ABSTRACT
All the time that personal story was being lived there were developments of national significance. It was as if script and stage set kept changing while the play was acted. Those national developments provide the context for the next section, but before turning to that there are a series of reflections on some of the issues which have arisen as APEL practice has expanded, which can form a bridge between a personal story and what follows. Many potential APEL-style students want the quickest, cheapest fix. If someone wants an engineering degree, outstanding ability to cope with geriatric grandma may be interesting but it is strictly irrelevant unless it happens to be engineering applied to some new-fangled Zimmer frame or a self-help bath lift. Pragmatism is usually thought of as reaction to circumstances. However it can also be spotting the possibility of creating the circumstances likely to make some desired action possible.
