Hilary 56, from London. Married with two children. Barrister - training be a Judge.

How are you?

I’m ok. I’m in a transitional phase of my life. It’s a big change from the last twenty years. I’m not working full time at the moment and I’m based from home. I have much more control and time on my hands. It’s quite curious but enjoyable at the same time. After a very long time away from music I have gone back to it - it's my passion. I think I’ll go back to playing the piano too, I was a good pianist.

I’m technically on a sabbatical. Being ill brought it to ahead. I physically couldn't carry on doing what I did. The awful cases I had to endure. I think it’s the cumulative effect of all the nasty stuff I had to deal with (she’s a criminal barrister dealing with some very unpleasant cases). I’m constantly acting, it’s all been very stressful. I'd been thinking about taking a couple of years off but I couldn't see a way out. Without a doubt this time I'm having is a positive thing. It’s been very liberating. Sometimes I sit and reflect and feel a deep sense of relief. I thought I’d miss the social side of my work but I don’t - I really don’t miss the endless bollocks!

How do you think other people see you?

I’m not one of these people who worries what other people think about me. I feel that younger women in my work place see me as a role model. I feel strongly about supporting working mothers making sure there not put upon. No one would look at me as a role model as a mother but they would as a barrister with children.

What do you think about children?

I’m glad I had them. I didn't think I wanted them. They're a very grounding. You see them changing and you have to adapt to that. They make the passage of time easier. If you don’t have any you’re free to do whatever you want. People get terribly set in their ways if they don’t have kids. Having children is one BIG accommodation!

What’s your most memorable experience?

In the early 1970s me and my brother took a trip to Nepal by public transport. It took us two and half months to get there and we only had two hundred quid. We went via bus and train through Venice, Istanbul, Afghanistan along the Kyhber pass down into India. We stayed in a lorry park and hitched all the way back to London. It was a fascinating year off. It was the time of the “hippie trail” a time before “Gap Years”. It really bonded us as siblings.

What is your passion?

Music - it’s emotional. I love church music.

I love the experience of being drunk when I've been drinking beer. I am a big fan of the conventional pint!

How do you see yourself?

Pretty solid. I have a strong sense of self. I don't hate myself. I don't think I’m very self conscious so I just get on with things. I try to look forwards not backwards. I’m phlegmatic and a realist. I don’t think I have a huge imagination. I'm good at living in the here and now and I get a lot form that. I’m not much of a planner. I'm quite good at enjoying myself and I see that as a reasonable talent.

What do you like about yourself?

My fortitude and my ability to carry on.

What do you think about life?

If you don’t have faith then there is no other obvious explanation. I don’t know if there is a ulterior purpose but I feel you've been put on earth so make an effort. In your society, socially and through community you have to live a life that reflects that - have some input.