Welcome to my personal website…
I like to keep busy, read on to find out how…
Online Guitar, Ukulele and Banjolele Lessons…
STATUS: Available now! Now’s a great time to get your dusty guitar or ukulele out and start learning again or get your nice shiny one out and learn from scratch. I am now offering online lessons starting from £15 – all you need is an instrument, a bit of patience, an internet connection and Zoom. Face-to-Face available when allowed. Find out more…
Virtual Pub
STATUS: Open! During lockdowns we couldn’t go to the pub, so we brought the pub to us! Using Zoom, we sit down for a regular beer and chat with friends once a week. Works quite well so why not join us? Find out more…
Outdoor Stuff
STATUS: Work in Progress! I’ve been using a lot of practical ideas drawn from my personal experience covering DIY, Grow Your Own, Wildlife and Backwoodsmanship. I’ve spent the 2020 lockdowns creating vegetable gardens and successfully grown my own.
My core activities are:
Music
I am guitarist regularly jamming around the West Kent area and play guitar primarily for U-Turn and various other different bands. I’m involved in and help run Acoustic Sessions which feature folk, rock n’ roll, swing, jazz etc playing guitar and Irish Bouzouki. Busking is something I enjoy, regularly playing outside the Heath Stores in Horsmonden to raise money for the Hospice in the Weald. I also play ukulele banjo, and ukulele. I am a founding member of Horsmonden Ukulele Big Band (HUBB) which I helped set up in January 2018 and was involved in for almost 3 years.
I’m always keen to network with other musicians, so please get in touch wherever you are and you never know what opportunities might arise!
Cycle Touring
I am a keen cycle tourer and pre-lockdown went on an annual 10+ day tour with some adventurous old friends of mine. We go looking for adventure unsupported taking everything we need with us. 2016 Prague, Czech Republic – Colditz – Leipzig, Germany; 2017 Girona, Spain – Pyrenees – Marseille, France; 2018 Kutaisi, Georgia – Tbilisi – Aghstafa, Azerbaijan; 2019 Tbilisi, Georgia – Ganja, Azerbaijan – Baku, Azerbaijan; 2020 Cambridge – Mersea Island – Suffolk – North Norfolk; 2021 Swaffham Prior – Thetford – . Bicycle Touring page…
Cricket
I have been successfully coaching cricket since 2000 in the youth section of Horsmonden Cricket Club – one of the oldest cricket clubs in the world. I devised and run “Loose Cannons” – regular Friday night community T20 cricket matches with players of all ages and abilities. We have black stumps, white balls and a sound system – in fact Kent need to have a look to up their T20 act! We play other local social cricket teams and are always looking for opposition – could that be your team?
Scouting
I am a Cub leader and have held a Scout Association warrant since 2007 having previously been in the Cubs, Scouts and Venture Scouts. I have completed countless camps – Broadstone Warren, Downe, Hope Hill, Lordship Woods, Gilwell Park to name a few. My specialist areas I enjoy teaching are scout craft, music and natural history.
Innebandy
CURRENTLY ON HOLD: I am a regular innebandy / floorball player on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings. My team is Tunbridge Wells Royals. This is a very fast paced game using carbon fibre sticks and plastic balls and a very good work out if you want to keep fit. New players always welcome – just ask me!
Philately
I am a keen collector of stamps and specialise in Bermuda with my own website www.bermudastamps.co.uk as well as being a member of the Bermuda Collectors Society.
Ancestry
I enjoy researching my ancestors and reading about the social history of the time. This is usually a winter pastime and I’ve connected with quite a few distant cousins from the UK and beyond. Maybe we’re distantly related? See my activities at MyFamilyArchive.
Ultra Challenges
I have participated in three Ultra Challenges: London to Cambridge and The Cotswold Challenge in aid of Cancer Research, and the Peak District Challenge in aid of The Hospice in the Weald. These are 100km walks in 24 hours, so quite tough both physically and mentally.
More about my Ultra Challenges…
Shop
My virtual shop has been created to display all my recommended products people keep asking me about. So if you like certain recommendations I’ve made then you can now explore more of them! Get shopping…