|
I live in Stratford,
East London with my Partner, Philip, in an end-of-terrace house with a small
garden. Philip does most of the gardening, all I really do is cut the grass
and try to remember the names of the plants. Our house is usually a
controlled mess, thanks to my ability to start seven things before breakfast,
and leave all of them unfinished for the rest of the day. By profession I used to
be a Freelance Business Consultant in Human Resources, which is a fancy way
of saying that I designed and produced Personnel, Payroll and Pension
systems. Being freelance I went where the work is, which means I sometimes
had to work away from home. It also meant that if I didn't work I didn't get
paid: no sick leave, paid annual leave or paid bank holidays. But the
advantage was that I didn't feel guilty about taking time off; and if I
needed to speak my mind, I could. If a company fires a Consultant for telling
them how they could do things better, they are in a bigger mess than I could
sort out. I gave that up in 2002,
when the work ran out and I got a chance to start my PhD. 2003 was a good
year: it was officially spent working on my PhD, but it mostly involved
learning how the Hallowed Halls of Academia work (I’m still learning…). In
2004 I began a series of odd jobs, before taking the post of Communications
Officer at the City of London Academy. This lasted for six years, in which I
learned a lot about how schools, and the minds of children, work. I was also
given the opportunity to lecture at King’s College London, a role I find very
satisfying and enjoyable. I even like the marking! In 2011 I took early retirement from the school, but I have carried on my lecturing. In 2012 I became a Team London Ambassador for the Olympics (Philip was a Gamesmaker team leader on the Olympic Park), so we were part of the time when Stratford, East London, became the centre of the World. My hobbies include studying language and language origins, investigating the nature of self, reading myths and about mythology, writing, photographing insects, playing computer games, annoying Philip, and creating mess. Examples of most of these are on this website somewhere .... |
|
A Short History
|
2020 |
THE YEAR OF COVID19. Retired by KCL because of the pandemic. |
2019 |
Launch of my two new BA at KCL modules: 5SSEL026 - The Origins of Self: An anthropological perspective published. |
2018 |
Started drawing State pension. |
2017 |
Presentation of Night School on Anarres at Schools
of Tomorrow kick- |
2016 |
Night School on Anarres art project at Somerset House, London. |
2015 |
Philip gives LGBT talk at Victim Support, Octavia House. BOLD: Stories
from older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people book published, with Philip & Martin
interview. |
2014 |
Philip is awarded OBE. Philip
receives Rescorla family letters patent and crest (the first of his name, so
to his design). |
2013 |
Philip finally retires. |
2012 |
THE OLYMPIC YEAR Trained as Team London Ambassador Mentor. Worked for four days
during Jubilee & five days between Olympic & Paralympic Games. Philip worked as a Gamesmaker Team Leader on the Olympic Park
through the two weeks of the Olympics, from Opening to closing ceremonies. Lectured at University of East London on BSc Psychology course. Presented “Reviewer meets Reviewed” at Royal Anthropological
Institute. 40th Anniversary with Philip. |
2011 |
Retired from CoLA. |
2010 |
The Origins of Grammar: an anthropological perspective published. |
2009 |
Working on grammar origins book. |
2008- |
Visiting Lecturer at Kings College London. |
2007 |
Completed PhD thesis. |
2006 |
Civil Partnered with Philip. |
2006- |
City of London Academy (Southwark) as Communications Officer. |
2004- |
NCH as Pensions Administrator. |
2004 |
Began looking for work to begin the long climb back to
employment. Got a short term job as an editorial consultant. |
2002 |
Gave up consulting work - Began an MPhil/PhD in "The Genesis of Grammar". |
2001 |
Completed MA course by handing in thesis: Grammar and Language. Began this website. |
1998 |
Began evening course in MA by Independent Study. |
1997 |
Philip and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. |
1995 |
Went online for the first time. |
1989- |
Freelance Computing, Systems, HR and Business Consultant. |
1989 |
RHM Computer Services, HR Technical Support. |
1985- |
London Borough of Brent, HR Technical Liaison. |
1985 |
First book published, Getting Started on Your MSX. |
1983 |
First (and only) computer game published, Fall of Rome. |
1983- |
Argus Press Software, Games Software Manager. |
1981- |
North East London Polytechnic, working on student database. |
1978 |
First boardgame published, Battle of the Ring. Other published boardgames were Africa (1979) and Simon de Montfort (1979). |
1977 |
Bought our first (and, so far, only) house. |
1974- |
Civil Servant working on the National Economic Model and
National Financial Information System. |
1974 |
Finished University. Moved in with Philip. Began work. |
1972 |
Met Philip. |
1971- |
UWIST, Cardiff. |
1969- |
Erith College. |
1964- |
St Mary's Grammar School for Boys, Sidcup. |
1958- |
St Stephen's Catholic Junior School, Welling. |
1953 |
Born. |