Having recently moved from Weston-super-Mare, a seaside town in the south west of the UK (and the birthplace of Monty Python and fawlty Towers' John Cleese!!), I now live in Watchet, an ancient Viking port on the north Somerset Coast of England, now a pretty little seaside resort. From my study I can now gaze across the sea towards Wales, where I was born. The church I attend was built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century. I started off as a research chemist specialising in polymer technology but switched to teaching. I am now retired (early!!) after nearly 30 years as a teacher, the latter half as head of science in a local high school. I hold an honours degree in chemistry, a piostgraduate teaching qualification and a professional qualification equivalent to a higher degree from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

As a Christian ever since I can remember, and already a holder of a Diploma in Christian Studies, I am now exploring my own ordained ministry within the Church of England, having recently been accepted for training for ordination within the Anglican Church, and love sharing my knowledge and faith with others. My ordination should be in 2011, after training is complete, and my Theology degree course finished.

I play the piano, organ and flute, and own my own decent reflector telescope which I use (weather permitting) to observe and photograph the heavens. I have written and published four books in the last few years, and am working on a fifth - with a few other ideas (especially one for my first novel) still in the pipeline. Crosswords and Sudoku are an obsession, as are antique auctions where I have had some real bargains. Oh, and I was also, for many years (but now lapsed!) a member of the British Origami Society and still get into trouble when I have to take anything back to a store - the receipt is given back usually in the shape of an elephant or peacock...

Married to a Church of England vicar (yes, we have female clergy in the UK) we have two daughters who are grown up and settled with their own partners, and our first grandchild on the way, God willing, next March.