for Phoebe Mendes
As a school girl, I read Belle of the Ballet every week and longed to be a ballerina when I grew up. Phoebe Mendes will be nine in September. She is tall and slim with honey-blonde hair and sophisticated tastes for sushi and peppermint tea, and we share a passion for dancing. She lit up my small living room on a recent visit. Now every time I go into the room I remember her filling it with her glorious carefree youthful joy.
In Our Churchyard Garden
When I first arrived in Woodstock 50 years ago, I made straight for the Church. Inside, there are five plain windows, devoid of story or colour.
I resolved to earn enough as a writer to fund the commission of the most beautiful stained glass. Every time I go to Church, my resolution is reaffirmed. It’s not too late, I tell myself. Just write another novel. As I leave, I walk through the churchyard garden, proud of its extraordinary beauty, whatever the season and however long the grass.
For Dilip Sarkar MBE
When I started writing my sequel to Larkswood I underestimated the scale and the depth of the project. Dilip’s instant help became my prop and inspiration. In a few sentences he would reassure me, comfort and help … and above all make me laugh. He is not only a supremely good author, but one of the most generous men I have ever met. When it comes to a formal dedication, it has to be only to him.
for Sam Mendes
I joined North London Collegiate School when I was six years old and left when I was eighteen. It was also my haven and sanctuary. I vowed when I left that I’d never go back unless they asked me to. Well, now they have. It will be an honour to talk to them on the evening of Tuesday 4 May 2027 and to see how this distinguished School has not only grown and changed, but came top in the recent Sunday Times review.
on launching VMBooks in 2020
I’ve always been a walker, trudging miles to and from School as a child and as an adult in London longing for green spaces. Moving to Woodstock in 1976 deliberately brought me close to Blenheim’s extraordinary landscaped gardens, where every Sunday, come rain or shine, I’d walk and admire. I little thought the walk I made one dawn in 2020 would have so many significant memories for me six years later.
for Andrew Gasson
Short-sighted from childhood, I wore contact lenses for more than sixty years. Now, thanks to Zacks brilliant new eye clinic in London, I have abandoned them in favour of three pairs of modern spectacles. The new examination machines are staggeringly complex and useful, diagnosing and solving problems before they become real trouble.