Author

Here I am at my computer where I prepared this website.  And here's a later picture of me at work for my employer, before I was made redundant.

I live in North Yorkshire with my wife Helen and my 13 year-old son Stephen.

I was born and brought up in Northwich in Cheshire.  My own education was at Shrewsbury School in the 1970's.  This was what I looked like then...

I spent my university years at Edinburgh, coming out with an Upper Second Class Honours Degree in Biological Sciences.

During the 1980's I worked as a clinical cytogeneticist in Bristol, which paid for an elderly car, a small flat, and my membership of Bristol Ariel Rowing Club.  I also coached a number of crews at Bristol University, a story in itself.  By the way, the triple jumper Jonathan Edwards spent time as a cytogeneticist in Newcastle, before he spent his whole life, as he put it, "jumping into a sandpit" (which he did remarkably well).  Here I am having won Senior Coxless Pairs at Shrewsbury Regatta, with Chris Bond (I wonder where you are now, Chris.)

At the same time as Jonathan started jumping into his sandpit, I started in a profession that involves banging one's head against a brick wall (which is not an Olympic sport).   I retrained as a physics teacher at Sheffield.  It was strange being a student again after work, but in those days I looked a lot younger than my age, and fitted in quite well.  As well as rowing I found I had something of an aptitude for fell-running, a lunatic sport where you go belting up and down hills.  In Bristol I had been something of a runner, but the hills were nothing like those round Sheffield.  I found that it was easier to go uphill than down.  I even did a few races, but my physique was more for rowing.  Now I have hit middle-age in a head-on collision, and am desperately unfit.

After having taught in a number of schools, I now work in Yorkshire, at Leeds City College.

Outside rowing and fell running I was into trains.  Not train-spotting, thank you very much.  I worked as a volunteer fireman on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.  Here's one of me after a hard day on the Countess...

I had a reputation of being a magnet for dirt.  Many other enginemen could come off the engine looking almost pristine.  Not me!

Note that in these early pictures, I had a fine head of hair.  I started to get a bald patch when I was teaching.  ("You've got a bald patch, sir."  "Yes, it's where I tear my hair out when I mark your work.")  I used to be able to deny it, but not now.

I have been married for fifteen years now.  Helen was Domestic Bursar at an Oxford Theological College.  She is an excellent cook and it shows on me; I have hit middle age in a head-on collision.

For relaxation I do like to fly my virtual aeroplane.  I have used Flight 2004 to teach myself to fly.  This software is about as realistic as you can get on a domestic PC.  Many flying organisations use it for basic training, including some air forces.  So it can't be all that bad.  I would love to fly a real plane, but that costs real money.  I am working on Heavy Metal.

Do I spend all my time on a computer?  Definitely not!  I like to do photography.  I still have my old Olympus Camera which I use for what I call chemical shots.  I also have a digital camera which has more than paid for itself in the number of shots I have taken!

My favourite hidey-hole is my workshop in which I turn wood on a lathe and make furniture.  Inspired by Gardeners' World, I have thirty day projects, which usually end up as thirty week projects.  My workshop is a tip, a glory-hole of bits of wood, machine tools, bits that might come in useful one day, garden tools and noxious chemicals, all covered in a patina of fine oak dust.

Here are some of my favourite web-sites:

http://www.word-on-the-web.co.uk/ for inspirational readings from the Bible.  Although I am a Christian, I do not find church very inspiring, although I have a soft spot for the Anglican Church, warts and all.  I find the somewhat irreverent site www.shipoffools.com refreshing.  It exposes some of the more ludicrous aspects of some churches which bring discredit to the Christian Faith and are not of Christ.

http://oremus.org is a lovely website for a daily Anglican style prayer service.

Visit http://www.wllr.org.uk/ for the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/ Sheffield University.

http://www.ed.ac.uk/ University of Edinburgh

http://www.shrewsbury.org.uk/ Shrewsbury School

www.nvfc.co.uk for Northwich Victoria Football Club.  It was relegated to Conference North after a pitiful season last year.  Gutless, clueless, useless.  Unibond Premier next year?

http://www.nrc1875.com/ for Northwich Rowing Club.  My father was a keen lifelong member many years ago.  I did a bit there; I wish now I had done more.

http://www.bristolarielrowingclub.co.uk/ for Bristol Ariel Rowing Club.

http://www.teessidewoodturners.com/ for wood turning.