CURRENT MISSION

Running and developing my historic buildings consulting business, writing my first book (non fiction) and thinking about my first novel. The last one keeps falling off the -metaphorical- shelf though.

ABOUT ME

........all about me?? I'll never get any work done!
Very happily married to the fabulous Michael who was worth waiting half a lifetime for; one gorgeous girl at grade school.
I am fortunate enough to have enough material possessions to be comfortable but not so many that I would be distraught if they disappeared tomorrow; to love and be loved; to do work which feels more like a vocational hobby than work, and which is completely portable since it mostly occurs between the eye and the brain and is then expressed through the fingers.

I love to bring together people with common interests who might otherwise not get to know each other, to promote positive networks of communication and understanding. (I'd like to teach the world to sing, too. I guess you might have to be over forty to get that reference though...........)

PHILOSOPHY

Life is not a dress rehearsal

What's that thing over there? Are you coming with me?

Carpe diem

If not now, then when?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have spread the word to friends and family members. My husband and I have successfully hosted 12 couch surfers here in our home in London since February 09 and look forward to meeting more of you. You'll get a bed and your own bathroom.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Descended on my friend Marie Louise's beach house in South Africa near Port Elizabeth in January 1992. Basic, very simple, with outdoor facilities (if you know what I mean) and a stone's throw to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen- and I used to live in the Caribbean. Fishing all day, sunning, braai (BBQ) in the evening. Rum and Coke; great conversations about real stuff; sunsets. Ah me.

Interests

Old buildings, the quirkier the better.
New people, ditto.
My favourite smell is my daughter's hair.
I think it is vital to keep alive craft skills- I still bake my own bread and make my own jam, marmalade and pickles.

• writing
• books
• singing
• photography
• cooking
• bbq
• running
• boating
• music
• outdoor activities
• fishing
• business
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Mamma Mia. If you don't have it, you don't know what you're missing. Anything 'frocks and bonnets'. Adventure - Indiana Jones; scientific mysteries. Historic mysteries and detective work; archaeology. I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code even while I knew it was a load of tosh. Music: everything from U2 to Handel. Authors: Ian McEwen, Betjeman, Flann O'Brien. On planes and beaches: Grisham, Dick Francis, Waugh (Evelyn).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watching the sun rise over the Drakensburg mountains in South Africa, 6am 10th July 1991. Music rang in my ears and goosebumps rose on my arms. Just to remember it still makes me feel ecstatic, humble, alive and in tune with nature in a way I never have before or since.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would be only too happy to share any/everything I know about the care and conservation of historic buildings, from the philosophy of why we should do it at all, to evaluating the most appropriate repair for a piece of worn stone, to using lime mortars to repoint an ageing brick wall. Bliss.

I still want to learn about archaeology, to become proficient in Latin and to take better photographs. One course in architectural photography coming up!
If that doesn't rock your boat, I'll teach you how to cook.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Ireland, Italy, Lesotho, Namibia, Netherlands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, Spain, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Barbados, Bermuda, China, Gibraltar, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen

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