Younger women tend to be busier, wearing more layers and more make-up. I don't know if it's because older women are more confident, or just that we don't care any more. But that pared-down approach is the same with the sentences I write; I take out adjectives and adverbs and keep the description to a minimum.

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

I find that when I come out of the library I'm in what I call the library bliss of being totally taken away from the distractions of life.

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.

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.

Yes, well, life is a folly. If you live long enough, nothing is surprising.

I have consistently loved books that I've read when I've been sick in bed.