Amazing women who influence us? Lighthearted.

As a child I had a lovely Aunt who was such a kind and gentle soul that I loved being around her. She and my Uncle lived in a tiny cottage which had a fire burning all year round. They had a massive big kettle that was always on the coals and my Dad used to say a cup of tea at their house was the best!

They didn’t have much money but had each other and I never heard them say a cross word. She worked really hard on the land in all weathers, boiling hot for summer fruits and freezing cold for dressing sprouts. She also had a couple of cleaning jobs in the village. My Uncle used to do gardening for people. He had served in the war and it affected him quite badly and he became very introverted and preferred to be alone.

They never took holidays and barely had a day out but they were always overjoyed if we visited and my Auntie had an old pianola in the corner and after a lot of pestering she would give us a few tunes.

From her, I learned to stop and look at things and also to appreciate things. At one of her cleaning jobs they had beautiful furniture including a wonderful antique dining table. She told me once she loved polishing it and how, as she polished it she used to daydream about where that table had come from. She said she loved it so much that if the family ever didn’t need her, she would happily go in and polish it for free! She never had a nasty or selfish bone in her body yet she had nothing herself. She influenced me a lot.

I find Carole Klein joyous! She amazes me with her wealth of information and true love of nature, looks naturally beautiful too!

Primrose53 what wonderful memories. Your aunt sounds like a very special lady.

I suppose there are a few but for different reasons here are the ones I thought of;-
Harriet Harman
Joanna Lumley
The Princess of Wales
My Aunts Ivy, Em, Molly and Violet RIP xx
Delia Smith
just a few there are others

One of the ladies who inspires me now is the lady who runs our craft group. I imagine in her time she was quite fearsome but now in her golden years, she has mellowed to a very fair, just, kind, inspiring and talented lady who does her best at all times to put her illnesses to one side and welcome people and treat us all the same. If I can be one jot like her if I get to that age, I will be so grateful. On the television, it would have to be Joanna Lumley as she travels in her mid 70s to far flung places and wears the most amazing clothes which I truly covet, especially the faux fur coat she wore in Japan.

My granny ,who lived with us until she died when I was 18 .She was a real firebrand politically and fit as a flea until she broke her hip in a fall in her eighties .Would often be seen running for a bus while my mum struggled on behind her .
My daughter who lives with multiple illnesses and chronic pain and is often bedbound.She has raised 3 amazing funny ,bright children with hearts of gold almost single handed as her OH works away most of the time .I truly admire the way she copes and stays focused and cheerful...

My heroine is Sister Wendy. Clever yet humble and spoke frankly about my great love, art.
In another life, I would like to be the younger Antonia Fraser, beautiful, clever again and lots of children.

Many wonderful women have inspired me. Most have gone now.
One dear friend who died far too young, lived life adventurously.
She was a tireless campaigner for world peace but was never solemn or angry. She enjoyed people and life. She painted for pleasure and played the piano. I have been thinking of her recently. She died over 20years ago.

My lovely Mum. She died 20 years ago but I still miss her. She was kind, generous and never thought of herself or indulged in self pity, even during tough times. She was a brilliant baker and somehow produced the most amazing cakes without any gadgets we take for granted today, in a pre war basic kitchen. Most of all, she was great to be around, always seeing the funny side of things rather than the negatives in life. She was 83 when she died so I suppose that makes her chronologically elderly, but she was never ever old - always and forever young in heart.

Primrose53 what a heartwarming story of selflessness. My mum inspired me at the tender age of 80 she was taking care and looking after the elderly ( as she called them) she never classed herself as one. Strong determination, stoic and didn’t moan. I would assume her years in WRAF would have guided her character.

My Mum, She died aged 100 in 2008. She was always doing something. Even sitting down she was sewing, knitting or making something. Even when we were children and my Dad was working long hours my Mum did work from home, She taught me almost everything and not to waste my time. Time is precious use it well was one of her favourite sayings. I try to follow her caring example and I never sit and do nothing , She taught me and my 2 sister's well and I miss her every day.

