CAST  OF  CHARACTERS

F  A  M  I  L  Y

Pa - a.k.a Daddy  Friends' dads were (less embarrassingly) called Dad. Dutch born, English bred, an architect with a modernist bent. Sailor, skier, tennis player, lover of good design, good food and good wine (had to be French). Loved children, had a zest for life and - apart from the grumpy moments - charmed all who met him.

Ma - a.k.a Mummy  Friends' mums were (less embarrassingly) called Mum. A keen reader, a sweet mother, a superb dinner party hostess… she was quietly accomplished at everything she turned her hand to, from varnishing floors to cooking, gardening, sketching, tennis. Architect-trained, she was the co-director of their small successful practice.

Chump, or Chumpy.  Younger sister. A spirited character, a wonderful companion, sometimes grumpy, often untidy, a lover of dogs, owner of a rabbit, and an enterprising cook. Fashion-conscious from a very young age, she got her first trouser suit at 11 ("Ridiculous", thought Ingrid). 

Dutch Grandpa  Adorable, gentle and twinkly eyed, he moved from Holland to England aged 22, entered banking (specialising in rubber) and fell madly in love with... 

Dutch Grandma  Artistic, opinionated, generous, autocratic - a force to be reckoned with. She and he lived in a tall, west London house with a studio out the back, decamping to Meares, a Sussex cottage, at weekends. 

English Grandpa  Another delightful grandpa, intelligent, kind and patient with children. Survivor of the Military Cross for gallantry in WW1, he was a cyclist in his youth, a reader all his life, and an ex-surveyor. 

English Grandma  Met Grandpa as a WW1 nurse. In spite of the joys of music, bridge, Michael Crawford, hybrid roses and horses, Grandma was a bit of a moaner. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy, and she did a lovely rice pudding. 

Karolina  14-year-old cousin, daughter of Wally and Mance. Younger than Ingrid but more sophisticated, Karolina had a tendency to bring up subjects about which Ingrid knew nothing, e.g. tampons, make-up, boyfriends, and how Vogue was the only magazine worth reading. 

Sozzy, Rhys and Jane  Aunt (violinist) and uncle (doctor) blessed with a great sense of humour and six-year-old Jane. Soz, not as with-it as her sister (Ingrid's mother), had not heard of the Monkees.

Roly, Erika and children  The most mischievous of Daddy’s entertaining brothers, Roly and his young family lived in a big Georgian house near Richmond, on the Thames.

S   C   H   O   O   L

Lucy  Best friend at school. Studious, shy, keen on clothes, pop music and art, Lucy introduced Ingrid to the sculptures of Henry Moore. Together they discovered Kensington and Biba. 

Anya  Joint best schoolfriend, entertaining raconteur and enterprising co-stalker of Mr Finkelstein. In 1967 Ingrid and Anya transferred their obsession to French pop stars, first Adamo, then Michel Polnareff. 

Tig  Close friend. Academic, serious, self-contained, with a dry sense of humour.

Martha  Charming, Christian and slightly eccentric, Martha had a crush on William Pitt the Younger.

Jacqui  An advocate of James Bond, judo, skating, and boys. The most showy-offy girl in the school was also (occasionally) "lively, intelligent and awfully nice." 

Jenny  Second-former who went home on the same bus. Expressing an interest in Mr Finkelstein, she became an invaluable supplier of inside information. In love with Mick Jagger.

Anna Maria  Younger sister of Anya. Schoolfriend of Chump.

Mr Finkelstein  Heartthrob English teacher who had left the school the previous summer on account of being stalked by two fourth-formers (possibly Ingrid and Anya). 

Miss Lack  Pioneering and much-loved headmistress who oversaw the first Sixth Form Unit in the country.

Mrs Huggett  Inspirational English teacher who started every lesson with a discourse on her own life. Lucky Division One.

Miss Leopold  Long-suffering teacher of German, often disappointed by Division One (especially Lucy and Ingrid). 

Mrs Evans  "I think it’s worth spending a whole year in the Sixth Form just to have Current Events with Mrs Evans."

S I G N I F I C E N T   O T H E R S

'Dutronc' - a.k.a. Hans Otto Zach  Astonishingly attractive young German met skiing. Not to be confused with his lookalike, the rising French pop star Jacques Dutronc.

Polnareff, or Poldo  Poetic French singer-songwriter Michel Polnareff shot to fame in 1966 and became a pop legend. Ingrid and Anya shared a keen interest in him, culminating in the best day of Ingrid's life.

Mark Goldman  The 18-year-old son of family friends, one of the few boys Ingrid actually met (though only twice). A 'snazz', albeit an unobtainable one. 

Eileen  Delightful godmother to Ingrid, and stepmother to 24-year-old Diana (who wore Courreges boots and who Ingrid secretly admired).

Joy  Godmother to Chumpy, she lived and worked for a writer in Antibes. She was perfectly named: a joy to know. 

June Fox-Scott, Suzie and Bill  Family friend who lived in the village with her two young children. Full of sparkle, they met up with the family skiing in '67 and '68.

Mr and Mrs Reid  A very dear pair, neighbours on the other side of the hedge. Mrs Reid would rustle up Scotch pancakes ('elephant ears') at the drop of a hat. They once lived in Burma, and used an elephant's tooth as a doorstop.