Interests and Hobbies

There's a strong theme of water in my interests, and a lot of outdoors stuff too, but also fireside and stove.

I have had great joy and passion from enjoying the sports in my repertoire in the past, and maybe, one day I will be able to enjoy them again when resources allow, as none of my sports are cheap!

I love sailing, from Toppers to 100 square meter classic yachts. Competing the the "Round the Island" classics races and numerous regattas both in the UK and West Indies. My Mustos are now for dog walking, but I fell in the sea last winter in them, so they do recall the brine!

Horses were a big part of my youth, and I used to ride every day, but children came along and since they have grown up, I've yet to get back to them beyond helping friends with their ponies and poo picking and tack cleaning - anything to be close to these beautiful and wise creatures.

I enjoyed competition driving, mainly Trialling which consists of taking my little Suzuki SJ over insane terrain between bamboo poles, just inches wider than my wing mirrors, in a faster time than anyone else! I frequently beat the old guys who'd spent a fortune getting their vehicles specially modified, when I didn't have more than road legal mud tyres on mine - very satisfying!! When my son was born, my self preservation kicked in, and I realized that the risks I was taking were not worth the risk of hospitalization and begin apart from my baby any more.

Skiing was a late found love compared to the rest of my family. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to go anywhere that was cold, just to hurl themselves down the side of a mountain on two planks of wood - that was, until I tried it at 28 years old! I sold my skis in 2008, but I still talk to my lovely boots, who live in their special bag under my bed, waiting to be worn again.

Next to my ski boots is my diving gear, and I'm sure the once "state of the art" dive computer is a museum piece by now! I discovered diving when I was 17 in the West Indies while visiting my brother who lived on Tortola, British Virgin Islands. I worked out how to work hard in the UK, earning enough to give me a month or so out there diving and sailing, before returning to earn enough again - and again, and again... I have dived in some of the most beautiful oceans, reefs and wrecks, clocking up over 1000 dives at a guess - I foolishly never bothered with a log book, a habit I would now ensure if I could dive again. I just hope my regulators (breathing apparatus), will still be good with a service, because they are beautiful to breathe through!

As a child, my parents couldn't keep me out of any body of water vaguely safe enough to swim in! There are photos of me skipping over the snow into the sea on the Isle of Wight in the winter as a child! I was in the school diving team, and was grateful that most of my friends and neighbours had pools. Sadly, at the moment, I am having problems regulating my core body temperature, so dips, even on the hottest days, have to be quick. Such a shame with Crantock and Newquay beaches so close, but its temporary I am sure!

Walking is a vital life activity for me,  At 10, I walked the Shepherds trail, 10 miles from one side of the Isle of Wight to the other, and it wasn't an unusual expedition. I walk my dog, Pumpkin, for between 1 and 2 hours most days, with some days when the weather is right and workload minimal, we will be out for 4 or 5 hours along the coast, over fields and exploring the woods of Ladock or Idless. When my kids were small, I didnt have enough time for the 4-8 mile walks, and purely by accident, I became a runner. In summer I was a runner in flip flops, and winter in wellies, traversing the 20 square miles of common land behind our home in Surrey. When I finally got around to getting running shoes, the first time I used them, I got injured. I recovered, used them again, and injured again! Now, I dont run in running shoes! I rarely run at all....

Yoga came into my life in 2013. I had done Pilates before that, as there was a class in my village and it suited me well, but yoga has stayed part of my daily habit even when classes haven't been possible. I have recently joined Lime House Yoga Studio, which has highlighted to me that I was right in needing a class - one forgets the poses that are more difficult and therefor more needed! I can not recommend them highly enough for their range of yoga classes, both online and in person, the idyllic location and purpose built studio, and even more for the warmth and professional expertise of the teachers.

I am a bit of a foodie to be honest. I love to cook, especially for friends and family. I'm not a great baker, but the kids had some pretty awesome cakes for their birthdays! As I have worked with nutrition and food intolerance professionally since the late 1990's, I love to find ways of creating both new and traditional meals with alternative ingredients. One of my specialities back then was a lasagne that had no wheat, no dairy and no meat, but even my husband back then loved it. Having moved here at the end of 2021, one of the first things I did was to create a vegetable patch. I cant say its ideal, but I grow 7 different salad leaves, 4 varieties of tomatoes "A" carrot (only one germinated, but boy, it looks to be a fabulous carrot indeed!), and runner beans. My herb garden is establishing well, and the fig tree has been a regular (haha), source of fruit this summer! I am quite passionate about making all my food from raw, not processed ingredients, and I follow a higher fat gluten free diet super rich in the rainbow colours of vegetables.

I have never been a TV watcher really. As a kid, the TV used to make me feel unwell, which I now understand is due to my sensitivity to electrical and magnetic fields. But I do love a good movie with anyone who doesn't interrupt, but especially my son who is studying film at Falmouth University.

I didn't really read books until I started senior school and my head mistress helped me find books that I enjoyed. But to be honest, novels really aren't in my interests list. While my fellow students were reading Judy Bloom, I had my nose in either "Science Today" or "Biology Today". I suspect my dyslexia gave me a disadvantage, but none of us expected to understand the scientific terms, so looking them up to work out how to say them and what they meant was ok! I still prefer to read non-fiction and research based works.

Craft and stuff is my luxury way to relax. I love using pencil to capture the human form, and have a scrumptious selection of art supplies and easels. I have draws of sea glass, stones and shells, and boxes of drift wood which I make into hangings, mobiles and mirror frames. I had so much fabric, each with a plan for a dress, or furnishing, but gave them to Stitches, my sons friend who is studding textiles before moving down here. I have made a few items, including bags and small gifts from scraps and re-cycled clothes since being in Cornwall, and have requests to make more now!

Despite being unable to read music, I studied it at GCSE as it made my world go round! I have little talent musically myself, but love live music so much I used to work at festivals with my massage practice, running up to 3 or 4, 5 day festivals almost back to back! Since falling so ill in 2018 with ME, Ive not yet been able to cope with loud sounds, but again, its temporary! I'll be back soon enough, to enjoy though this time, rather than work while enjoying!

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