Do you know, I think the best thing to do in stations is to buy a handful of your favourite food, and then find a corner to sit in and stare at the ceiling.

I was reading to my daughter last night. At 10, she is an avid reader, and often spends hours in her room engrossed in a book. But she still likes me to read to her, especially if the text is a little more challenging. I’ve found it to be a lovely bonding time each evening to sit and read children’s classics, or award shortlisted books with her, leading her into more imaginative, complex stories as she develops her love of literature.

We were given Rooftoppers, by Catherine Rundell, as a gift from her Auntie, and it hadn’t gripped her. So I decided to give it a try. From the end of the first chapter she wanted more, and so we have gradually followed Sophie’s story, from orphaned baby to runaway tween, savouring the adventure of a young girl’s fascinating journey.

Last night I read this passage to her. It’s an otherwise inconsequential sentence, but as I pondered the words, an image came into my head; a snapshot of the roof at Brighton Railway station I had taken a few months ago.

Sophie’s guardian went on to explain:

Railway stations tend to have the most fantastically beautiful ceilings.

And so an idea formed. I loved this photograph from the moment I took it, but didn’t think of it as part of a collection. So I resolve, whenever I’m in a train station, to look up. I’ll report back after the next one…