By York Membery
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Jenni Murray the broadcaster, 62, in the bedroom of her Peak District home
BEAR NECESSITY
There’s nothing better than curling up on my bedroom sofa with my dogs, a good book... and my teddy. He’s a bit raggedy now, but he was the first present I was given as a baby. I still remember the day I lost him while out with my mother when I was three. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat â€" I was devastated. Then, a month later, we bumped into the local bobby and amazingly, somebody had handed him in. So off we went to the police station, and Teddy came back into my arms.
MOTHER’S PRIDE
Like every mum, I’m very proud of my two boys, one of whom is a vet and the other a photographer. My eldest Ed, the vet, has always seemed to have trouble smiling for photographs and absolutely refused to wear a mortarboard for his graduation picture. In contrast, Charlie’s perfectly happy having his picture taken. I’m sure it’s a bit embarrassing for them seeing their graduation pictures when they come home, but they’re very precious to me.
HE’S SO BUTCH!
I got Butch my white Chihuahua in 2008, a couple of years after I’d had breast cancer and the boys had left home â€" and he’s brought so much pleasure into my life. My husband Dave was initially against it because he thought it would tie us down, but I won him over. Last year we got Butch a female companion, Frida, because he used to get a bit lonely. I love them both, as parents always say about their children â€" but Butch will always secretly be my Number One!
A PERFECT DAY
Being made a Dame in the 2011 Birthday Honours List was a wonderful surprise â€" my men were incredibly impressed but my only regret was my parents weren’t around to see it. I’ll never forget going to Buckingham Palace to get the award â€" and Ed, who was working in New Zealand at the time, even flew home to join us. We went to the Palace, then had a wonderful meal in the West End. It was one of those days that I’ll never forget, everything just went perfectly.
DEEP ROOTS
My late mother gave me this little model of a miner on a lump of coal a long time ago. It’s very small, and quite insignificant in a way, but I treasure it because it reminds me of my grandfather on my father’s side who was a miner. The poor man died in his 50s, when I was only three, of the miners’ lung disease silicosis. I still remember going to see him when he was lying in bed dying. I think it’s important to remember your roots, and I’ve never forgotten mine.
MY HEROINE
I’ve always been a fan of Mary Wollstonecraft, the 18th-century women’s rights campaigner. We’d been discussing her a lot on Woman’s Hour on Radio 4 in 1992 because it was the bicentenary of her most important book, A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman. To my amazement, Dave had been listening in and he went out and bought me this 18th-century edition. It’s probably my most precious possession â€" I wouldn’t like to guess what it’s worth.
Jenni’s book My Boy Butch: The Heart-warming True Story Of A Little Dog Who Made Life Worth Living Again (HarperCollins) is out in paperback
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