Just caught up with this thread having been away for a week and I am very sorry to hear this bad news. Diane's knowledge of music, politics and grammar was unquestionable and she literally dared you to confront her. Yes, we clashed from time to time regarding folk music but the infuriating this was that while we both cherished the same values regarding the music, its portrayal and presentation, I nearly always found her coming at it from an opposite angle. When she did actually agree with you it seemed like you had achieved a profound victory!
We did correspond via Facebook and on PM occasionally where we got along very well; the greatest compliment she paid me was when David Sutherland, also from the North East, had done exceptionally well on Mastermind answering questions on The Child Ballads. Going on Facebook to confess that this person wasn't me she answered that she thought it wouldn't be "since it would be a bit of a hike to travel from Nottingham to Gateshead for work every day!"