I was born in Cleethorpes in 1957. My parents moved to Ipswich when I was three, and I enjoyed an idyllic childhood in rural Suffolk before returning to Lincolnshire in the Mid-Sixties. After working for two years in the laboratories at Findus Frozen Foods in Grimsby, I left to study Food Science & Engineering, after which I moved to York and joined Rowntree Mackintosh. I got married shortly afterwards. I developed a keen interest in photography from the age of eighteen and have been keeping a journal, on and off, since I was 12. While a student, I bought an Inter-Rail ticket and travelled around Europe for a month for two consecutive years. This kick-started my interest in travel. Since then, I've visited numerous countries around the world. I remarried in 1996 and, together with Hattie, raised two children, Samuel and Ruby. Retiring in 2014, aged 57, has enabled me to concentrate on travel, photography and writing while still enjoying time with family and friends.