I spent years living in ever bigger houses, convinced they represented success. Then my husband had a shattering affair and I downsized aged 68... and it's changed my life in ways I could never have imagined: LINDSAY NICHOLSON

I had been avoiding the D-word for some time. Not divorce, nor even death, both of which I have faced up to over the years…but downsizing. It seemed heavily associated with another D-word - defeat.