Over two years ago my dad sent me an email about a fun thing he had found on the web. Thus began my addiction to Anu's AWAD, and I lost little time in dipping my toes in the shark-filled waters of the discussion board after having been looking over participants' shoulders for a while. That was more than 20 months ago.

In the time that followed a remarkable thing happened - coming here in a pursuit of the joys of language, I found I had interactions with folks from around the world in a manner I had never before experienced, never indeed dreamed possible. And I made some good friends, and watched in complete fascination as before my eyes a virtual community grew up and developed its own modus operandi and its own lex and its own shibboleths and its own distinctive brand of anarchic tolerance.

I loved it.

And I grew to love a lot of you guys too. My time here has been one of frequent joy and continuous discovery - where else could I hear about recipes from around the world, cosmic theorizing about time and matter, subtle erudition and gentle debunkery, quizzical Foolery, bawdy banter, quick rapier flicks of wit and slow depth charges of punnery - and often all in the same conversation, stretched over several world time zones and involving such a wonderfully disparate group of people!?

I have cherished the experience and the views and the camaraderie encountered here, and I thank each and every one of you from my heart for what you have shared with me in this community, drawn from your own life and personal experience. What I have come to particularly cherish is the practical demonstration of strength through the embrace of diversity, when resting on core values of tolerance and good humo(u)r.

If any of my posts have been offensive to you at some time, I beg your forgiveness. If my tongue has ever wagged unduly vitriolic or bumptious, I ask your pardon - I tend to speak from the heart when perhaps my head should be more involved ;) If anything I have ever said has made you smile or chuckle, I am glad to have also shared a brighter moment with you. If any of my words have ever moved you, thank you for letting me into your heart too.

For personal reasons I have to be away from here now. I wish you all the best for the future of this board.

A