Like a lot of people, I came back to the world of education at an older age after working at a career. I voluntarily left the banking industry in 2001 after 13 years of service; I was looking for a change, and for me this meant a return to studying. I wasn't interested in working towards a 'professional' qualification, but rather learning about something that I genuinely loved and was passionate about. I had always enjoyed reading, but I didn't necessarily want to learn about literature. I wasn't interested in analysing the 'style' and 'meaning' of the books that I liked, as I felt that this might lessen the enjoyment I got from reading them: the escapist element, so to speak. What I really wanted to learn was how the English language worked, how it was structured, and how it could be used effectively. I wanted to learn how to communicate my ideas more competently, as well as to be able to identify why some texts that I read or listened to were confusing, or difficult to understand; why they were not working as well as they could, or should do. After studying some very suitable and challenging courses with The Open University, I successfully finished a degree in Modern Languages. Not only was I able to learn a mass of useful knowledge about the history, grammar and usage of my mother tongue, I also became fluent in French, a language that is so historically connected to the development of English.

Now that you know more about my professional and academic background, here is some information about the things I am enthusiastic about: my interests and passions.

MUSIC

As George Martin once said, in the world of the arts 'music is the prime mover'. I have to agree with him, and you might too. Not only do I love listening to, talking about, and reading about music, I also love to play music. I've been playing the guitar since I was 18, and I am very happy to describe myself as a guitar 'nerd' or 'geek'. For me, it started with listening to The Beatles, then it was some punk music, and then it was classic rock, hard rock and grunge for many years. While I still love to hear those sounds, my tastes have widened somewhat as I've got older to include blues, folk, progressive rock, jazz and classical music. The Beatles are still there every day of course; the heart of it all, and the band that inspired me to pick up a guitar.

FILM

While music is my great love, films are really my first love. I was first taken to the cinema at the age of 6, and since then it has been regular activity for me. I've spent many hours watching films on the television that I never had the chance to see on the big screen. Many of my favourite films were made before I was born, so the TV, the VHS cassette and the DVD have been good friends to me. The 1960s and 1970s are my 'golden era', although I'm happy to say that I've seen great films from the 1940s, '50s, '80s, '90s and '00s as well; too many to list in fact, so I won't bother to do it here! Whilst the bulk of what I have seen has been in the English Language, I have seen plenty of 'foreign' films too, particularly French films, as they have been important in helping me to learn the language.

FINANCE

Although I left the world of banking and finance some years ago, I continue to follow the daily developments in this crucially important sector. I'm not sure that I would describe my interest as a passion, but rather as something that intrigues me. It's a world that I partly know from first-hand experience, and it's a world that I partly understand, but more importantly, it's a world that affects all of our lives on a daily basis. I am not a graduate of Economics or Politics, as I've never wanted to get transfixed by the theories that all too often get discredited by the seemingly chaotic movements in what we call 'the financial markets'. What is undoubtedly true is that these 'markets' evolve quickly and regularly; they are interesting to me, yes, but I guess that the reason why I follow them is really because of their effect on the world of politics and government, and through this, our own lives.

SPORTS etc

I have been a competitive swimmer since my teenage years and I still swim now; I am also a qualified swimming instructor, and this allows me to help younger swimmers by giving up some of my time, just as those coaches did for me when I was competing. I love both bicycles and motorcycles, and I've been very fortunate to have travelled around the world a bit too.

So there's serious stuff like finance, and there's vital stuff, like music, films, swimming and two wheeled things!

Now that you know a little more about me, what's next? Click HERE to find out.