#EmmelinePankhurstDay

I'm going to be honest and say I hadn't heard of Emmeline Pankhurst Day until about an hour ago, but social media is a wonderful thing and why not use a blippertunity to celebrate inspiring women? It's also Malala's birthday.

Here is a fairly random selection of things representing women who inspire me:
my favourite writers, Margery Allingham and Lindsey Davis always come out when I need some escapism.

I'm just entirely in awe of Margaret Atwood, and Mr HPW thinks she's brilliant too. This is my favourite of her books. If you can go to bed without putting all the lights on after finishing this, you're a braver person than I am...

Alice Walker and Toni Morrison really opened my eyes when I was in my teens, to great writing and the lives of women so less fortunate than me.

I read Judith Kerr's autobiographical trilogy at an even more impressionable age and it encouraged me in my interest in history; if you've seen the recent celebrations of her on TV, I'm sure you're with me on what a brilliant and lovely woman she is.

After studying history at university, I was introduced to Lyn MacDonald's books - by our plumber, Roger, quite an inspiring man himself. I've blipped one of her books before.

My gran and Meg, who I have spoken about before, really had a huge influence on me, and it was their tales about the war which made me so interested in studying history and social changes the war brought for women, not all of them bad. They weren't conscripted themselves but they lived through the Blitz in London; I suspect they actually quite enjoyed it given how much they talked about it. I have included one of the great women War Artists, Dame Laura Knight, picturing a servicewoman at work (with lipstick on).

Dorothea Lange is one of the photographers who really made me interested in taking my own pictures (clearly not to this level!) This is probably her most famous photo and says a lot about why I do the work I do. I'm truly inspired by the women who have to leave home with their children, hold it all together and try to protect them. God knows if I could do it. They are everywhere, still. Spare a thought for these women still living like this in Syria, South Sudan, the DRC and many other places. If you agree with me, you could always pop by Oxfam's website

I'd also like to mention an inspiring woman (amongst many) that I really know, my old boss Judith Robertson, she's a brilliant fearless person who tells it like it is!

And my number one most inspiring woman ever, I couldn't find my book, but yes, it's Eleanor of Aquitaine! Were you expecting that?!

A special mention to my mummy, obviously, she's my role model and I had to just ring her to check if Roger was the plumber's name....