The Big Issue has just published On the Rock, a story about snorkelling, a summer sanctuary, and a former rifle range.

The wetsuit is armour of a sort. The earplugs too. They keep the water out, but also the murmur of nearby traffic: not just cars and trucks and trains, but the traffic of life – the roads of worry, the streets of doubt, the cul-de-sacs of my petty concerns.

On the Rock is in edition 504 of The Big Issue, available from street vendors.

My thanks to Alan Attwood for editing my stories over the nine years of his editorship at The Big Issue. Alan is stepping down soon, so On the Rock is most likely my final piece under his watchful, careful, supportive eye. Thanks Alan.