The area around there used to be made up of coal mines. But the site had been restored and the wildlife was thriving. There were still hints of the coal mines though, with old shafts here and there. That was where I was hoping to head on my two days off at the end of the week while Lumin was at school: a chance to film the wildlife that might have made the shafts their home.

I drew up in the car park next to Steve’s four-by-four. He was waiting for me, a notepad in his hands. He sometimes accompanied me on shoots, taking notes. He was in his fifties with a large belly and dark hair to his shoulders. He was always wearing a T-shirt dedicated to one metal band or another. I remember the first time I met him, I thought he looked like he belonged to a motorcycle club. But he’d never ridden a motorbike in his life. His passion was videos, something he’d got into when filming tours for various rock groups over the years. After he married Tina, they moved from London to the Northumberland coast, leaving his heady days behind and settling down with their three sons.

I liked working with him. In the main, he kept quiet. But when he did talk, it was usually to regale me with some story about his days touring.

‘Already here,’ he said, gesturing towards a flock of teal ducks sweeping across the sky. They were like any normal duck but their colours seemed more pronounced, the emerald green of their wings a beautiful sight against snowy white skies. People often came here to see them on their path from Europe, especially when they gathered in the hundreds as they sometimes did this time of year. It would make good footage for anyone wanting videos of vividly coloured ducks. I’d even seen some footage I’d taken the year before used in a commercial by the Northumberland Tourism Board. Sure, it didn’t elicit the same pride I’d felt when I’d seen the documentaries I’d helped make air on the BBC. But I still enjoyed it, and if it meant I could offer Lumin a secure life, then I was all for it.

We settled down behind a sand dune and set up our equipment. It was a cold day for October, breath a silver mist from our mouths.

‘How was Lumin this morning then?’ he asked as I started filming.

‘She seemed fine. Happy. Not that nervous.’

‘I bet you were though?’

I smiled. ‘Yep. I’ve been on edge for the past week.’

He laughed. ‘I remember feeling the same when Riley first went to school. Tina and I were nervous wrecks. She had a good cry when she got home and I had to pretend I got the wind in my eyes. Have my macho image to uphold, after all.’