Her step-brother Will has offered sympathy and assistance, and although they haven’t really had much in common, he lost his mother more than a decade earlier, so he can empathise fully. It’s night time, and they attempt to sleep; but one of the dinghies drifts and they lose sight of each other. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she never regretted.

He has aches and pains but that’s from the lack of muscle use for the past few weeks since this period of illness started around about June, so that’s to be expected.I’ll give nothing away except to say that generations interact, couples misunderstand each other, old resentments and annoyances intrude - but the overall feeling is mellow and accepting. As a book intended for people of around nine or ten and upwards, I think it’s remarkable in the way it helps build understanding of those who may be different from us.

Their previous acquaintance Dan Start, a journalist, pops up and tries to flirt with Peter, but she really has no eyes for anyone except David. As winter is coming, and although we have global warming, that doesn’t mean the winter will be mild.These walls are bright with flowers: valerian, feverfew, mallows, lace cap hydrangeas spring from the crevices in these stones and flourish in the salty air. But seeing Marcia at least once a year, hearing her speak at Dartington’s Ways With Words Literary Festival, and attending her various book launches in Dartmouth, I have very fond memories of her. Fish pie is a favourite of ours too and, if it’s not too much to ask, I’d love for you to share your recipe as I’m sure it will be faff-free and failsafe, as your recipes always are.

She’s the only companion who has ever been able to stand up to her employer, and hopes she won’t overstep the boundaries. I’m very glad I read this book and look forward to re-reading it in five or six years when I’ve got to the end of my next re-read of Marcia Willett’s novels.Gibber likes to copy what he sees, and this turns out to be a disaster as he drops a smouldering cigar, after pretending to smoke it, in some petrol… and a very quick escape has to be made, on the children’s two dinghies. The house they converge on may be fictional, but everywhere else they go is likely to be very familiar – the Dartington Hall gardens and Cider Press Centre, the Cott Inn, Buckfast Abbey, various galleries and cafes in Totnes. Overall I didn’t like the book as much as the first in the series, and don’t plan to read any more right now. Cathy has that wonderful self-deprecating Irish humor that makes you laugh out loud and love her characters so you don’t want the book to end.