Last Reviewed: November 2026

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I’m 58 and spent a career designing IT systems, mainly for financial clients, and mainly in the City of London after a stint in my twenties when I worked in Manhattan.

But everything changed during a career break (as a bicycle mechanic) when I suffered a stroke aged just 48, which left my stronger side (left) paralysed.

Needing to re-invent myself, I learned to type once more, one-fingered, but progress was so unbearably slow, I created this blog to keep a record of my recovery. I became involved in the WordPress community, began answering prompts, and spent several years effectively learning to write. At the same time, I performed voluntary work and began ramping my knowledge back up to return to IT.

Some seven years post-stroke, in 2023, this culminated in a two-year stint where I worked from home, full-time for a small local consultancy. The role, though, was a big difference to my earlier career and when I was made redundant in Summer 2025, I decided to write, full time. I’m currently mid-way through my second novel. Because of this, I don’t blog as much as I used to, but rather treat this space as somewhere to let my hair down.

I’m divorced with an adult daughter, and share a quiet corner of southern England living happily with Reuben the Cat.