Hi, my pen name is Ange Hilstron.
I was born in 1929, the year of the Wall Street crash when our well off family became destitute. I grew up during the Great Depression and World War Two in London, and attended a private school in Worcester Park. I worked for British American Tobacco Co in Westminster as a shorthand typist and sent myself to Wimbledon College of Art.
After marriage and the birth of our daughter we immigrated to New Zealand in 1960, where I became involved in community work, taught art in a primary school, and exhibited my paintings. Two sons and a divorce later, I helped pioneer the Feminist movement in NZ, bought a house and carved a hillside garden out of volcanic rock! I founded my own company to fund my installation in the Botanic Gardens to celebrate artesian water, pioneered art as a special subject in primary schools and gained a Batchelor of Arts degree in human lifespan cognitive development, and aesthetic perception.
When my sons married I decided to return to UK in 1995 to live in Dorset near my daughter and grandchildren. I joined the Women’s Institute, became active in the community, was Artist in Residence at a local school making a millennial mosaic pavement and created a cottage garden out of a strip of grass. I joined a community group making a celebration tapestry and helped create a community garden in a retirement complex.
During my life I have had several major surgeries, but just after returning to UK I discovered I had breast cancer.
I kept a journal most of my life, keeping folders of my experiences and ideas. When I reached the age of 89 I thought I should publish some of it.
I chose Author House as my self publisher and spent 2019 just before my 90th birthday writing my first book Any Excuse for a Party, the Story of my Life. The Rag Doll series came from my experiences with having a stroke, heart failure and another mastectomy, and the comedy of dealing with the medical fraternity and surreal situations. I expect that people would gain some hope from them as well as have an enjoyable read. They are all available through Amazon and book shops on line.
I was born in 1929, the year of the Wall Street crash when our well off family became destitute. I grew up during the Great Depression and World War Two in London, and attended a private school in Worcester Park. I worked for British American Tobacco Co in Westminster as a shorthand typist and sent myself to Wimbledon College of Art.
After marriage and the birth of our daughter we immigrated to New Zealand in 1960, where I became involved in community work, taught art in a primary school, and exhibited my paintings. Two sons and a divorce later, I helped pioneer the Feminist movement in NZ, bought a house and carved a hillside garden out of volcanic rock! I founded my own company to fund my installation in the Botanic Gardens to celebrate artesian water, pioneered art as a special subject in primary schools and gained a Batchelor of Arts degree in human lifespan cognitive development, and aesthetic perception.
When my sons married I decided to return to UK in 1995 to live in Dorset near my daughter and grandchildren. I joined the Women’s Institute, became active in the community, was Artist in Residence at a local school making a millennial mosaic pavement and created a cottage garden out of a strip of grass. I joined a community group making a celebration tapestry and helped create a community garden in a retirement complex.
During my life I have had several major surgeries, but just after returning to UK I discovered I had breast cancer.
I kept a journal most of my life, keeping folders of my experiences and ideas. When I reached the age of 89 I thought I should publish some of it.
I chose Author House as my self publisher and spent 2019 just before my 90th birthday writing my first book Any Excuse for a Party, the Story of my Life. The Rag Doll series came from my experiences with having a stroke, heart failure and another mastectomy, and the comedy of dealing with the medical fraternity and surreal situations. I expect that people would gain some hope from them as well as have an enjoyable read. They are all available through Amazon and book shops on line.
My website: angehilstron.com
My books at Author House (in £)