Untitled Document

About Me

I taught primary schoolchildren for almost twenty years before retiring very early in 1991 due to illness. Before going into teaching I worked as a filing clerk in a very small but esteemed London-based company which manufactured medical appliances such as surgical corsets and insoles. Prior to this I trained as a chiropodist at The London Foot Hospital, but was unable to qualify due to my inability to pass the gruelling examinations in Organic Chemistry that were a necessary component of the course. However, I do treat my husband's feet, so the skills I acquired then were never wasted.

During the decade following my retirement from teaching (at the ridiculously early age of 39) my health deteriorated more and more, although sometimes I felt quite well, and often for long periods. Medication I was taking for the condition I had, gave rise to other problems, notably a personality and character change which were soul-destroying. In 1995 I sought help from a new specialist who at once recognised what was responsible and sorted me out. The old, stable me returned, and life was sweet again for five years.

Then, in 2000, the unthinkable happened. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. But - I'm still here and I wrote the book 'Courage, Brave Amazon' to help other women (and their partners) who suffer with this disease. I raise funds for the charity 'Breast Cancer Care' and, since October 2001, I have collected over £800. I give talks on Breast Awareness and Breast Cancer to womens' groups, when I feel well enough. I say 'when' because there are still times when I feel really exhausted and cannot do much except sleep. But when I DO feel well, the world knows it! I cannot sit still for long and get out and about whenever I can. In other words, I enjoy life to the full, happy to share it with my dear husband and friend, Pete.

Pete and I celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary this year. The years have been far from easy, with more than our fair share of emotional crises, but we have triumphed over each one, and from this we have gained strength. With each trial that has come along we feel our love has grown stronger, that we have been brought even closer.

We have one daughter, Lucy. She's a wonderful young woman and it is thanks to her skills in website design that you are reading this now. Whenever possible, (and as any parent with teenage children will tell you, it isn't always!) Lucy was reared with unconditional love. I didn't flinch when she dyed her hair a vibrant shade of purple shortly after starting university; in fact I really thought it suited her personality and the last thing on my mind was disapproval. My view as a parent was always that my child was not me, she had her own ideals, and above all her own values, desires and longings. My job as her mother was, I felt, to nurture her self-worth, not to try to make her be like me, or like us. This philosophy appears to have been effective, because Lucy is capably independent, living her own life as she wants it to be, and most of all she is still very close to us. She and I share a very special relationship, and most importantly we are friends . This is something I treasure.

I've done a few challenging things during my later life. I've written and published a book of my poetry, titled 'When Our Children Rule'. It's now out of print but I have a few copies left. One thousand were printed and all but around thirty have been sold. I sung and played keyboard, flute and fiddle in a folk band for a couple of years. I've worked voluntarily for the RSPCA and still do take an interest in animal welfare issues. For several years I belonged to a local drama group. Roles I took were Maria Marten (The Murders in the Red Barn), the Snow Queen herself, Hannah Llewellyn alias Polly Peacham (Ayckbourne's 'A Chorus of Disapproval'), Elvira ('Blithe Spirit'), The Ghost of Christmas Past (Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'). This Dickens tale is my all time favourite, and has been since I was introduced to it at the age of ten by my schoolteacher. I read this book hungrily every year, on the 1st December, a tradition I never fail to keep. This story is full of sentiment and compassion, a gift to Humanity from a man who was indeed a humanist. Dickens was someone I'd have loved to have met and conversed with. I've always found his 'Christmas Carol' inspirational.

My 'conversion', for want of a better word, to Druidry happened around 1990, although I always had a leaning towards things pagan. Many folk misinterpret the word 'pagan', feeling it implies a lack of belief in Deity. To be a Druid is to find deity in all living things, to honour the Earth and all creation, to be in tune with the environment one finds oneself in, to embrace values that transcend material things, and to honour the 'old wisdom' of our ancestors. A reverence for the ancestors plays a very important part in a Druid's life and spiritual practice. As does the Spirit of Place. Everywhere has its own spirit, aura, ambience, call it what you will. We become attuned to that spirit, honouring and revering it. The natural world with all its wonders, the cycle of the year, and the celebration of the eight festivals including the two solstices and equinoxes, is sheer beauty. To find out more, have a look at the link to The British Druid Order. Blessed Be!

I shall never see my forties again but this is something I easily accept, because my belief is that we come here to experience and get the most out of every age of life. With age I have found serenity. I still love to dance to the music of The Rolling Stones despite my, now, creaking knees! I like to listen to all kinds of music. Neil Young and George Harrison are two that I can play all day. I love to listen to the dijeridoo, and any form of tribal music. I enjoy playing my piano, and can get a reasonable sound from my dij. The only problem is being unable to play them together! At college I was a grade 8 pianist, but this was only achieved through doing 3 or 4 hours of practice each day. Two pieces I love to play are Debussy's Arabesque No. 1, and 'Dream of Olwen'. I have undertaken elementary training in counselling, and I'm also a befriender for the Society for Post Natal Illness and volunteer fundraiser for Breast Cancer Care. The chief aim of this website is to offer help and support to sufferers of breast cancer, their partners, relatives and friends. I am indebted to my daughter Lucy for setting up the site and making this possible. Thanks Lu, you're one in a billion!