Totally inappropriate and gratuitous pictures of the mother in law.

Surely there can be no genuine excuse for blogging pics of the mother in law?

Well, acutally, there is.

Spotted this story in Thursday’s Guardian about the passing of actress and singer Pat Kirkwood at the age of 86.

As well as being feted by Hollywood (Noel Coward wrote a musical for her), she was the proud owner of legs described as the “eighth wonder of the world”.  But the Lancashire-born starlet was best known for her friendship with the Duke of Edinburgh - a friendship that was the subject of gossip and innuendo for decades.

I knew little of La Kirkwood – what really stopped me in my tracks was the photo of her which appeared in The Guardian. It immediately put me in mind of a picture, taken in Italy in the 50s, of the mother-in-law.

Both women were photographed in their heyday – and my other half is so proud of the pic of her mum on an Italian beach that it has pride of place on our photo shelf. So here are the two pics – one of a kittenish diva in a daringly skimpy bikini looking every inch a Hollywood starlet – the other, er, a genuine Hollywood Starlet:

Hope you enjoy that one, Elspeth!