I make no excuses for the style of writing. I tried to make the 'persona' change gradually from a child of seven to a teenager and then to an adult, so the words and style would appear to change over the years. I hope it worked.

Oh, and if you see a picture like this: it means there are some photos you can view from around that time. You may find that you have to use the right mouse button and choose "Open in new window" to avoid having to "back button" all the time.