Wish upon a star

Christine Chalklin, 65, from Pontefract, West Yorkshire

Craning over my mother Ditiane’s shoulder, I looked, fascinated, at the complex chart she was drawing up.

‘What’s that?’ I asked. I was just a child and had no idea what she was doing.

‘It’s an astrology chart,’ my mother explained. ‘I’ll show you how to do it when you’re older.’ She wasn’t a professional astrologer but it was a serious hobby, and my grandmother Melita was also an enthusiastic follower of this ancient practice. Growing up, it was normal to hear my mum and grandmother discussing the planets and their influence over tea.

When I was 11 years old, my mother taught me