by Valerie | Jan 5, 2015 | 1950s, childhood, Fifties, General interest, history
At the Christmas Tree Festival in Beverley Minster I instinctively searched for the tree that was glittering white, not for snow, but to be reminded of the glorious patterns Jack Frost painted on window panes in my childhood. I somehow miss them. They looked like... by Valerie | Jul 23, 2014 | childhood, General interest, people
It’s good to know your presence is needed for grandchildren, and that it leaves time for you to have your own life. We’re just back from Daniel’s first proper birthday party, shared with a friend Jago, a week older. (Here they are being photographed... by Valerie | Jul 16, 2014 | 1950s, childhood, General interest, history, people, travel
I had visited Nymans before, but it was some time ago and I liked the idea of wandering through gardens in the south of England on a lovely summer’s afternoon. And so we did. The roses were stupendous in the walled garden, but I seemed to be impelled towards... by Valerie | Jul 7, 2014 | art, childhood, General interest, history, museums, people, travel
We’ve climbed the tower which the eccentric William Beckford built so he could escape from the social whirl of early 19th-century Bath to contemplate, in solitary brooding, the hills around the city, the Mendip hills of the Neolithic inhabitants long before the... by Valerie | Mar 19, 2014 | art, childhood, General interest, history, travel
A late breakfast followed by a dip in the rift valley inlet – that sounds more dramatic than the northern tip of the Red Sea – gave a tang to our late morning start. In the early afternoon our small coach set off westwards in the direction of Egypt, to Wadi Rum.... by Valerie | Mar 1, 2014 | book reviews, childhood, General interest, reading groups, travel
Long before Goldfinch was chosen by my book group, I was offered it on Kindle for 99 something – pence or cents, that would hardly break the bank, though my friend in Santa Barbara, California, tells me that Donna Tartt is a millionaire. No wonder, even after such a...
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