In truth there are very few places on earth I don’t feel like a visitor. Left of centre, sharp turn to the right, ah yes, there she is, she’s over there talking to someone. And we don’t know who he is either. What on earth are they discussing; it looks like something fascinating perhaps even a little bit outrageous.

I look like a normal person, don’t get me wrong. And much of the time I do a good show of acting like a normal person as well (Although I have noticed that there is a special kind of less than normal look that men in particular save for me. I think they suspect).

But try as I might to blend in there is something about me that marks me different.

This difference has attracted a small exquisite group of friends over the years, recognizing me as part of their own food group. Either separated from the herd by their exuberant talent and curiousity, their stupidly good yet unusual looks or charisma, their sheer self –confidence or simply their ability to find much more than most funny, these are my people, and I love them, and I think of us as a kind of secret royalty.

Larger than life people often create larger than life situations around them. This is my environment to share some of those attempted visits into normalcy and see how it worked out.