One of the most amazing things I have learnt in the many years since leaving senior school is my ability to pick up a thread of knowledge and run with it so much more fluently than when I struggled all those years ago.  At school I was averagely bright.  Only a couple of the teachers made an effort to quell my clumsiness and giggling – usually through awkwardness but taken as just stupidity!  One of those was our English teacher – in our school the poor chap took both language and literature.  I actually did very well at both.  This was definitly due to my father who was a terrific reader and mimic.  He used to read bed time stories, adding hilarious comic character voices.  In fact, this helped me to become well known as a good ‘reader outloud’ and I relished the opportunity to read any passages asked of me.  Those early lessons became my way of life.  Thanks Dad!