Last Reviewed: August 2026

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I’m 58 and spent a career designing IT systems, mainly for financial clients, mainly in either the City of London or 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 paralysed.

Needing to re-invent myself, I learned to type once more, one-fingered, and created this blog to chart my recovery. I joined the WordPress community, began answering prompts, and spent several years effectively learning to write creatively. At the same time, I performed voluntary work and began ramping my knowledge up to return to IT.

Some seven years post-stroke, this culminated in a two-year stint where I was able to work from home, full-time for a small local consultancy. The role, though, was not a patch on my earlier career and when I was made redundant in Summer 2025, I took the decision 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 the south of England, in blissful happiness, with Reuben the Cat.