I heard a wonderful piece on Home Truths this morning about Anthea Hanscombe who is in her eighties and is passionately interested in steam engines of all kinds. Quite apart from anything else, she had the most wonderful, infectious laugh, and she had me chuckling along just because it was such a pleasure to hear her laugh.

It seems that Anthea has been interested in steam engines since she was a girl, and used to run out into the street when she heard a steam roller and breathe in the tarry fumes. Her interest developed during the war when she was a Land Girl, and she now has a very technical understanding of steam engines in all their forms, but is particularly fond of locomotives.

Anthea has obviously been doing the geekgirl thing for very long time, in times when it was even rarer for women to express an interest in machinery and other technical things. So, Sister, I salute you. May you ride the footplate with an oily rag in your hand for the rest of your days.