Reaching her usual end point – a big bell- shaped buoy, striped red and white – she stopped and trod water for a few seconds. She took in the beauty of the vast ocean and caught her breath before flipping on to her back to float. In less than two months she’d be turning ninety. Ninety years of age! ‘Ye gods,’ she whispered, staring up at the cloudless summer sky. ‘When did that happen?’

Nobody answered except a disgruntled skua passing overhead who looked down and screeched at her with contempt. Grace lay there for a minute, supported by the ocean, allowing the water to lap gently against her skin. This was the best place in the world for solving problems and working things out. And for several days now, she’d been mulling something over: an issue which just wouldn’t go away. If she went ahead with her idea, it was going to cause such trouble. And yet if she didn’t … she would she ever forgive herself for not trying. It was tempting to opt for an easy life and just forget the whole thing. After all, it wasn’t too late – she hadn’t discussed it with anyone else: John knew nothing of it, nor did her granddaughter, Elin.

Grace winced at the thought of telling her.

She turned on to her front and began swimming back, dismayed to see that a welcome party had gathered on the shore. The man with the Schnauzer had been joined by a likely wife and two sons. The wife walked towards the water’s edge, followed by the man, their arms outstretched in fear. Iesu Mawr, they’re going to try and help me.

And sure enough, as Grace took her last couple of strokes, the two- person rescue team waded into the water up to their knees and reached out to grab her, one on either side. ‘Don’t panic,’ said the wife as they yanked Grace on to the sand. ‘We’ll soon have you safe and dry.’

Grace didn’t as a rule fit the Grumpy Old Lady stereotype: she was generally polite and tried to respect others, no matter how different their world view may be from hers. But the one thing she could not tolerate was being patronized. And although she knew intellectually that these kind holidaymakers believed they were doing a good turn, she couldn’t hide her annoyance. ‘GET OFF ME!’ she snapped, and pushed the wife a little too hard, sending her flying on to the sand.

‘It’s all right, let’s just stay calm, shall we?’ said the man.

‘I think she must be … y’know,’ said the wife, getting up and dusting herself down. She made meaningful eyes at her husband.

‘You think I must be what?’ asked Grace, in a louder voice than she’d intended, but there was water in her ear. She turned her head on one side and gave it a few swift taps, trying to dislodge the fluid. Grace knew this would simply add to the wife’s assumption that she was in the company of a batty nonagenarian.