I am told that buying for me is difficult, but I’m more easily pleased than people imagine. A vintage Welsh blanket from eBay to add to my collection, a gift voucher, olive oil, a vintage magazine or a perfect mug (they have to be large, pottery, not porcelain, for heat retention, and white inside so I can properly gauge the colour of the tea) will all keep me very happy.
I’ve nonetheless received some brilliantly imaginative presents over the years. My husband once bought me the complete catalogues of the late Elizabeth Taylor’s belongings, which I treasure (and subsequently bought for my best friend). My girlfriends once adopted me a rescue goat, because I adore them. And recently, all my friends clubbed together to commission the ceramicist Alice Mara to make a miniature replica of my house, and it is now my most beloved item.
