First a picture, for those with strong stomachs. All the hair and teeth are my own - I just have to complete the payments!
I originally did a chemistry degree at Lancaster University, and initially worked as a teacher, but then moved into the Probation Service, then into Social Work in Child Guidance.
My wife Debbie (who has tolerated me for over 30 years) recently gave up "the day job" (part time in a small local private school) to concentrate on her real interest, in painting and drawing, and in teaching these skills. She exhibits occasionally and undertakes commissions of everything from animals to buildings, in a range of media, working from life or from photos.
You can find out more about her and her work here .
We have two children, Ben who lives just outside Exeter and Lucy who lives in Cardiff.
We have lived in Hertfordshire, Leeds, Blackburn, Newent (Glos) and then in Hannover, Germany, where I worked in Child Guidance, part of the Education Service, serving the families of British soldiers stationed in Germany) for 8 years. We came to Exeter in 1990.
Unfortunately it was not long after this that I began to suffer from some sort of unexplained fatigue and general "unwellness" which is explained as "ME" or "CFS", though neither of these names bring any real explanation or treatment with them. I was retired on medical grounds in 1992, and now potter around with various activities as and when I feel up to them.
My interest in computers goes back to 1967/68 when I used an IBM 1620 at university - this filled an air-conditioned room and probably had considerably less power than the machine I am using to write this page! It wasn't until 1987 that I bought a BBC computer, and dabbled with this, but my real interest developed after I was retired. I decided to get a PC so as to keep up with developments, in order that I would up-to-date if/when my health improved. In the event I am less hopeful of the "if" and still waiting for the "when".
I now know a few things about computers, but still don't know a much larger number of things.
For some years now I have voluntarily acted as a beta-tester of software for a small company. This has been a very interesting, if sometimes frustrating, activity, from which I have learned as much as (I hope) I have contributed.
You may be interested in two of their products, Browsegate and NetcMail .
