which I won as an honorable mention prize from Cricket Magazine in my youth and did not read because I was cranky about only being an honorable mention.

Is this cricket as in the sport that goes on for days with tea breaks and bird-spotting or something else? Were you bowled out, or...? (I am just being nosy on the internet.)

Also: obv. you were robbed!

The Angela Thirkell does sound pretty great, actually. I think I always got her confused with Joanna Trollope, which did her few favours in my head. I'm not sure why exactly.