'And one man in his time plays many parts' As You Like It Act 2 Scene 7.

A Berkhamstedian born and schooled!

To Watford, for training in the days when it was one of the UK's great printing centres: Odhams at one end of town and 'The Sun' at the other, with a fire station next to each, allegedly on the grounds that both plants periodically caught fire! Gravure printing ink is highly inflammable and the speed at which those presses run creates high levels of static electricity.

From there to St Albans, another traditional printing centre of smaller but still sizeable plants, where I joined a mixed periodical, book and general jobbing house, providing the sort of variety I wanted.

Then back to Berkhamsted, where I joined one of the three printing plants owned by The Wellcome Foundation Ltd. In between Berkhamsted, Watford and St Albans is Apsley, the home of stationers John Dickinson and where the Fourdrinier brothers built the world's first automated paper-making machine just after 1800.

Adapting to changing technologies meant my leaving the Berkhamsted factory for Wellcome's international offices. A major upheaval. I moved 100 yards down the corridor! Finally I went solo as a freelance printing and publishing consultant, for which promotional purposes this web site was set up.

Along the way I fitted in a diverse experience in amateur theatre, freelance journalism, some poetry and a little philosophy. Oh and a brief sojourn on the Town Council, creating its original web site and setting up several charities with their starter web sites. That, in a few words, is a life. Mine!