With heartfelt gratitude to the late Dr Marie-Claire Gröller and her father, who saved my sanity and probably my life.
Many thanks to Clare Christian, Anna Burtt, Heather Boisseau and Linda McQueen for believing in me and making this book possible.
To Sue Jeffery, who struggled so valiantly with my scrawl to type the manuscript.
To Patrick Knowles for his beautiful cover design.
To Sara Findlay, Paul Phelps, Vickie Butcher-Phelps, Sarah Weeks-Jones and ‘Lady’ Polly Aldous for their support and encouragement, without which I would never have completed this book.
And to my daughter Claire and son Michael, for loving such a weird father.