My main interests outside Philately are: Soccer ("We only win one-nil" Gooners), Rugby Union (Wasps) and Cricket (Middlesex). I try to play as much Golf as I have time and as much Squash as my body will let me (not much these days of either). My pet hates are: anything to do with DIY, gardening etc and I detest Gyms.
I have always had an interest in History and Geography and in later years I hope to combine both of these in a study of Geneology but that's for later. At the moment I just read about it.
Once I reached my teenage years, things sort of got in the way of stamps (girls and football mainly) and away the albums went .. I couldn't really afford to buy anything worthwhile anyway. I eventually got married, had a couple of kids and (not being able to afford to go out every night anymore) decided to re-start my collection in a modest way (hint ... if you want to collect GB .. join the Philatelic Bureau and buy today's stamps TODAY .. it costs you a lot less in the long run). By 1994 my job was starting to take over my life and once again the albums went into storage (along with the marriage). However at the back end of '99 I found out about Internet auction houses and after progressing through Yahoo and WAIB finally found eBay. What a delight! If you are only thinking about joining this community or starting or re-commencing a stamp collection DO IT. A word of warning though. If it looks too good to be true - it probably is (either that or eBay's Servers are down!)
I have met some really friendly people since joining. I can only remember 3 or 4 bad trades out of 1000's completed (and one of these was when I tried EBID) and have had a really good time as well. I have found that I enjoy the cut and thrust of auctions although I admit I get carried away and end up buying lots I didn't really want. But that is all part of the fabric of life! Until recently I have concentrated on Machins but since joining eBay my interest has extended through the other GB reigns ... does anybody else find Edward VII difficult to identify or is it just me ... out to other Commonwealth countries... I even bought some German stamps just because I liked the look of them. I got my scanner last Xmas, so that I can become a seller as well as a buyer, as my duplicates are starting to over-run my house... (all I need now is the time) and I have a whole lot of "all world" that hold no interest for me anymore. Always assuming that I find the time to catalogue everything properly.
I guess the one other thing I would like to do is attend a "real" stamp auction and buy a small collection.. I love these old Windsor and Senator albums .. they have far more "panache" than some of the more modern albums that are sold which seem to be so bland .. colourful yes but no soul .. and VERY expensive (I'd better not name them). At one time my albums were worth more than the collections they housed !!
I am not an experienced Web Designer - quite the opposite - therefore at the moment I am using Yahoo Web-builder which explains the lack of flashing lights, whistles etc. I would like to move to a more professional package - I am sure I could learn HTML given the time - but I don't want to spend money on "Design Ware" that I can spend better spend on my collection. However I would like to make a more professional job of it, without starting from scratch, so if anybody has any ideas please let me know. Lastly, could you let me know if you have problems accessing any of the pages.