Yon pasty phizog above is not truly me. These days, following weeks in Costa Spain and equatorial Africa, I'm a cross between a bronzed Adonis and an overcooked crinkled potato crisp.

I'm but a photon away from skin cancer, rather like the rest of us after our blistering summer.

Not that I'm departing from my cheerful vicar mode. Here is actually good news. This and every summer three incredible defences keep the big C at bay.

First, we've our own sun screen - melanin. It enters our skin cells (keratinocytes) and instead of dispersing evenly, it heads for the outer surface to give each cell its own sun hat. Cute, or what?

Secondly, when cells divide (mitosis), 'proof readers' check the DNA for any damage caused by light photons. Faulty parts are cut out and replaced with working sections.

Finally, our own police squad, the body's immune system, strikes against intruders, such as implants of foreign organs, not to mention coughs and colds and bugs that can kill.

The same force detects and kills off tiny cancers before we ever know about them.

Could these highly complex defence mechanisms have ever evolved from chance accidents over millions of years?

Somehow, it seems far easier to believe in a kind, forward-looking Creator, an intelligent designer, who made us complete with built-in protection, knowing it would be ages before Amber Solaire came to the rescue.

What do you think?