The Bright White Tree

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Her apprehension of the natural world and the nitty gritty business of human behaviour is vividly realised, memorable and always governed by the urge to say ‘yes’ to life. She had an incurable cancer for several years, enduring frequent long periods in hospital with incredible grace and courage, but eventually she could no longer prevail against it. The ground-breaking text took the medical establishment by storm and provoked questions in Parliament.

However, when she becomes enmeshed in a situation with her neighbours – Doris, who’s been left by her abusive husband, and her troubled son Nicolás – she understands some of the emotional burden of motherhood. Joanna knew Wellington from many angles: wife of the Master, English teacher, Mother to Adam, who spent two years in the Lynedoch, friend and colleague. In “Advice”, one of the last poems she wrote, she sought to pass on what she had learnt from her own long experience as a patient.No matter that the man overseeing my spiritual conversion, and the person who would marry us, was none other than Rabbi Hugo Gryn, distinguished academic and broadcaster, and survivor of Auschwitz.

However, unable to resist, he found himself writing about David Cameron, with his "ever forgiving" wife poised to read the proofs. Dr Joanna Seldon was a quite outstanding English teacher, who instilled a deep love of Literature amongst her pupils.

For 30 years, Joanna was the quiet force in our marriage, bringing up our three children, teaching English brilliantly, running creative writing, turning up to events all hours, and being my closest companion and confidant. Item despatched quickly and as described, but damaged in transit due to plastic wrap packaging being inadequate protection. There have been various proposals for other “intonation points” over the centuries, but the question mark and exclamation mark are the two that have stuck.