Securing a degree in chemistry, well before the days of modular exams, was a very good start for David, and his using this degree to embark on a lifetime career in accountancy seemed, at the time, like the best next step to take. And in a way it was. Becoming a partner in one of the world's 'Big Four' firms of accountants proved to be surprisingly interesting and constantly challenging. However, over the years, a belief became fixed in David's mind that he hadn't been put on this Earth just to provide opinions on financial statements but also to provide opinions on human nature. Not pompously or even vehemently - but in the only way he knew how: through humour. So he started to write - and in this writing to focus particularly on what the nature of human nature was doing to the nature of the natural world - first through some 'sci-fi humour' and latterly through some 'travelogue humour'. He doesn't claim to be some sort of jokey Cassandra - as he is only too aware that both his thinking and his writing is riddled with serious self-doubt. So he is quite relaxed about whether his opinions get through to his readers - or not - just as long as in the process of reading his books they all have a jolly good laugh. Because, with what he and the rest of his species are visiting on this planet, one thing he doesn't have any doubt about whatsoever is that sooner rather than later, we will all need to develop our ability to have a jolly good laugh indeed - even if it is of the somewhat hollow variety...