Lives: 38 Orchard Avenue

Age: Mid thirties.

Appearance: 5’4” tall, very slim with light auburn hair and hazel eyes.

Sandra is shy and timid, preferring her own company to that of her peers. She is innately kind and compassionate, a gentle soul.

Family: Husband: Timothy

Background: Sandra, the only child of Robert and Simone Clarke was born in a remote and rambling house in the highlands of Scotland. She saw little of her parents even when they were there and her upbringing was left mostly to a doughty housekeeper. She soon learned that the best way to keep out of trouble was to be as quiet and unobtrusive as she could, a habit she has found hard to break. Her parents died when their car left the road following one too many drink-fuelled binges and Sandra was taken into care. Quiet and studious, she took pains to cause no trouble to anyone. She did well at school but made very few friends because of her introverted personality.

A gift of watercolour paints given to her soon after she arrived at her first foster home was intended to help Sandra express the feelings that were felt to be the root cause of her almost mute existence. Everyone congratulated themselves that the idea seemed to be working but, in truth, Sandra began to respond simply because for the first time in her life, she had found someone who cared enough to talk to her and in whom she felt sufficiently secure to reply. She was still very quiet and shy but was happy and the gift unlocked a talent for painting and drawing that was to shape her life.

Sandra met Tim when he literally stumbled across her while he was out walking. She was nestled in a hollow making rough sketches of the countryside for a series of illustrations she had been commissioned to produce for a children’s book. Almost as shy and certainly startled by her presence, he stuttered an apology and she in turn stuttered her acceptance. Not known for finding humour in ridiculous situations, Sandra surprised herself by starting to giggle at the sight of Tim lying sprawled across her legs while he was being so gravely apologetic and could not stop laughing at all when he introduced himself and said it was nice to meet her before making any attempt to get up.

They wrote often after Tim returned home at the end of his holiday and they both found it easier to converse in their letters than they ever had face to face. Tim made several trips to see her and little by little, their friendship blossomed. Marriage was something that they seemed to drift into, neither of them being able to remember being asked or doing the asking. They married quietly, without fuss and Sandra moved south to live in the flat that Tim rented in Woodbury.

With Sandra working freelance, she was able to continue with her illustration work. They saved hard and moved into their own house in Orchard Avenue three years ago.

Happier in a small village than in town and with the confidence that being with Tim has given her, Sandra was determined to overcome her shyness and make friends but she found many of the other residents in the small development on the outskirts of Milliwick too self-absorbed to be happy in their company although her and Tim have made the effort to be sociable.

Jessie Shepherd had been standing next to her in the village library waiting to check out her book while Sandra registered. She had immediately smiled and said ‘Ooooh you must be new. How are you settling in?’ The simple but sincere enquiry made Sandra feel more accepted than she had in the whole six months she had lived in the village. When she shyly explained that she was not ‘new’ but did not know anyone, Jessie took over. By the time she reached home her head was awhirl with the names of people she had been introduced to and she knew she had found the friend she craved.

Currently: Sandra is learning to be more outgoing. She has joined the Women’s Institute at Jessie’s insistence and thoroughly enjoys the meetings. She now has one or two friends of her own age but prefers the easy relationship she has with Jessie and her compatriots. She is currently working on another series of illustrations, this time for books aimed at older children. Any spare time she has is spent in her garden either painting for pleasure or cultivating her riotous display of shrubs and flowers.

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ALESSANDRA (Sandra) MOSSOP nee Clarke

The youngest of the village 'ladies'  and a recent arrival to the village. Married to Tim