It wasn't all beer and skittles - once my daughters decided they were bored with Monaco and went back to England, I sometimes got very lonely. There were lots of men, lots of wine and expensive meals, but it was all very shallow. I followed my girls back to England and started my own conveyancing business in Kent and when the law was changed I had a year in Brussels as a financial consultant. Again, every night was spent in a bar, restaurant or club. I hated the job and was lucky enough to be selected for the Civil Service fast-track graduate training scheme and became a tax inspector at the age of 50. Talk about poacher to gamekeeper. I had a studio flat on Lower Sloane Street and went to lots of singles' dinners and weekends. I went out with a lot of men but never came close to settling down.
When I retired in 1999, I decided I had had enough of that lifestyle and bought a dilapidated chalet in the Pyrenees. I gave up make-up, hair dye, contact lenses, high heels, push up bras and became a very happy hermit.
