AS BeingCJ has said, it is much easier to be open here than face-to-face - so, here you are, the truth behind the RhubarbCommando's suave facade

I left school at the age of sixteen with five "O" levels - one of which was in woodwork. My teachers had more or less written me off as a dunce, albeit a well-meaning and co-operative one.
I started teaching adult literacy as a volunteer in 1976, and acquired a taste fort teaching - other teaching-type ssituations occurred over the years. So I decided to go for higher education in order to become a full-time Education Officer in the Trades Union movement.
Two years at Ruskin College, Oxford, at the age of 43-45, brought me a Diploma in Labour Studies, and a request from my personal tutor that i apply to attend University - which I had not even considered before. (Don't forget, I still thought of myself as a dunce)
Lancaster University, which has a good reputation for accepting mature students, gave me a place, where I duly obtained my BA in History with Politics as a minor (I wish now, that I had taken linguistics as minor - it would have been more interesting and more useful)
In my third year, one of my history tutors - who had also become a social friend - asked if I had applied for funding to do my PhD. Again, I hadn't even considered doing such a thing. He convinced me, became my supervisor ofr my thesis, and here I am, doing an academic administration job part time, plus whatever teaching I can get on a freelance basis.
As a Doctor of Philosophy I am far too expensive for anyone to hire me to do what I'm trained for and best at.


But, on the bright side, I retire in just under four years time - I only have it worked out in days, so far - eighteen months time, I'll work it out in minutes!

Oh - and "boxers" - I take the Victor Sylvester approach to comfort of the lower extremities!