You know I don’t listen to market gossip,” she began, “but it is hard not to hear it when my daughter’s name is mentioned.

The sign of a masterpiece: A painting when there's a lack of resolution.

We say very little, for we do not need to. We are silent together, each in her own world, knowing the other is just at her back.

My father was often impatient during March, waiting for winter to end, the cold to ease, the sun to reappear. March was an unpredictable month, when it was never clear what might happen. Warm days raised hopes until ice and grey skies shut over the town again.

So many (too many) books are published every year, and it seems everyone is writing a book. Perhaps we should all be reading more and writing less!

As I get older, I use less jewelry - necklace or earrings each morning, not both; my clothes are getting more basic - fewer colours and simpler cuts; and my make-up is stripped back to basics.

You know I don’t listen to market gossip,” she began, “but it is hard not to hear it when my daughter’s name is mentioned.