Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to everyone who has taken care of me over the last four decades through some difficult times. I've not used real names in this book, but would like to say a particular 'thank you' to Sarah Davenport. For help with writing, many thanks are due to Judith Barrington, and her legendary memoir-writing workshops at the Almàserra Vella, and to Ben Evans from Cornerstones, who critically read and commented on two earlier drafts. An earlier version of the chapter 'Taking the Tablets' was originally published in Open Mind. Jane Graham Maw at Graham Maw Christie believed there was something here worth saying; Claire Plimmer and Madeleine Stevens at Summersdale brought it to fruition, and John Manton has kept me going – the most difficult task of all.

Disclaimer: This book is a work of non-fiction based on the experiences and recollections of the author. The names of people and places, and identifying features or details of events, may have been changed to protect the privacy of others.