Jean Blane Flannery

The author was born towards the end of WWII in Bletchley, England, home to the famous code-breaking site Bletchley Park - "Station X." By the age of ten she had moved with her family to Stewartby, a small village just outside Bedford that was then home to the largest brickworks in the world.

Between 1965 and 1974 she moved around the world, living in the USA, the Philippines and Crete before returning to England for good. Her life and career paths took several unexpected and surprising, but ultimately fulfilling, twists and turns.

After living in Lincoln from 1988 to 2014 she moved with John to Christchurch, New Zealand, where they are happily living in retirement.. Various activities and interests keep the author as busy as she has ever been. For leisure, reading still remains a great love although with her pc, her iPad and its apps, she has found new means of enjoyment.

Trying to keep her mind in good trim with word and search games, crosswords and quizzes the author also loves to walk. Sorting out new house and garden have been enjoyable tasks. Now keeping her small garden in order is not too onerous. She is actively involved in her local community. Living close to four of her grandchildren is a great joy, tinged with some sadness at still living so far from the other two.

Starting to write rather later in life the author published her childhood autobiography "Bucks, Beds and Bricks" in 2011. This tells of growing up in post-war England, a very different world to today. As she was writing this her sister gave her a book of Betjeman poems. These fired her to begin writing verse herself, initially just for her own pleasure and satisfaction. "Variegated Verse" (also published on Amazon) is a collection of the author's poems, written over a number of years.

The author has three children, each born in a different country and on a different continent, and six grandchildren. Her daughter and four grandchildren live here in New Zealand. But with two sons and two grandchildren living in the USA, plus family and friends in the UK and various other countries, she has gratefully embraced the technology that enables instant communication around the world.

Contact email: jeanblaneflannery@gmail.com