“Very helpful, I must say. Look at them in the eye and shout, and they understand every word..." (Mr. Warbeck in Sienna, talking about local Italians.)”

“Eve darling," said Bill earnestly. "I swear I didn't . . . " "You sweared about me driving the car," interrupted Indigo. "say a word about bloody . . ." "Swears a lot," said Saffy vindictively. " . . . firewords. I shouldn't have brought them . . ." "Bloody shouldn't," agreed Saffron. "I'm taking them home. They're tired. Everyone's tired." "I'm not bloody tired," said Saffron, but all the same, after a kiss from Eve she was hauled away. "About bloody time," said Saffron. Caddy was glad to go, too. Only Indigo darted back into the baby room fro one last look at the thing that had caused so much trouble. "Get better!" he whispered. "Getbettergetbetter!" and dashed away.”

“He likes driving very fast on the wrong side of the road," said Sarah. "Which I can completely understand.”

“On the board was a list of words and phrases which her mother considered not suitable for use in college T-shirt design. She had been asked about them so often that in the end she had started a blacklist of banned words to which everyone could refer. Every time someone thought of a new one, she unflinchingly wrote it down...Rose read through the list, and turned back to her letter.These are the words I learned to spell in Mummy's art class today, she wrote, and sighed a little as she began the tedious job of copying from the board.”

“Darling Daddy,This is Rose.Saffy says everyone says it is Indigo's fault that their Head has two black eyes and a swelled-up nose.Love from Rose.P.S. Sarah who is here says to tell you love from wheelchair woman too.Rose's father telephoned especially to tell Rose not to call Sarah Wheelchair Woman."That's what she called herself," protested Rose. "She thought of it! Aren't you worried about what I told you about Indigo and the Head?""What?" asked Bill. "Oh that! Two black eyes and a swollen nose! I don't think I can believe that one, Rose darling!”

“I love people who play guitars on roofs!" said Rose, hopping along the pavement in one of her sudden happy moods. "Don't you?""Never knew anyone else who did it!""Don't you like Tom?""Of course I do. But I don't know about all the other guitar-on-roof players! They might be really awful people, with just that one good thing about them. Playing guitars on roofs... or bagpipes... Or drums... Sarah would like that, and Saffy could have the bagpipes! Caddy could have a harp.... What about Mum?""One of those gourds filled with beans!" said Rose at once. "And Daddy could have a grand piano. On a flat roof. With a balcony and pink flowers in pots around the edge! And I'll have a very loud trumpet! What about you?""I'll just listen," said Indigo.”

“Kiran says (the shelf) is full of stories. If it is, then I like fairy stories. Fairy stories are fair. In them wishes are granted, words are enchanted, the honest and brave make it safely through to the last page and the baddies either have to give up their wickedness for ever and ever, no going back, or get ruthlessly written out of the story, which they hardly ever survive. Also in fairy stories there are hardly any of those half-good half-bad people that crop up so constantly in real life and are so difficult to believe in...”