Dear Reader,Bertie was inspired by my own daughter, Ellen, whose daddy always called her ‘Bertie’ when she was little (and indeed, even when she was not so little!)These stories are often, but not always, based on things that happened to Ellen as she was growing up ... I will leave it to you to decide which events are real, which are made up and which are a mixture of both.Great-Aunt Jacinda’s house was a very real place ... as are Bertie’s many, many cousins. Again, I have mixed reality and imagination with most of the characters in the stories ... and as before, it is for you to decide where reality ends and imagination takes over – or should that be the other way around?So, I hope you enjoy reading about Bertie and I hope Ellen’s memories of her childhood are as magical as Bertie’s.With love ... and keep reading!Moya BanksXPS: Pirates for ever!