer, until the time is right. He is my symbol of freedom.

Today he leaves. I feel a twinge of emptiness, yet have been so enthusiastic and excited as this trip has been planned since last year when he returned from four months in South America, with his brother. I am surprised that this feeling has so firmly foreshadowed my day.