CURRENT MISSION

Next year I will walk from southern France to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, which will probably take about 2 months. .

ABOUT ME

Hippy/punk, single with one daughter.
Ex-middle-class drop-out, ex-alcoholic, ex-smoker, ex-junk-artist; some-time-activist...
At present I'm sort of in rehab, trying new stuff....

I first travelled abroad in 1974 aged 18. Au pair in France, then hitchiked alone round Europe, worked as au pair, chambermaid, kitchen porter and teacher of English as a foreign language.
Spent 4 years as a student in Bristol. 2 more years travel then a few years being an alien in Cardiff.(=Capital of Wales,UK.)
Moved to Edinburgh in 1987 and 2 years later had my daughter Jasmine. She was “home”-educated till age 11, but much of that time was spent travelling in UK and in France, Thailand, Ireland and USA.
I'm also wanting to travel again soon, but not ready for the big one yet (see Mission Statement).

When I’m home I’m really home - I like my space to be a place of peace and good music and a haven for any peace-loving person who needs it.
I don't like cooking - visitors are welcome to use the kitchen!
I love camping and bonfires, walking on the wild side, singing (out of tune!) and getting by with a little help from my friends...

PHILOSOPHY

Compassion and enlightenment are the only things worth striving for (AKA Love Is All You Need).
If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with (S. Stills).
We're all unique aspects of one big person - sort of.
Travel doesn't just broaden the mind, it deepens the
soul.
Live for today but don't ruin tomorrow (ie OUR PLANET!)
And don't let the madness get to you!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far one CS member from Paris came for a meal, a lady from California stayed a weekend (and her daughter one night), one CS from Barcelona stayed 2 weeks! All good - who'll be next?

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

As above - haven't surfed myself yet, but when I was traveling many kind people put me up in their houses, rooms, tents and lorry-cabs!

Interests

People and psychology; child development and education; languages, travel, arts etc; creative recycling and junk art; the crumbling of capitalism; Heart and Soul - what will Burn...

• arts
• singing
• education
• cooking
• walking
• traveling
• music
• camping
• teaching
• languages
• psychology
• au-pair

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: sixties, blues, motown, reggae dub & ska, punk, some jazz, some classical, monks chanting, African & Cuban music. Beatles, Bjork, L.Cohen, the Cure, M. Faithfull, the Fall, S. Gainsbourg, Ben Harper, Grace Jones, J. Joplin, Joy Division, J. Lennon, J. Martyn, V. Morrison, Nico, Nirvana, Smiths, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Ali Farke Toure, Velvet Underground, Tom Waits...

Favourite authors: Carson McCullers, Barbara Comyns, Tove Jansson, George Orwell, Pearl S. Buck, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Solzhenitsyn. I read mostly non-fiction these days, eg Dalai Lama, Dorothy Rowe, A.S. Neill, Primo Levi.

My top 10 films: Thelma & Louise, Midnight Cowboy, Rain Man, A Beautiful Mind, The Godfather(s), Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, Brokeback Mountain, Paris Texas, Kes. Also like classic 40's & 50's and European/world cinema.
Favourite actors: Dustin Hoffman, Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Harry Dean Stanton, Harvey Keitel, Paul Newman, Kathryn Hepburn, Bette Davis.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelling round USA by train for a month in 2000 with my daughter when she was 10; seeing the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls together.

Teach, Learn, Share

Yes - definitely!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Greece, United Kingdom

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