Opposite my home in Station Road, Llanishen, was a cottage occupied by a Miss Coslet with an apple orchard at back with the local Smithy that used to be before my time.

Local children thought she was a witch and were scared to go near the place which was overgrown.

I knew otherwise. Whenever Mum was baking she would send me over with some of her wares for the spinster.

I liked the woman. She had a set of old encyclopedias - I loved to look at all the pictures.

One volume in particular was my favourite which had like a comic type story of Pocahontas coloured in orange.

On nice long sunny summer evenings we would take her to Merthyr Mawr, and a line of thatched cottages which burnt down and rebuilt without the thatch.

We would climb the wall and Miss Coslet would chase me squealing with delight through the sand dunes.

Then we would walk out to the stepping stones over the river, cross them and then return back home stopping at a chippy.

Ann E Duy - Washington State, USA - August 2008