In the carriage, all is silence. Each person seems to dream with words in colour.

NO TALKING SHOP, NO DAILY GRIND. Thalys from Paris Nord to Ostend, seat 43. Friday 7 March 2014, forty minutes past six, somewhere in the Picardy countryside. Looking out on the ploughed fields that fill the train windows with a sepia colour, the passengers in carriage 5 – mainly Flemish – have fallen silent. The train passes between hedges of leafless trees. In the carriage all is quiet. Everyone seems to be dreaming and I like to imagine that some of their thoughts are wandering among words in colour. As I often did (above) for my book At Home, available now at www.blurb.com. Outside, night is falling and everything starts to look like a photo by Robert Adams. In fact, if you’re a fan of black-and-white photography, make a bee-line for Paris. Until 18 May the exhibition at the Jeu de Paume dedicated to the magician from Astoria is an absolute must. Buddha bless you!