My annus horribilis began some time ago, right at the beginning of the year when I told my husband of 28 years that I wanted to separate. It was not a sudden decision on my part, but what surprised me, amazed me, was that it came as a total shock to my…

I can’t and don’t intend to tell anyone how to write a book. Every writer goes about their task in a different way, and while rules do exist – readability is key, for a start – they are also there to be broken. I had never written a book before…

When it came to researching my family history, I was lucky. My aunt had done much of the groundwork for me. She spent her retirement years travelling between Australia and England investigating our ancestry going back to the 16th century…

Some years ago, at the age of 61, I quit my job, rented out my flat and flew to Australia to research my family history. It was not an easy business. In the days before Airbnb and other similar organisations made letting so much more flexible…