Hiker, photographer and outdoor enthusiast with a passion for reading, writing and travelling. Blogger at http://wordsandwilds.wordpress.com/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Meeting locals is the best way to experience a place as more than just a place.

Interests

Outdoors, whether that be a sunset photography session on the roof, or a hike up an icy mountain, or a terrifying kayaking plunge down a river.

Indoors, enjoying a glass of wine or good whisky, and home cooked food with herbs from the garden and eggs from the chickens out the back.

• chickens
• writing
• photography
• dining
• wine
• coffee
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• rock climbing
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

These days I mostly read historical fiction for my thesis - my recommendations would be Matthew Kneale's English Passengers, and Rebecca Hunt's Everland.
I also love Terry Pratchett, Juliet Marillier and recently Brandon Sanderson on the fantasy front, and a good romp through classic Victorian or Icelandic fiction is excellent too. And I was pretty chuffed when Alice Munro received a Nobel Prize for her short stories.

Game of Thrones of course. But also action, drama, foreign films, children's movies. Daniel Craig is a brilliant Bond.

Eclectic music, ranging from folk music to Aussie independent artists to film soundtracks.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbing a mountain pass just outside of El Chalten, southern Argentina, to behold the vast, frozen landscape of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Breathtaking.

Each and every letter I receive in the mail also seems to bring me a great deal of excitement.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could talk endlessly about my thesis... But I'm happy to teach people about the stories (and ghost stories) of colonial Australia (from my time as a tour guide at Port Arthur). In Canberra, I've taught friends how the mountain bike and how to kayak. And like all outdoor people, I do enjoy discussing outdoor gear.

I like to learn the stories of other people. That doesn't mean that I need the details of your private life, just anything that's interesting! Learning a few words is great too, whether that's a foreign greeting, or my amazement at discovering that the word "bubbler" comes from Benson Bubblers in Oregon. Who knew!

One of the best things to share is the comfort of a good coffee in the morning, preferably with warm fresh bread. Glorious.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Photographs, stories, laughter. And a bottle of red if you're so inclined!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Ireland, Laos, New Zealand, Peru, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United Kingdom