Old Woman from Friuli
The Duke looks out from his castle, and everything he can see for miles and miles belongs to him. Everything, except one small strong house, with a small garden, two goats and a beehive. They belong to the old woman from Friuli. The Duke wants that house, but the old woman, she won’t sell. She’s from Friuli, where all the really stubborn people come from.
Ghillian
Ghillian Potts 1933-2023. Alongside bringing up a family, Ghil worked in bookshops, in educational publishing and as a secondary school teacher. She wrote continuously, both prose and verse, from the age of seven – a number of stories for 7-10 year-olds were published in the 1990s and 2000s, one of which, Sink or Swim, featured on Jackanory. At 7 she got out of a bit of housework by saying, ‘Must I, Mum? I’m writing a Poem!’ in her best whine. To her amazement, her mum at once said, ‘Oh, all right, I’ll do it!’ Obviously, writing was a Good Thing.