I’ve never been prone to nostalgia. But when I stop by our old London home, memories come upon me in a flood

‘Memories, disjointed but vivid, compete for attention … the boy on the step, ready for school … And then there we are, walking hand-in-hand in the sleet and wind.’ Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

Back when we took photographs with actual cameras and film and had the pictures printed at the chemist, we took a snap of our son on his first day of school.

He sat on the front steps of our then home, a terrace in London. He smiled awkwardly, barely managing to sit still for all of the excitement.