Boy on the beach

Today we were invited to the school assembly to watch a play about a seaside adventure.

My son is the one with the superior acting skills, the boy in the middle with his arms behind his head.

I felt he played his character - 'boy on the beach' with such sincerity and conviction that at times I was transported to another world where there really was a beach, with a boy on it. He didn't have any lines, but only because his acting was so strong, he didn't need any. His gestures, movements and expressions said it all.

When asked about his technique, Ky remained coy, only to say: "It was a journey that began as soon as I breathed life into the character. I put acting aside; as far as I was concerned, I was that boy on the beach. It is a spiritual transformation that can not be explained in words."

On the downside, it took Ky several days to come out of character and every morning he insisted I serve him ice-cream for breakfast. Also, he could fall asleep only in the classic sun bathing position, with his hands behind his head, and would ask me for £1 every day for the donkey rides which involved our cat who eventually left home for a few days.