Author Archives: susan

Mrs Miniver lived in an unimaginable world of privilege – though I’m not sure that’s how Mrs Miniver would have seen herself. I think author Jan Struther meant her to be an ordinary middle-class housewife. Yet she had a nanny … Continue reading →

Taken by my husband Howard – this is just the fence outside one of the doctor’s surgeries in one of the busy streets in our town. I say ‘just’ – I pass by this fence and hedge every time I … Continue reading →

My new favourite heroine is Flavia de Luce. I was me. I was Flavia. And I loved myself, even if no-one else did. “All hail Flavia! Flavia forever!” I shouted… I detected instantly that she didn’t like me. It’s a … Continue reading →

My local Opportunity Shop is a great source of reading matter. I’m always amazed at the new and newish novels that people read and pass on. There’s always a good selection of large paperback crime and thrillers (the B-format ones … Continue reading →

I was in the Ian Potter in Fed Square a few weeks ago. In one of the upstairs galleries was this painting of schoolboys waiting in line. It’s a picture I know well, because it used to hang on our … Continue reading →

My grandmother – my mother’s mother – died when I was 14. Her name was Phoebe. According to my mother, she associated her name with the cheery black maids you often saw in Hollywood films back in the 1930’s. Her … Continue reading →

I finally did it. I deleted my Facebook account.  I’ve escaped! It wasn’t easy, however. Not only did  pictures of random friends appear, with the anguished (Facebook generated) message that they’d miss me, but I was required to give a … Continue reading →