About Me!

I was born in London with my parents moving to Yorkshire when I was quite young. I lived in Yorkshire for just over 5 years before moving to S Wales, after my father died. I lived in Cwmbran for 22 years.

I attended Birmingham University, Edgbaston, for one year but decided I didn't in fact want to be a mathematician, and left to join a major Bank. After 3 years and a very limited social life, I decided to pursue a career in teaching, going to Swansea College. I graduated with a First and would have liked Primary Teaching, but with no jobs, had to take a Secondary maths post. This was with children of low ability, often maladjusted or very maladjusted and sometimes very low motivation and severe behaviour problems, in unbeknown to me at the time a school now rated as one of the five very worst schools in Wales! After seven years and redeployment I became a full-time supply teacher teaching in 45 schools (Nursery (rarely), Infant (occasionally), Special Schools (including very severely disabled children), and about fifty : fifty Junior or Secondary Schools, teaching all subjects and every age year groups from 3 to 18 at one time or another. I very much enjoyed the Primary teaching, and had more thanks for my first week's supply teaching than I had had for the seven years teaching mostly very difficult children in a very difficult school! The ten years supply work went when L.E.A. funding went direct to schools and in amongst some casual supply work, including covering for the head of IT in a local comp, I did work unloading parcels freight from lorries either by hand or small fork lift truck in Winter outside, on one occasion having to unload a large artic entirely by myself. It then had to be sorted inside ready for van collection and then loaded into vans. I did about 6 months or so as a freight and parcels courier before trying selling Double Glazing firstly for a local firm and then for the biggest national UK firm. I then had a very rewarding just over six year stint in an FE College teaching Adults and Sixth Form age students, some Maths from time to time, Keyskills to Level 3, BTEC Level 3 Science, A level Computing and A level ICT, and a Degree level Machine Code and Networking module. including various evening classes, though the work load was tremendous and often involved 15 hour days term-time and through some holidays. I moved to Aberdare in 1977, very nicely located in a wide valley surrounded by hills/mountains, and hence known as the Queen of the Valleys a very well-deserved accolade! Left teaching as early retirement in 2005.

I have learnt (and taught!) web page design and construction, and my own website is entirely my own work, though some of it needs tidying up, sprucing up a bit and in some cases a complete re-design/re-write! As you can see from my interests, I have such a wide range of interests that I can't mostly keep up with myself!!

IQ :- 165+ :: (scored 100% in test up to 165 IQ, with 15-20 minutes to spare!)

Home :- Things not great at home, but that's life. Something of an understatement. Oh well!

Health :- Not the best these days. Hypothyroidism, Blocked Coronary artery that can't be stented, Depression, PTSD and Anxiety, and Kidney Disease from previous Hypertension medicine to name just a few, so I get tired and exhausted very quickly.

Parents :- My mother was from Buckinghamshire, with an Irish grandparent, and a Jewish grandparent and her parents were from Finsbury Park London (hence Cockneys!) though they relocated to Bedfordshire. My father was from Healing in Lincolnshire. Three generations of my grand/great grand and great great grand fathers were all railway Stationmasters near Grimsby, Lincs. Four of my mother's five brothers were senior managers in industry, as was my father though he had worked as a North Sea deep-sea Trawler fisherman for many years including visting Nova Scotia deep-sea fishing, before settling in 'civvy-street' and eventually marrying my mother, though I was only 5 when he died. My very-loved mother died in 2006.

Brother and Sisters :- My brother is retired from being HR senior/chief manager over-seeing 3 UK sites, for a very large multi-national company. My sister is retired from being a community and sometimes hospital based Psychiatric Nurse. I had a half sister alternating Summer Winter between Buffalo, Ontario and California, though we sadly never met, although my mother visited her quite a few times. I have met my step-niece from the States and met her half-brother. I also have a step sister in her late seventies living in West Sussex, who we did not know about until after my mother died, and who took a lot of tracing. My sister and brother are younger than me, and both step sisters are/were older than me. I have met my one living step-sister, and see her from time to time quite regularly.

Family :- Four grown up children (two sons, two daughters), one of whom (younger son) has own house and is married.. Eldest son is a top-notch computer programmer, next son is a fully qualified Architect. He works on major projects for a large architect firm. I have two grown up daughters.

Favourite Places :- Majorca, Gower, Cornwall, S Devon, Dorset, SW France, N Spain, Cork and Kerry Counties (Eire).

Best Jobs :- Bank Cashier, Courier (Commercial, Industrial and Domestic Premises), Full Time Supply Teacher; Teaching A Level (Pure, Applied, Statistics and Probability) Maths and Further Maths, A Level Computing and A level ICT. Teaching a Degree Computing Module.

Greatest Talent :- Pure Mathematics, Computer Programming (though not at all recently), Craft work for Model Railways, Finding the very best rock music on the planet!

Hobbies and Interests :- Surfing, Playing Guitar, Learning Keyboard, Motorhome, Rock Music, Reading, Photography, Astronomy, Steam Railways, Model Railways, Writing Poems and Thriller Novel (work in progress!).

Voluntary Activities :- Helping and assisting a local Mental Health Charity, including doing a monthly community radio online show on Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being topics and conditions, on behalf of the Charity; monthly rock show same community radio station (DapperFM). I did both shows weekly but timewise, have had to reduce these to a more manageable monthly schedule. I like to think that no-one anywhere does a better rock show!

Reading and favourite Authors :- Classical Poetry: Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, Shakespeare (sonnets), Milton, Browning, Tennyson, Byron. I also like modern poetry.

Best non-fiction book read :- The Afterlife Of Billy Fingers by Annie Kagan.

Thriller and Adventure Books :- No particular authors, too many to mention, I read novels that are very well-written, and have sufficient of a plot and character development to hold my interest. If I can't 'lose' myself in a book, I don't read it!

TV :- Don't watch much these days, Friends, Two and a Half Men, Bear Grylls and Grand Design, some very good docs and Home in the Sun.

Films :- Thrillers, Chase and Adventure films mostly, and some top aminated titles, occasional Sci-Fi films.

Cooking and favourite foods :- Over the years I've been a dab hand at a range of dishes including, Curries (Many!), Chinese Dishes, Paella, Chilli Con Carne, Spicy Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican dishes, Indian Balti, Fish dishes and omelettes and I like steak + trimmings once in a while! Also like salads and plenty of fresh fruit/ veg. Biscuits are essential if I am busy finding, sorting and sound editing music for my rock show or in a writing mood! Love good (best!) cheeses and all sorts of accompanying biscuits! I also eat plenty as in plenty of nuts!

Favourite drinks :- Red Wine, Black Coffee, Tea, and iced Orange drink in copious quantity in hot weather! I drink the occasional tot of brandy or whisky, or ice, (lemonade, vodka and gin!), which is super cool! Known on occasion to drink iced lager (San Miguel) and white sparkly, though not together! Sangria in copious quantity of a Summer evening!