About Me
Warning
Left to my own devices, writing about myself is the last thing that I choose to do. So please forgive what follows.
TL;DR...I used to work stupid long hours doing things with other people's software. Not stupid because I was not paid well (I was) but stupid because I was unable to many of the things that I needed and wanted to do. I needed to look after myself and my family and I wanted to write a website like this one.
BTW please see here for a list of definitions that may help with things like TL;DR (and BTW).
I am no longer paid. I am trying, among other things, to write my own code and explain what I learn along the way. There is already a wealth of courses and content out there. All of which is written and presented by many people much more qualified than I. So any content here should be taken as the "Musings of the Sane". Where Sane here is a reference to John Watson, otherwise known as Wonko the Sane. See Hitchhiker's Fandom here for further explanation.
I am happiest at home, when working, talking and learning with family and friends. I am curious, impatient, perpetually. At least that is what it says on my WhatsApp profile, which is the only Meta product I use.
Source: NASA
I was born in London before they landed on the moon. Not that they landed on the moon in London; you know what I meant I hope? If I had a dinner party with 5 people (alive or dead), I would invite Buzz Aldrin for sure. 🌝 Neil Armstrong might kill the atmosphere, sorry Neil. I will leave the other four invitees for a later blog post.
Philip Larkin wrote a poem about parents which I believe he titled This Be The Verse). It may resonate with you. I can relate to some (but not all) of it; most especially because I now have children myself.
I grew up south of London. Where exactly? That is not as important as all the chances that I was given by my parents. Chances to do and explore pretty much as I wanted to. Within boundaries, yes, but at least those boundaries were clear (it was easier back then). One day, Dad brought a Commodore Pet back and I remember playing Space Invaders and a game, whose name I cannot remember, where you fought naval battles. Either way, I enjoyed myself and eventually moved up to a BBC Micro and Elite in the 80s. If you want to know what a Commodore Pet is then look at the top of this page for a picture of its keyboard and the Science Museum in the London for an example.
Once I left home, I went to university and did some Engineering, while being sponsored by Jaguar Motor Cards (back when they were owned by the UK Government and not Ford or Tata or whomever). I was not particularly good at it. And I left University not knowing what I wanted to do.
I played golf while working out the next step to take. And then a lady asked for an egg and cress sandwich (I was working in the golf club bar) and mentioned her husband had a job going. I went along for the interview and started working for living.
I worked for a company that made the front seats for the Ford Mondeo. And, within a year, found myself working in Belgium with a wonderful lady called Karin, who quickly became the love of my life. We set off around the world on a series of adventures.
Source: NASA
We lived in the UK and then moved to east coast (Boston) and west coast of the US. Before then moving on to Singapore, Australia before returning to London in the UK. We typically never lived in one place more than two years. Until we got to London in 2006, where we stuck. Two children arrived in 2010 and 2012 before Brexit happened in 2016.
Which brings us to the current chapter in our lives together. As a result of many things, we moved back to live in Belgium at the beginning of 2021. It is here, in place called Hasselt Limburg, that I write these words and say thank you for reading this far.
And thanks too for Astro which is an amazing project. I have tried to use it properly when building this site but am sure there are multiple things I could (and should) have done differently.
I look forward to finding out what they are as I continue my journey as an astronaut.
For the latest news, read the Astro Blog here: and follow on Mastodon here: Follow Astro on Mastodon