Words in my head, words from the page, words for the page…
My brain plays with words before it plays with anything else. This started when I was very young with the consumption of facts, continued through the absorption of languages ancient and modern, and found expression in the teaching of Classics over 36 years.
Those years of teaching are now in my rear-view mirror. I look at them sometimes in my memoir writing, but I live for a different purpose these days. I have the freedom to explore and create in my own way. That allows me time for reflection - giving me the chance to view the world and myself with some perspective. As part of that reflection, I’ve discovered - through assessment that has led to diagnosis - where I fit in as part of a neurodiverse world. Increasingly, my writing is influenced by that awareness.
On the pages of this website you will see a selection of my words and images. There is not a germ of AI-influenced content on any of these pages. Some of this writing stems from my Travel and Nature Writing MA studies (2021-23), an enterprise which opened my eyes and other senses in ways I had not foreseen. Being co-recipient of Bath Spa’s V-C Award for Academic Impact - selected from all students across every course - was the icing on the cake of two very happy years.
https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/blog/posts/2023/june/vc-award-winners-2023.php
Whilst much of my output and practice remains nature-related, I have written increasingly about the walking that is a central part of my life. A feature for The Great Outdoors magazine (May 2025 edition) told of my unique Lakeland walk that took in the 24 Wainwrights which my father still ‘needed’ to climb at the time of his death. The telling of this story within my story sought to celebrate the gift my parents gave to me when they first showed me the hills and coasts of Britain. In my Walking section, you’ll find details of the hills I’ve climbed and the trails I’ve completed. I wrote recently for National Trails UK about my experience of long-distance walking with AuDHD in the mix.
https://www.nationaltrails.uk/news/how-national-trails-helped-me-understand-my-audhd
I’m currently nearing completion of a whole-of-life memoir for the Universal Turing Machine project, with focus on my walking, the fauna and flora that fascinates me, and the signs of my neurodivergence that were always there but somehow overlooked.