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Turning the clock on another 16 years, I decided it was time to do something new, and was most fortunate to secure a job as a Warehouse and Transport Manager with the remarkable and much lauded John Lewis Partnership - for which I worked for nearly 10 years in Edinburgh.
Finally in 2000 I made my latest move, back up to Orkney (where I had never previously stayed longer than 6 months at a time) to stay with my elderly mother "Lib", who sadly died on the 18th November 2003. My married brother Peter (or �Jock�)also lives in Orkney. My sister Elizabeth, also married, lives and teaches near Ipswich in Suffolk.
Interests and Hobbies
My presence on the Web confirms my continued interest in computing and IT, but is also a tribute to the teaching skills of the Orkney
College, whose Evening Classes in Desk Top Publishing gave me the skill to launch this web site. The page of Orkney Scenes attests to my continuing interest in photography - and I am now also dabbling in the Video medium.
Travel continues to be a strong interest, and in recent years I have discovered the (mixed) pleasures of �Overland Adventure Travel�, courtesy of Guerba Expeditions ( who come highly recommended, by the way) to Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia,
Swaziland, and South Africa. �Guerba� is apparently the Arabic word for a goatskin water carrier, but their T Shirt suggests that it stands for �Grubby Uncomfortable Expeditions Round Bleedin� Africa�, which in my experience was somewhat tongue in cheek.
Skiing - well I would like to think so, but it has been a while since my last trip. The outdoors, at least in theory, is another interest - well I did complete the West Highland Way (96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William) about 6 years ago, and now I have a Motor Boat with which to explore the Outer Isles. I have also been reasonably active in my Mother's wonderful garden, which I want to maintain in memory of her. We had 2 wonderful summers in 2002 & 2003, but 2004 was poor and I did not get a grip of the weeds early enough!
Also there's Music and the Arts....I enjoyed some terrific Gigs & Ceilidhs in the Orkney Folk Festival last May, & I am now looking forward to our annual renowned mid-summer St Magnus Festival next June, which has been running for over 25 years, attracting highly acclaimed International conductors and soloists (Andre Previn and Isaac Stern to name but two) which was recently acclaimed by The Sunday Times, I think, as the "Friendliest Arts Festival in Britain" - so those take care of at least two of the 52 weeks this year!
At any event I have hugely enjoyed coming back to this rather small but very lively, energetic, and friendly community where your your own personality, rather than whatever claims of Repute or Self-Importance you might have, is what counts.
I especially enjoyed sharing almost the last 4 years of my Mum's Life with her! Recently I have begun to devote more time to exploring my father's Stronsay Shearer (& Orkney/Caithness Tait) Forebears, which has links back to Peter Shearer who married Margaret Laughton in the late 1700s. I am continuing to post updates to my "Online Tree" at www.genesconnected.com which is open to search by interested parties.
Also I have recently purchased a prime site at Houton, on the Orkney Mainland, overlooking Scapa Flow, where I propose to build a 3 bedroom Self Catering Norwegian-Style Wooden Self-Catering House (sleeping 6), which should be available for a 6-8 month Letting from late summer 2005, & for holiday rentals in the 2006 Holiday Season.
My E-mail: [email protected]
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