This page is a developing collection of links and odd stories about the hobbies and other non-business activities that are important to me.

The following links all open in new windows so the Aegis frame doesn't get in the way. If you want to come back here from one of these windows, close it and you should then find yourself back in this window

Cookery: this is a brand new section of the site that I've just begun. The first recipe is one for Masala Bhindi, but you might want to call it "Bloody Okra". I can already hear the shouts from the dining room, "More bloody okra!". Or possibly, "Not more bloody okra!". Anyway, I enjoyed it! Click the link for the recipe.

Sailing: whether in small or big boats, sailing has, for a long time, been my favourite recreation. I've sailed dinghies at Chelmarsh Sailing Club near Bridgnorth for over 30 years. This photo of Aegeia (our first proper yacht) with spinnaker set is here because it is my favourite shot! Click the link to proceed to things about Sailing

Paragliding: This is a relatively new activity for me, having only had my first flights in 2003. It's a bit like 3-D sailing. I'm on a steep part of the learning curve at present and so it's all pretty exciting! So far, I've learned to fly, bought a glider and flown at a few major sites in the alps as well as in Shropshire.

Diving: I also rather like this animation, which is about another activity that has been taking up a lot of my time for a decade or so. Click on the animated logo to go to the Worcester club home page. I also hosted a satellite site for a while which, though now out of date, is still interesting. You can view this site by clicking this link.

As well as being a member of Worcester branch of BSAC, I used to be D.O. for the King's School Worcester youth BSAC branch. So for other King's related diving pages , click this link

The HOT NEWS in 2009 is that one of the divers who used to be with the King's School Club (but is now ten years older and deeper in debt) is just opening a NEW DIVE CENTRE IN MOZAMBIQUE, and, together with his girlfriend, is offering laid-back accomodation in unspoilt, magnificent, secluded rural surroundings. Click the Libélula logo for a link to their new website, brush up your portuguese, and get ready to book the airline-tickets!

Back on the surface of the water rather than under it, here is a short diary of a trip in May 2000 to the Ardèche region of France to go canoeing. White-water canoeing is another of my interests, though I haven't done much in the last four decades!

Not a lot of people have been to Iceland for a holiday. If you wonder what it's like, read our diary to find out.

Before you go, I would just like to share this story with those of you who would like to hear about our 'dolphin encounter'.
On June 8th 2002, three of us from Worcester Divers were down in Plymouth for the weekend and planning to dive the Eddystone rocks, 10 miles out, with the aid of my student son, (with a broken foot), who was to cox the RIB. In the b&b we got talking to another guest who had an interest in the geology of the Eddystone, and we volunteered to bring him back a small rock sample. Having purchased a hammer before we set off, we proceeded to try to knock a lump of rock off the very tough, coarse grained granite rock that we found 20m down on the south side. There was Charlie, with his splendid underwater camera, taking macro-photos of some tiny beasts, and there were Jim and I, 20 ft away, with me knocking 8 bells out of the rock. Then Jim gestured to me to look over my shoulder between him and me, and when I did, I was amazed to find myself eye to eye with Georges, the sexy dolphin of the Normandy coast, who had been visiting the south of England on his hols.
Well, Georges, 3m long and weighing about the same as my motorbike, thought this rock breaking was terrific! He nodded his head, buzzed his ultrasonic best at the lump of granite, and did everything to help but tear the rock open with his teeth! Maybe he thought there was food inside. Charlie, who was alerted to our new friend when Jim swam across and shook his shoulder, "Don't bother me now, I'm photographing a prawn" was the body language Jim got..... he shook again - "Look over here!" was the message - and when Charlie eventually heaved himself up and looked, he saw me and the huge dolphin still hard at work on the remarkably tough granite lump! Then Georges saw Charlie, with the big shiny ball of his camera housing. Charlie relaxed backwards onto a rock outcrop, taking a photo of Georges approaching, but once he was near enough, it appeared that Georges had sex with Charlie on his mind, not just photos!
Well, its been over 6 months now, and Charlie hasn't produced any baby mermen, so we must presume Georges was just feeling fresh (it was a Saturday after all) and didn't intend a permanent relationship. He stayed with us for the whole of the rest of the dive, and even came to say hello while we were in the RIB having lunch. However, when we went in again later on, he was nowhere to be seen, despite our attempts to lure him back by banging rocks together (I lost the hammer, but not the rock sample, when getting back into the boat).