Born in 1948 in a Hampshire hilltop hamlet, Mary spent her childhood running free in the countryside. In 1955 the family moved to urban Surrey - an unwelcome shock. A child of the 60s, at 16 she bought her first motorbike, adding an ex-undertakers' van, living in a Cornish layby during the Summer of Love, followed by four carefree years at Art School. But by 23, both parents had died. She became an air stewardess, also gaining a private pilot's licence. Returning to graphic design, she has been self-employed for 30 years. Mary never married nor had children.