We were very little kids and just excited about the size of the boat, a fancy dress party, and we had green ice cream, which we hadn’t ever seen before. We didn't realize it was dangerous. The last time it sailed, carrying military personnel and civilians, it was torpedoed and sunk, gratefully with minimal loss of life.

Places like Montreal, Toronto, and New York were filled with evacuees. I think there were altogether more than a million children evacuated. We returned to England in 1945 at the age of 12. I couldn’t believe it when I saw St. Paul’s and all the destruction around there. I was devastated. My mother had a flat in the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, where murderers go these days.

We came back to London where mother had been bombed out three times during the war. She had become head of Civil Defense for the Corporation of London. Nanny said we had to say “hello, Mother.” We didn’t know who she was. She said we could go out for a walk but not speak to any strange men. When we came back to the lobby, there was a tall man in an air force uniform. I at that time was a very shy little girl but went up to this figure and said, "You don't happen to be Daddy by any chance?" And he was. We found it very strange to be living with a mother and father.

I went to boarding school for 4 years. I think in the States, boarding schools are elitist. In England they were tough. They were spartan. They were barren. We had no heat in the bedroom so we had to dress in mittens and scarves and developed chilblains. We had to go out in the winter in little shorts, swim in the summer in a freezing pool that was filthy, and eat disgusting food. Anyway, we all survived. Altogether I went to 8 or 9 schools because of shortage of space. I left school at 16, which was usual for girls, having taken exams that were roughly equivalent to the first year in an American college. I ended my education in my forties when I got a BA degree in Liberal Arts, majoring in Art History and English at the College of New Rochelle in New York. I was very competitive; I wanted to get a degree before my children did. They were about to go to college so I beat them to it.

I worked as a secretary at the age of 17 in London, and my last job was as publicity director of the chain of stores Conran’s, which was headquartered in London. I also did publicity for the founder who was a British design icon named Sir Clarence Conran. I was with Conran’s for ten years. In 1957 someone arranged for me to go out on a blind date, which I did. He and I wrote to each other for 2 years, were married in 1959, and immigrated to the United States. Dan Grabel was an American writer/reporter for the ABC News program the Today Show. During our retirement years my husband and I went skiing all over the United States and Canada. In 2004 we purchased homes in both Westchester NY and Westerly RI. We were married for 51 years. Dan was quite a bit older than me and passed away almost ten years ago.

In addition to painting when I retired, I traveled quite extensively, mainly on cruises. I went all over Europe, Asia, and South Africa. I also bicycled extensively. I went on 5-day, long-distance trips across Cuba, and up the mountains of Cape Town for a British charity for mentally challenged people who rode alongside on tandem bikes. I rode from Ottawa to Quebec — 250 miles in 5 days. I also did one century ride (100 miles) on Long Island. And I did races in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island: 3 miles, 6 miles, and 12 miles. One time I averaged 19 miles per hour, which was pretty good, and I was the oldest person at the meet. Most participants were in their 40s and got gold medals. They didn’t have an age category for me and I didn’t receive a medal — I’ve been upset about that ever since!

In 2004 I became a permanent resident of Westerly, eventually joining the Westerly Village when it started. I find the village very, very helpful not only for the events they have but also for the transportation. They somehow manage to pick me up at Stoneridge, a senior Life Plan Community in Mystic, where I have my home and studio. The volunteer driver will take me to Westerly and wait for me at places I wouldn’t be able to get to any other way.

Members of the Westerly Village have helped me with the publicity and logistics connected with my recent art Show in Westerly.

My final thanks goes to Village Voices for recording and sharing my art and my life miracle. It is a story not only of surviving but of “coming up trumps” despite all odds!