I've been a fan of Joan Collins ever since her portrayal of Alexis in 'Dynasty'. Outspoken, feisty with a self-deprecating sense of humour and always immaculately dressed. She is certainly a woman who has inspired me.

This was an interesting question that made me think.
As far as public figures are concerned I found the late Queen inspiring for her ‘keep calm and carry on’ attitude, though I never understood her passion for horse racing. Princess Anne seems to have inherited a lot of her good qualities and doesn’t seem to resent being the ‘spare’ - I like her, too. The only politician I can think of that I’ve admired a lot was Shirley Williams, quite a few years ago. I did like Nicola Sturgeon but I have now gone off her totally, I’m afraid!

My Grandmother. Widowed at 43 she went on to deal with very, very difficult situations and decisions in the decades afterwards. She was solid, reliable, kind and stoic. No moaning, no nastiness, just a wonderful homemaker who cooked amazing roast dinners...and a source of wisdom and common sense, she was also funny.

She brought me up basically we'd talk for ages about all sorts of subjects, she was interested in everything and went to woodworking class and learning to type in her 70's. She gave me a moral compass, manners, and how to appreciate what we have. She was frugal and showed me how to manage my money, not to waste it on 'stuff', and look after what we have - clothes/furniture etc. A great lesson appreciated throughout my life.

Without her support and care I would have gone off the rails, I loved her so much. Her influence has meant I've dealt with my own problems as she would have done, and it's worked..so far.

Now, after reading her book, I have a lot of respect for Sheila Hancock, the way she looks at life and how she has dealt with it. I also agree Joan Collins talks sense when we do hear from her. I also admired Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in the way she dealt with her ordeal.

My mother. She wasn't very maternal, but that may be part of the reason that, born in the 1940s, it never occurred to me that women couldn't do everything that men could do. So I did.

The one and only Joanna Lumley definitely! An inspiration to anyone in their 70s. I envy her health, agility, vivacity, sense of style, sense of humour,, ability to not take herself too seriously .. the list goes on! I would love to have her as a dinner guest as she also comes across as a genuinely nice person.

Can I say my adult daughters? They have both grown up to be kind, generous and we are very close even though they live 1000’s of miles away. They both have amazing, very good, and very demanding jobs but still have time to do look after their families and take time out to visit us. I am constantly inspired by them and feel lucky and very proud to be their mum.

In my family my gran's, poles apart one always laughing and up for fun the other the archetypical matriarch not just of our family but all her younger brothers and sisters and their families.
My mum never gave up when everything was against her she still pushed on.

My late MIL. She lived with us for the last years of her life and died aged 101. She went to university despite having what she described as "a very poor education" and had a very responsible job during the 2WW. She followed FIL wherever he was sent, including several years in Washington and seemed to take everything in her stride but she told me how lonely she felt at times. She was a quiet woman, very intelligent and understated but I found her a tower of strength with a compassionate nature and a wicked sense of humour. I miss her terribly. Some of my friends thought she must have been a bit of a burden, she wasn't, I felt privileged to have the chance to get to know her so well and when faced with a problem, I often think "what would MIL have thought?"

Princess Anne is pretty amazing. The king we should have had, in my opinion. I'm also VERY fond of Germaine Greer, still telling it like it is and damn the critics.
Joanna Lumley - sorry but I can't stand her. She comes across as so damn pleased with herself. Also, she was very much part of the organisation behind the now-defunct Millennium Bridge. Millions of £££ were sequestered for that. Does anyone know where that went (I'm not suggesting she's got it, btw!)

Dame Deborah James. Whenever I'm feeling sorry for myself I try to "be more Deb"

Mia Mottley : Prime Minister of Barbados who led the Island to becoming a Republic within the Commonwealth.