I am a 37 year old Cornishman married to Cathy. We live in an old cottage that was once part of a larger building.

It could be said that I am quite parochial. I live in the village I was raised in, in the cottage my mother and her mother were born in, and into which my great grandfather moved in the 1890s.

We do not have any children and are reluctant to indulge in pets, such as a cat, due mainly to a busy main road that runs nearby. We are lucky as the buildings in the vicinity form a courtyard and shield us from the noise of the traffic. There is nothing I like more than coming home on a fine evening, sitting under our old apple tree with a fountain pen and some paper, and maybe a single malt or banana juice by my side.

For all my local connections I do like to travel. At present this has meant largely moving around parts of the UK but we do hope to visit family/friends abroad.

I am particularly interested in all things Greek, and in the culture and life in Japan. I collect books but have had to ease back as we have no space anymore. I am an occasional 35 mm photographer and enjoy walking the coast of Cornwall and the moors of Devon.

My family has run an ice cream business in the local area for around 80 years, but I teach IT applications in a nearby town. Modern competition and legislation has meant it is uneconomic for me to move into ice cream; the business fades with my father who has just retired. Most of my family, my father (for half the year) included, are farmers.

I am currently a huge fan of the Parker 51 and Parker pens in general. My favourite vintage pen is an excellent medium nib aerometric, burgundy Parker 51 I obtained from Nikos at Food & Pens in Berlin.