In the various laboratories and workshops I have been aided for many years in running the equipment by Keith Williams, a fine technician who kept me in sample holders and liquid helium against all odds. The smooth running of the Mössbauer laboratory is much more a testament to his efforts than my own. Simon Case and Gaby Milford helped tutor me in the more esoteric methods necessary to run Mössbauer spectrometers and how to analyse the data from them. Dr Jon Goff gave useful guidance in the use of the SQUID magnetometer along with Pascale Deen, and her ingenious sample holder construction. As well as keeping me stocked with general supplies, Peter Davenport has also inadvertently, and without fail, provided something much greater in all the years I've known him: a friendly smile and a hello every time we met.