CURRENT MISSION

To explore, learn, meet people, interact, and find my place in this space

ABOUT ME

I am currently based partly in Chamonix, partly in the UK, and like to oscillate between them.

I recently spent 2 years and 4 months travelling around the northern hemisphere without flying. I love flying, but I'm continuing to choose not to, primarily for environmental reasons.

You get to meet more people this way, anyway.

People have described me (and the work I create) as constructivist, literary, spatial, crazy, inventive.

I have an inherited penchant for wandering and wondering.
I have never met a normal person!

I was born in Hereford, grew up in Eye (nr. Leominster). Eye is mainly fields of potatoes, wheat, sheep etc. with little streams and footpaths running through.

Lived in Monmouth, Osaka, Durham, Tokyo, Durham (again), Yoshitomi (Fukuoka), Eye, Cambridge (Mass.) , Eye (again), Hereford, various parts of the UK, long journey across Asia, then Fukushima, Hokkaido ... long journey via Pacific, Alaska, BC, Trans-Canada, Ontario, Québec, The North Atlantic, and back to Wales, Europe, French Alps... where to next?
Mexico and Belize...
Still haven't been to the Southern Hemisphere, though...

PHILOSOPHY

Don't forget the space in between the notes!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surfing across the surface of the planet - sharing tales of travelling and art, culinary skills, informal/experimental music making, and accordion snowboarding...

Looking forward to hosting as soon as I stop moving around and have my own place (not likely to happen for a while, I think).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Had two great weeks, one year apart on floors/bed in student houses chez Oli in Huddersfield.

Then visited the Largest Village in Cornwall for a cosy wintry night.

Working as a live-in care worker gave me a highly-developed sensitivity to living in other people's houses.

Have since made a few CS stops in Asia on my way overland to the Far East: UK-loving naked cats in Irkutsk, classic Mongolian hospitality in Ulaan Bator, High-rise apartment in TEDA (part of Tanggu)

A pleasant stay in a tent and a then a room at Couch-surfing-central in Anchorage;

Happy memories and Espano-philia in Juneau, capital of AK;

Stayed with a friend-of-a-friend-of-my-brother's in Prince Rupert.

Had 3 or 4 relaxed days in sunny Courtenay with sunny Sunshine and her family.

Spent a week (and then another one or two visits) in the chilled-out home of Yogi+Bronwynne pondering the possibilities of a meat-free existence and meeting some amazing fellow travellers.

Was very grateful for Simpy's kind welcome and hospitality on arrival in Whistler.

Hosted (unofficially) Dan (non-CSing school friend) and Yogi the vegan (amongst others).

Surfed (unofficially and at short notice!) in Vancouver with friends of my brother.

A pleasant warm week in Toronto chez Don and Bill.

Experienced Real Canada while stayiung in Andrew's camper van in KingstON.

Stayed with an old friend of my mother's in wildest Lanark (not actually couchsurfing, but sort of...)

Pleasant festive Canada Day atmosphere with a good crowd in Ottawa.

Stayed with Patricia in Montréal (haven't actually found you on CS - are you out there?)

Hugo in Québec provided superbly for my spatial needs.

Initiated my sister's couchsurfing exploits by crashing on her floor in Cardiff.

Surfed a wobbly inflatable mattress in the flat of my schoolfriend Dan in Monmouth, but doubt I'll ever get him to join CS...

Co-hosted Cherry by dint of already surfing at my sister's (again).

Another Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival stay with Alison down the road in Marsden.

Was warmly welcomed in the cold winter by Jimmy and Hubert in Marlens near Albertville.

Fabrice proved to be a wonderful tour guide in Annecy

Interests

Paragliding, Hiking, Snowboarding, travelling;

Music: WARNING: I am an Accordionist! Also: Experimental percussion and multi-instrumental improvisation; Piano, clarinet and saxophone;
www.accordionsnowboarding.com

Change ringing (church bellringing);

Vegetarian cooking, yoga, performance art, reading, writing, etc...

• cats
• arts
• writing
• performing arts
• festivals
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• running
• flying
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• socializing
• juggling
• music
• piano
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• snowboarding
• paragliding
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

The risk here is that listing anything at all may overly focus the perceived extent of the interest.

My favourite films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, American Beauty, Amélie, Being John Malkovitch, ... and although I don't think of myself as the violent type, I really enjoyed Fight Club (not about violence per se) and The Boondock Saints (about violence, but quirky enough that it doesn't get in the way of what else is being said).

The most important and prevalent artist on my CD shelf / playlist is Mike Oldfield: perhaps the most eclectic composer of our time. As for the rest, well... like many people I've met, I consider my musical tastes to be rather eclectic. Difficult to know where to start a list. Listen to Late Junction on BBC Radio 3 and you'll get some idea... recently been loving Shukar Collective and Riccardo Tesi, amongst others.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

the sky's pretty amazing

it's always there

and better than TV 'cos you don't get repeats!

(why do so many people put more than one thing in this space?)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'll teach you to 3-ball juggle if you can't yet.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Belgium, Belize, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Japan, United Kingdom, United States