I don’t think I’m squeamish, but now I’m worried that I’m going to throw up over the anaesthetised Jack Russell on the table in front of us. It is about to be spayed and lies on its back, its paws in the air in a parody of a dead dog Photograph: guardian.co.uk
"They sit me down with a bag of white feathers to learn the subtle art of making tiny quills: you choose a small, pretty part near the top of the feather, peel away the lower fronds and snip it sharply at the top. These can be dyed later and used to trim the hat. It is peaceful work; we chatter and listen to the radio, to the sound of rain against the window and the hiss of the steam iron" Photograph: guardian.co.uk
"The sun, still low in the east, has turned the water silver, it’s calm today, and warm for the end of October. This isn’t a bad little place to come to work. But the North Sea can be cold and miserable at times – they don’t go out if it’s blowing over 20 knots – and, of course, you never know if you’re going to catch anything" Photograph: guardian.co.uk
Army officer, Second lieutenant, £24,133
"30 years too late I am attending the Army Officer Selection Board in Westbury, Wiltshire, to see whether I’m made of the right stuff. This is phase one of the officer selection process: young men and women who pass here go on to Sandhurst, emerging 11 months later as second lieutenants fit to command a platoon of 30 soldiers" Photograph: guardian.co.uk
"On the way back to the office I realise that although the death knock was a lot of things – grim, tragic and an experience I would never care to repeat – it didn’t seem particularly intrusive. The woman seemed quite keen to explain things" Photograph: guardian.co.uk
