Born in 1946, worked in the same job for 30 years, retired and - in 2000 - sailed away.

Liz and I enjoyed an idyllic 12 years our so sailing. Travelling from Liverpool then via Spain and Portugal across the Atlantic to the Americas.After spending 5 years there, we talked the Pacific, crossing to New Zealand in 2006. After that it was Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and Australia where we paused for over two years. We bought a car, a tent, all the kit and drove the entire circumference ..and up the middle. What a marvellous country!

Then in 2011 we joined the Indonesia rally and ended up in Malaysia, where Ellida is now (I think).

Sadly between 2013 and 2016 Liz was attacked by cancer and died in June of that year. I sold Ellida-of-Laira to a wonderful Australian family and made my way back home to the Lake District of UK. I enjoyed a spell of caravanning, covering a lot of the UK, often with a wonderful companion, Sofia Calais whom Liz and I had first met in Cartagena.

After a huge trip around all the Hansiatic League countries I made a visit to the Isle of Man. There I renewed a friendship with Val Metcalfe, a former schoolfriend of my late wife Liz's. Well, to cut a long story short, Val is now Mrs Harcombe, the caravan is sold and we have house in Norfolk and Tarn etc Garonne. Isn't life exciting!