An exercise in looking

Choose a small part of a familiar route and give it a little more attention than usual. Look for a repeating shape: a curve in a railing, a pattern in paving stones or the spacing of windows.

A notebook can help, but a list of three words works just as well. Try writing down a colour, a sound and one detail you had not noticed before. There is no need to record the whole walk.

Return at a different time of day. The place may be almost unchanged, yet shadows, reflections and the rhythm of people passing through can make it feel quite different.