Mine too!

Really useful Louvain, as I recently discovered additional family members in Victorian/Edwardian asylums. Not sure if Banstead and Claybury were as relatively benign as this but good to think so.

One of my favourite ever books, though I can never explain why. Maybe that is the mark of truth and that word again - authenticity.

That's a great idea. I think I have to be clever and interesting 😄

There is so often a tragic backstory isn't there? It was a newspaper article that alerted me to the murder committed by Alfred Hardiman, my GtGrandfather's son with my grandmother whilst Sarah was in the asylum. He had killed his girlfriend after being affected by the Great War.

Thanks so much Sue! My blogging energy is much lower than it was when I started 25 years ago (15! - can't believe it) But I need to get more creative.

Thank you! Yes, and they resonate with us more than a century on.

Make sure you add some boot polish to it. And take care of yourself x

I have adored Kenneth Branagh reading Shakespeare since my 20s and I was with him right up to Poirot wielding the gun…