I think it was about a little girl growing up in Ireland - possibly in a farm. She was very close to her father - and maybe he died towards the end of the book.
When she went to school, she wrote a story and used the phrase "green, broken glass" and her teacher chastised her severely saying it should have been "broken, green glass" (or the other way round).
She got her period and there was reference to her thinking it was like the blood when lambs had their tails docked.
Any ideas?!