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Scotland, she married a Scot, settled and raised a family with him in Longforgan near Dundee where we met her.
‘The group – her German publisher of the time (based in Munich, where I had lived as a student), his wife, Ros’s publicity lady (coincidentally sharing my surname) and three prize-winners and their partners, our driver and I – were to be entertained to afternoon tea with the obligatory scones, jam and cream.
‘Rosamunde told me that, until then, she never knew her cleaning lady was a dab hand at baking scones. The author also revealed she had been bribed to host the afternoon with a piece of her favourite Hungarian porcelain.
‘The competition was the idea of the publisher, who wanted to do a new book of short stories. It was won by a lady from the German tax department and the runners-up, two male journalists.
‘We had an amazing afternoon. Graham, Rosamunde’s husband, was from a Dundee jute family and a very charming and interesting man in his own right and his sister, Buffy, was a dead ringer for Dame Maggie Smith.
‘What do you do after a highlight like that? We had no further programme that day but no one, not even our driver, was keen for the day to finish – I suggested we do the Fife coast and find a good pub for fish and chips. We found a perfect one at Anstruther – sadly the pub no longer exists.
‘Rosamunde had a holiday home in Dornoch and I once stopped in the town with a group on an Orkney trip, telling them about her.
‘On return to the coach, an excited lady said: "I SAW her! I had actually booked to go to Cornwall but the trip was cancelled - company said since their Orkney trip was happening, why not take it and here I am and now I saw Rosamunde Pilcher, WOW, thank you!"
‘Meantime I have totally fallen in love with south west England and regularly guide there (have done some qualifications). Prideaux Place is the most-used film location and it seems appropriate that the wife of owner Peter Prideaux-Brune should be a fellow Scot – the films have, and are, helping to save both the house and its garden.
‘I met Rosamunde again in Cornwall when she was speaking at a meet the author dinner at Prideaux - Newquay. She told me that our visit had been the only time she had hosted an afternoon tea in Longforgan.
I was asked by some Cornish fishermen who do boat trips to thank her for bringing such enormous economic benefits to Cornwall and was able to pass it on.
‘Rosamunde received the OBE was for services to literature but it could equally have been for tourism. She was an absolute one-off, in the style and form of the late Queen Mother, and a great lady.’
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