We all have a story to tell and this is mine. I am an accidental author who started journaling in 2014 when my children were very young. I have spent much of my life working as a doctor and have learned not to take the gift of waking up tomorrow for granted. I started to journal as I wanted my children to have a record of my thoughts and to have a chance one day to know the real me. During this process all sorts of childhood memories came flooding back and I realised my life had been blessed with two loves. Ireland and Manchester. When I was a student I was asked by a tutor to introduce myself to my fellow students who were sat around in a circle. Without thinking I naively announced myself as being an Irish Catholic Mancunian from a big family. The room was uncomfortably quite as people didn’t know what to say until a girl called Denise smiled and said that she was an Irish Catholic Liverpudlian also from a big family…… There are lots of us around and each has a story to tell. I hope you enjoy reading mine. During the last few years I have felt that the book was in many ways asking to be written and for me to write it. It has been a very personal experience and I hope it has resulted in a book that will create feelings of warmth, joy and celebration. I hope that it will also provoke laughter and a reminder of the importance of kindness to strangers.