The last occasions when the timetable of our lives would be interrupted for many years to come.

People who don't know me lower their eyes in embarrassment when the Lord's name is taken in vain in my presence.

Even my aunt Joan, hopelessly sentimental about every member of our family, admitted that I was hideous.

Even the simplest wicker basket can become priceless when it is loved and cared for through the generations of a family.

It has not been an easy cross to bear. It has caused considerable confusion. My husband constantly complained about the awkwardness of being married to a woman whom he called Sister.

It has not been an easy name, yet it has brought me many a laugh.