View Message

It's got a middle-aged to elderly to moribund image here in South Africa; plus, there was a stage and screen actress called Esme who could actually act rather well but sank happily enough into a syrupy trough of uber-sentimental radio programmes of tips for housewives, messages of comfort for the hospitalised etc; she followed this up by advertising enzyme-active detergent on TV, and Esme's enzymes are, alas, all too memorable. A large lady, with black(ened) Marge Simpson hair, face too plump for wrinkles, shrewd pointy nose. Not good!

---

And yet. One of the finest teachers I've ever known, and one of the nicest human beings in general, was an Esme ... though she wasn't ... her name was Esther but she was never called anything but Esme, which is a tribute and a half. In her honour, and given enough daughters (which one never is) I'd use it with delight, but only as a mn.