My daughter Robyn, my son Mark, and I, live in Kidsgrove which is on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent. This is a city famous for its (once large) ceramics industry, oatcakes and a strange dialect that is instantly recognisable (to other Stokies) the world over! My life seems to have always focused around this area; I grew up not far from here in a lovely village on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border called Betley, where my mum still lives.
Since 1989 I have worked at Staffordshire University, originally teaching Analytical Chemistry but [like all good jobs] things have changed over time. I am a Principal Lecturer within the Faculty of Sciences. I contribute to a number of the postgraduate awards in the environmental and sustainability area - you can find more information about these here. For more information about work look under the Work tab at the top of the page.
Robyn is 23 years old and completed her first degree in Human Geography at Durham University a couple of years ago. She did brilliantly and I am so proud of her. Durham is a collegiate university - Robyn was at Van Mildert College. The latest college news is on the boards here. She's now back from her Big Trip around the world and is currently finishing off a Masters in planning at Manchester University. She likes Stereophonics, The Recondites and The Killers ...'nuff said.
Mark is 21 and was studying at South Cheshire College and working at Mountain Warehouse until last year Now he's working with Network Rail as an apprentice down in Portsmouth so I'm expecting my 1hr 25 min. London commute to be improved upon significantly once he gets his hands on that signalling equipment.
Taz is now 13 and lives the life of a queen - literally; that's her on the front page sitting bestride the rhino! She eats better than all of the rest of the family put together and has succeeded in wrapping us all around her little claw. I envy her man/woman-management capabilities and her innate capacity to treat everyone with total indifference as and when it suits her. Taz is also Facebook -enabled.
I could cope with all of this if she didn't also occasionally bring live moths into the house for subsequent brutal dissection - an offence for which there can be absolutely NO mitigating circumstances.
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Family stuff