External sites:
If you have audio on, you will hear 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' while looking at this page. I hope you enjoy it.
| The Bahá'í Faith: This is a relatively new religion and I have been a member for over 28 years. I believe that the unity of all the people in the world is the most important thing to aim for today. This unity must start with the family. In this technological age it must extend to all parts of the globe, since we are all dependant on each other; our ability to travel easily to any place, and to communicate instantly with anyone, has made the earth seem much smaller. More information may be found at our international site, whereas details of where Bahá'ís are active in the UK may be found at our national site. My pilgrimage is also documented on this site. | My family: I was born in Colchester and have quite a number of relations living in that area. After I married Ann in 1967 my parents moved to Coggeshall. They were keen campers and some details of their travels will be added to this site later. When my mother was widowed, she moved to a flat in Romford (to be near us) and was able to manage there until the last few weeks of her life. We have lived in Upminster for over 20 years and our son, Douglas, lives in Romford. Both our daughters are married and have children, Suzanne lives near us and Nicola is in Kelvedon. Further details of our extended family are in our Christmas letters (see links on left). |
| My work: Since I took early retirement at 55, my part time occupations have been gradually reduced; now I have no paid employment. Thus, when family respopnsibilities permit, I am able to spend quite a lot of time on voluntary work for the Bahá'í Faith. There are three aspects to this. (a) Distributing educational materials, including a syllabus and a CD-ROM with lesson plans and handouts. (b) Support for "Study Circles", with the aim of becoming a Tutor. (c) Maintaining Bahá'í web sites; at present I manage four of these, Havering - the district where I live, Loughton - a nearby district, Ferraby - our local Bahá'í school, and also our national agency for Bahá'í education. | Leisure time: Ann and I love going to see a ballet, which is why I have chosen the particular piece of music on this page, although we only go about once a year now. Some people regard looking after children as a chore, but for me this is real leisure time! There is a funny sign in our kitchen, which says "If I'd known that grandchildren were so much fun, I'd have had them first!" When they are not making any demands on my time, I like watching science fiction, especially the various Star Trek series. My special holiday in 2001 included service at the Bahá'í Temple in Delhi, India. For regular breaks, we have a holiday home in Corton, on the Suffolk coast. |