My teacher wasn’t Finnish -unless her family changed their name after migration to something less cumbersome -like O’Mara. I imagine she was from good Irish stock. I look back and wonder about her. She really was a nut and it was so obvious in a straight laced girls school.

And periwinkle (which apparently was the closest my friends could get to turquoise!) was the first coloured bra I ever had – compliments of some friends of mine as a parting gift. But that is a whole other story.

Are you familiar with the old fairy tale known at “Skeleton Woman” – about a fisherman who hooks and brings to life the skeleton woman. My books says “Skeleton Woman is a hunting story about love” – though it fitted you and your story to a “T”.

I have it in an anthology of fairy tales called “Women Who Run With Wolves” by Dr Clarissa Estes Pinkola and I just found an online version of it here – without all the commentary http://spiritualemergency.blogspot.com/2006/01/skeleton-woman-lifedeathlife-nature.html May it be of use to you in your travels.

Hope I’m allowed to share this!!

I loved the turquoise bra embellishment – I had a teacher at high school who wore one of those underneath a cheese cloth shirt. It was the raciest thing any of us had seen at our single sex Catholic girls school. Thanks for the memories!!

Am I right this makes your MC around 59 years of age???