Living in a quiet corner of rural Northern Ireland in the 50s and 60s, children had an idyllic freedom to explore plus a healthy respect for hard work and community spirit. Moving from this, to the bustle and confusion of London, enjoying a short spell living in historic Bath to then living in the Far East, was in itself a lifetime experience. But follow this on with a broken marriage, a protracted divorce and the harsh realities of living with the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland, was a route not experienced by everyone. Starting again, in the hitherto unknown world of a 'word smith' in Public Relations, which included working across the UK, Europe, Bosnia (during and post-conflict) and in Kosovo (post-conflict), was a new route. This process was an accidental rather than a deliberate choice. It flowed out of necessity, drawn by instinctive reaction to circumstances rather than by design. These experiences form the basis of this narrative.