I spent 37 years in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, serving at NATO HQ in Belgium and in New Zealand, the Eastern Caribbean, Italy, Singapore, Cote d'Ivoire/Liberia/Niger and the US (as British Consul-General in Atlanta, GA).  After taking early retirement in 2010 I qualified as a proofreader and now operate as a freelance proofreader and editor.  In my spare time I like to write - as I have done since my teens.  My memoir of diplomatic life, "The Patriotic Art", is due to be published in time for Christmas 2012.