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TheShyThespian
3 days ago
United Kingdom

About

Student, athlete, insurance clerk, soldier, roofer, sailor, backpacker, mountain-leader, tour-leader, cow-milker, fish-packer, husband, diplomat, actor, father, house-husband, real-estate agent, corrections officer, probation officer, writer, civil servant, cook.

As you can see, I've been a bit of a Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None. I did spend six years in the Royal Navy, and twelve years with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I've had the fortune to travel, live and work in over 65 countries, including three years or more in places like Pakistan, Morocco and New Zealand. Probably the most fun job I've ever had was working as an Adventure Travel Tour Leader - getting paid to visit wonderful places and hike in the mountains!

Interests
I love acting on stage, reading, watching movies and hill walking. I also have a love of travel and experiencing different cultures and cuisine. And, if it's not already obvious, I enjoy writing, too.

Favorite Books
Lots. Unlike with movies I do have an actual favourite; The Time Traveller's Wife, which I can re-read and enjoy time and time again. Others; To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Out of the Shelter (David Lodge), The Chrysalids (John Wyndham), The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Harry Potter series, The Secret History (Donna Tartt), the Quiller spy novels, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. For a relaxing read I still turn to Dick Francis and Desmond Bagley.

Favorite Authors
Bernard Cornwell, David Lodge, JK Rowling, Harper Lee, John Wyndham, Len Deighton, Adam Hall.

Favorite Movies
So many - so many different genres. Western: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; Foreign Movie: Blue is the Warmest Colour; Science-Fiction: Arrival / 12 Monkeys; Comedy: Groundhog Day. Where do I put L.A. Confidential? Crime thriller: The Usual Suspects. Where can I put American Beauty?

Favorite TV Shows
I don't watch much TV, but these have stood out over the years. Edge of Darkness (UK BBC series in 1986), Band of Brothers, Battlestar Galactica (re-imagining), The West Wing, Fringe, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Favorite Music
I have a very eclectic taste in music.
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Príšera Vnútri

Surely, the most devastating of all monsters is that which comes from within?

The two young girls played vivaciously in the cool water by the glade. As they splashed and frolicked, their laughter echoed around the mountain valley. The surrounding trees, comprising primarily of larch, beech, and spruce - and, of course, oak – gently...

Carpe Diem

How much do you really know about our myths and legends?

Dear Reader, Nobody believed our story. But the events I relate to you below really happened. It may seem fantastic, but they do say that truth is always stranger than fiction. You can make up your own mind — I only want to set the record straight before...

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