One Small Thing: Hilary Boyd

This is my grandmother’s ivory sewing case – for the days when people actually sewed things. Her initials on the top, MM, stand for Maud Marquis, which is a good, solid name, I think.

Gung-Gung, as we used to call her, was clever and tough. Barely five foot high and quite square, with a halo of fluffy hair, she didn’t suffer fools gladly. She only drank Malvern Water, never alcohol, and was a member of the left-wing Fabian Society, believing passionately in a fair society.

As a child, I always knew where I was with Maud. I couldn’t pull the wool over her eyes, but she had a wry wit and we would laugh together. For me, she is the matriarch of our family. And family, right now, is the most important thing. She passed down values through the generations of truth and kindness and an uncompromising belief in making the world a better place. In times like these, when there is so much doubt and chaos, I find myself asking, ‘What would Maud do?’ And her answer is, like she was, instantly grounding: ‘Do the right thing, Hilary. You know perfectly well what that is.’ Love you, Gung-Gung. x

You can find out more about Hilary's books here.

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