CURRENT MISSION

Take a step outside, see what's shakin' in the real world.

ABOUT ME

Having finished university in the UK, I'm now living in the beautiful Québec City, trying to sling a bit of money together to go travelling and attempting to master French with 'ma blonde' Camille. We're very laid back, like to think we have good taste in food and music, and we're looking forward to cracking open a couple of beers with you in the sunshine.

Have 'travelled' around North America previously, as well as around various parts of Europe. Once I've got those pesky debts sorted I'm intending to hit the horizon again. I've had some great experiences of couchsurfing and am looking forward to having more.

Will always be willing to share a few beers and an argument about History, Politics, the environment or whatever. Camille might even knit you a Red Flag :-p

PHILOSOPHY

An oldie but one which always makes me stop and think.
"Be excellent to one other".

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We host and surf, both in our current life together in Québec and also in our previous homes and lives elsewhere.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My experiences so far are reasonably limited, but I've yet to meet anyone in the process who I didn't find to be a quite remarkable person, one way or another. I really think it's very awesome. Only suggestion I would have is that it would be cool to add a "tentsurfing/gardensurfing" option.

Interests

As one might expect I love travelling, particularly in more rural or out of the way areas. I don't think I'm ever happier than when I have nothing for company except a few friends and some trees.

I'm a fairly dab hand in a campsite and pride myself on firestarting ability; I think a career as a wildman is something I could seriously consider.

Aside from this I've had a long love affair with Real Ale, and whilst I maintain this is one of the few things that Britain still does superbly, it's great trying new beers from around the world. If you've never tried any beers from Québec before, I would highly recommend it.

• environment
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• politics
• traveling
• knitting
• music
• cycling
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

I love anything with a sense of the epic, the dystopian or the darkly comic. Bands I like best tend to converge around the areas where Stadium Rock and Epic Classical converge. I'm a sucker for laser shows and astounding performances and for this reason bands like Metallica, Foo Fighters and God is an Astronaut feature heavily in my Last.fm lists.

By way of contrast to this, Folk music is increasingly cropping up in my repertoire and I'm gaining an increasing respect for music which shows a deep appreciation of where it came from, such as old traditional tunes as well as more modern interpretations like the songs of Frank Turner.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once was part of a group of Scouts, who upon witnessing one of their friends becoming seriously injured in a bike accident, worked together with minimal fuss or panic to undertake first aid in a way that basically saved his life. Watching previously unassuming and ordinary lads hold a friend's head together left a deep impression on me that I shant forget easily.

Teach, Learn, Share

There are three tricks to a good Yorkshire Pudding;

1. Heat the oil in a muffin tray or similar until the oil is giving off a blue haze. You really want the oil to be as unbelievably hot as you can physically get it.

2. Make sure you whisk the batter to within an inch of your life. The more air is in that baby, the better it's gonna rise. Seriously, take it to bloody town. Make sure you rest it in the fridge for 15 before cooking too.

3. Once the yorkies are in the oven, do not open it again until you absolutely have to. Any heat lost will damage their chances of rising. Bonus tip: Flip the puddings upside down for the last couple of minutes of cooking, to crisp up the bottoms.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United Kingdom