I went to University in the 60s, and what you did then with a history degree was teach. I worked in inner London schools for 20 years, and then much to my surprise, gave it all up. Teaching can seriously damage your humour, but I’m now more cheerful - see close up - thanks to self employment and living in Brighton.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Food can make me very happy - see the smug smile. I am too impatient to be a great cook, but hugely enjoy great food. I put in a lot of practice when I lived in France for a year, mainly because there’s nothing else to do. I can still visualise certain dishes arriving at the table. Bon appetit!

 
 
 
 
 
This is the only photograph I have of my grandmother (seated) and I only recently found out her story. She was a Catholic who married a Protestant when every working class street in Belfast belonged to one community only. They were driven from their home many times. By the time I was born this was a family secret, and we were Protestant.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I worked in secondary schools in Hackney and Paddington, and for the first 10 years, loved it. Memories are all of good times, like on this trip to the Soviet Union. Maybe that rosy glow is because of what came next, and that was not so good. Maybe not, but it was a different world in 1980 - just ask Lenin.

 
 
 
 
My recommendation for the Inside Guide to Brighton & Hove:

Kingston village tennis court: a beautiful place to exercise