Odes to Toads is an extraordinary book, into which an extraordinary woman has poured an extraordinary life. Part reflection, part memoir, part autobiography, part commentary; Bridget's story ranges from her childhood in the India of the Raj, to an unconventional married life in Weybridge, passing through a lifelong battle with depression. In the pages of this book we are privileged to meet an absolutely honest and gallant spirit who is, from first to last, her own woman.

Do you remember dancing to 'In the Mood' during the Second World War? If you do, you'll no doubt share in some of the author's memories of moonlight, music and romance, which she records in this diary as she looks back over her life. She takes us on a fascinating journey starting from her boarding school convent education in the hills of India. Then she shares with us her personal experiences of the war years when she danced the night away with handsome young men in uniform once her war work was over for the day. But these were the days of her youth and now she is no longer young in a world...