We’ve had a conservatory at the back of the house for many years now, but it is only recently that I have discovered it and all of the joys that it offers. Come rain or shine, it offers eternal tranquility and total peace of mind – from the moment you park your posterior on the sofa within it your troubles melt away, if only for five minutes. The last few weeks have seen it become more and more of a place of refuge for me to think more easily and carefully about the state of my life, my ideas or the world, or alternatively just to enjoy a nice cup of tea (or a lager).

I jokingly suggested to Mum the other day that it should be law for those who have room for a conservatory to build one, such was the relaxation it offered. It got me thinking about what I’d use one for outside a house of my own. As the world has become a very sad place recently – I write this in the aftermath of a terror attack in Nice – I’d have to convert mine into a space of creativity, positivity and mindfulness. It’d serve the same purpose as a home studio does to an artist or a musician or an office or study does to an author, and it would only spawn ideas with the potential to make the world a better place in the most respectful ways. I’m not blowing my own trumpet, or saying that the ideas would necessarily be any good in terms of quality, but my intentions would be right and they would never change. In addition, anyone who shared them could use it too. Imagine that – even when it seems like the planet is dark and will never be illuminated again, there would always be another person helping the cause of tolerance, equality and unity.

Call the idea a mere dream if you like, but everyone seems to be aware that we’re waking to news of death and hatred on an ever more regular basis. With every report of a tragedy I grow more desperate for something to be done, and although my impact as one man on a planet of billions may be miniscule, I am feeling an increasingly strong desire to contribute to the fight against these evils. If any of the words in any of these blog posts count as lending a hand, it’ll be a start, and so be it – I’ll have to start sitting in the conservatory even more to compose them, as it is a box where there is only caring thought and calmness, and never any pain. When I’m there, I can at least temporarily sit without a churning stomach.

Mason