Gardening is only the principal preoccupation, or maybe the organizing principle, of her life.

I have never written a book principally for money," she said, "and I don't think it ought to be a writer's principal preoccupation.

For the MTG, the principal preoccupation is the devaluation of the tradition, which should be above the financial values, or it would lose its finality.

In the months that followed, feeding and hiding Mikhail became her principal preoccupation, her silent protest against the dictator whose hospitality she enjoyed.

"The Government's principal preoccupation was to get workers to make greater contributions to their pensions, and it didn't seem too worried about concessions made to achieve this," he said.

An opinion survey last year by the independent monthly Greek Opinion said 34 percent of respondents listed their principal preoccupation as watching television or movies.

The thought of the Russians forming an alliance against him, in league with Wu Sangui, had been among his principal preoccupations for some time.

"One of their principal preoccupations," said Mr. Metcalfe, "is the extreme poverty of the country."

The citizens of Montreal had generously subscribed towards the building of a college, his principal preoccupation.