December ELLE

In the December issue of ELLE I've written about my two grandmothers as part of the feature 'My Other Mother'. Despite almost sharing a name, Anna and Annie couldn't have been more different and I talk about my memories of them both; my lustrous Hungarian Nana and my delicate English Gran.

My Granddad sneaks in there too. I wonder what Jack and Annie Hall (yes, that was her real name, and no, I've never seen the film - I really should) would say if they knew their picture was in a fashion magazine? 'Ooh-er', probably. I love this photograph. I think I remember playing Dominoes at the kitchen table that day, my Dad saying 'Mimi' and snapping as I turned. Or maybe I've just seen it so many times that I can't separate the moment from the record of it. Images like this inspired me to write The Book of Summers; 'All photographs testify to time's relentless melt' (Susan Sontag).