About Me

I am 75 this year, and have been married for nearly 52 years, to the same woman, Sally, who is four days younger than me. I have three off-spring, two daughters who live in Alcester, and a son who lives in San Francisco. I have four grandchildren, two girls who are 20 and 16, and who live in Alcester, and two more girls who are 4 and 2 who are US citizens. I have two beautiful dogs, whippets. I have been a science teacher for a large part of my working life, until I took my pension at age 51, and went on teaching until I was 65. I also worked in industry for 13 years, in Plessey, Lucas Aerospace and Girling Brakes, as a rubber technologist, mostly in high-tech engineering, looking at o-ring seals, then brake seals. I taught in Swindon before moving here to Alcester in 1967, to work at Lucas then Girling, before going back to teach physics in Birmingham. After taking my pension, I worked at St. Benedict's RC School as well as ruckleigh in Solihull.

I have been a painter for fifty years, exhibiting works in exhibitions at my house over nine times. I began writing for the Bear Flag, a writer's magazine, eleven years ago, and I still write a lot in it. I have written several books, two have been published, and I have others waiting to be published. “It's Not Working” and “Run a Youth Club in Ten Easy Steps” are available at the DVD Shop in Alcester High Street.

I have been involved in Youth Clubs in Alcester for over 35 years, which is the background to my book. I started the Alcester Youth Project, which helps young person's organisations. I am still helping with The Depot on Conway Fields, a new club of all volunteers. I write letters to the papers, often about the dreadful way the Greig Hall has been run. I have never joined any club, political party, or organisation unless I invented it, and even if I did, I leave when I have had enough. I make videos, grow chrysanthemums, smoke a pipe, enjoy the groups I belong to in the University of the Third Age, U3A, especially philosophy, history, book reading, art, and science. I have never worked hard, but I tend to persevere gently. I have suffered repeated bouts of depression all my life, and did courses in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, which helps a lot. I am a Stoic, which does not mean I put up with suffering without complaint, but it does give me a meaning to life. I am spiritual rather than religious. I hope to live beyond 100, but will accept gratefully any lesser age of my demise.