I grew up near Bradford, Yorkshire, went to Bingley Grammar School, and then Leicester School of Speech Therapy. I worked in Shipley, and Keighley for three years, but found the work unsatisfying. I did a two-year theology course at College of Ascension in Birmingham and sailed (in those days) to India. I worked in Delhi Diocese, Simla, and the Diocese of Rajasthan for the next twelve years. In 1977 I married an Indian national of the Muslim community. We had a son and a daughter. My husband died in 2004. In 2005 I came to Great Britain with my daughter who is working here as a Social Worker. My son is working in America. While my children were growing up I wrote my stories and poetry. My translation of "Le Grand Meaulnes" began about ten years ago. I used to read it out in bits to my husband as I progressed. It was such an enormous task I didn't think I would finish it. I did it for the love of the book.            

My dog once won a tail-wagging competition, my son won some sort of nursery-school best boy medal, and my daughter won best all-rounder in her nursery. I don't recall any such achievements on my own account. Oh - I did win a sack race once, but one hates to boast.

I've got some poems on poetry.com Also a blog - http://hellojah.blogspot.com

The stories are about a little boy called Sonny whose Uncle buys him a toy which looks a bit like a clown. In fact it is a litle man from an island in the sky called Pongoland. He just happened to be in the toy-shop looking at the toys and was bought by mistake. His owl friend carries him about and brought him to England. At night he takes Sonny with him on the owl's back to Pongoland and his home. They have many adventures. The first book is a series of 10 stories for 5-7 year olds. There is a sequel of 4 much longer stories for 8-10 years old.

Gleanings
A collection of around 30 short poems

It is about a 15 year old boy Francois whose father is the headmaster of the school he attends in 19th century France. One day his parents admit a new boy, Meaulnes, as a pupil-boarder and he "turns their adolescence upside down". It is a story of adolescence. It has a haunting quality and is full of a sense of loss, and regret for what was lost. I think once read, one would never forget it. The writer died at a very young age at the beginning of the 1st World War in 1914.