It's Sunday morning and I'm in the house alone. My daughter, Cathy, is staying over with friends after a night clubbing in town. Keith left early, off to the coast to indulge a passion for sea angling. Alan and Pete picked him up at 7:00 a.m. Before he left he brought me breakfast in bed accompanied by the never-ending wad that is the Sunday paper.

When I'm on my own like this I rarely leave the bedroom until midday. It's my favourite room, my sanctuary; I love it in here, so light and spacious. The double aspect means the room is always bright and I can wander from one window to the other and enjoy the view that either offers. From one I can see way down the valley to the river; the other displays a panorama of forest and hills in the distance. Our new en-suite is a joy, and there's a separate dressing room. Everything a girl requires, really.