I was born and brought up in Whitstable. I
grew up around the harbour and West Beach, where we had a beach hut,
and later was involved with the local Leo and Lions Clubs.
After working for Amphenol for 11 years, I
moved away in 1987 to follow my career. I have now been in
Staffordshire, with my wife Jennifer, since 1996. We live on
our smallholding near Eccleshall, a delightful small market town of
about 5000 people.
If I can’t live near the sea, then this has
to be the next best place. We are surrounded by rolling open
country, have views for over 30 miles and we are away from the
hustle and bustle urban life.
Whilst we don’t run the smallholding
commercially, we usually have some sheep or cattle around and keep
chickens, peafowl and rheas.
Rheas are part of the ostrich family but
smaller and easier to handle. They are quite unusual and
generate plenty of interest locally – they are about five feet
tall and have a wingspan up to about eight feet. The females
started laying eggs (1.5lbs each!) in 2008 ...
We hope to start breeding from our group of five adults in 2009.
I still keep a boat even though it’s
difficult to be further from the sea and regularly trail it around
the UK in pursuit of the boating pleasure that I was brought up on
as a child.
Whilst I get back to visit three or four times
per year it all to easy to loose touch with old friends and
colleagues so it would be great to hear from anyone who remembers
me.
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