Episode One . . . .

This is the mammoth one-size-fits-all email that I've been promising various of you [we won't even mention those of you who thought I dropped off the planet some time ago] anytime during the past year.

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . sorry, in a hemisphere far, far away . . . I decided that the usual family method of resolving issues (i.e., talk about them endlessly, but do nothing) needed a shake-up. So, with the help of son Clancy (he's been looking after the Australian house, the dog for 5 months, and sporadically forwarding mail) I left Australia to come to England for "at least a year" and help Harry & Pamela move from their flat in central London - their home for the past 46 years - to . . . somewhere else.

So - why did Harry and Pamela need to move? a) A rented flat with a 'controlled' rent that was about to move out of their budget completely; and b) three flights of stairs, no lift/elevator which, although it had been their 'gym' for countless years, was now becoming their 'insurmountable obstacle to decent living'.

I arrived in England at the end of July 2005. Immediately, I . . . holidayed down in Cornwall for two months and discovered one of the great loves of my life: stand up surfing!

It's the best . . . (btw, come northern summer 2007, I'll have my own board).

Back in London in October 2005, I started nutting out what the options were, but then had to dash off to Germany in October (visiting friends) and December (two weeks in wonderful Hamburg at the Goethe Institute - a great experience and where I made some great new friends) . . .

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