Well DW, you seem to have got the profile fairly weighed off!

I was born and raised in Dover, Kent and although I didn't realise it, had a lot of "folk" songs around during my childhood although we were not what you would call a"musical" family. "Music" at school did it's best to drive us away from any folk songs, they didn't stand a chance really with Rock starting, but if they had bother to explain the background to some of the songs it just might have helped.

Like most? Mudcatters I got involved in Folk in the sixties and the anti Vietnam war protests. Went on to discover Ewan MacColl, Ian Campbell, Hamish Imlach, Matt McGinn and the books of A L Lloyd, Roy Palmer Stan Hugill etc and became more and more interested in the background to the songs especially with regard to the union movement and the fight against capitalism.

I eventually lost touch with the folk scene sometime ago, during which period I moved to New Zealand. Then about two years ago I chanced upon the DT, downloaded the DB, emailed a correction to MacColl's "Joy of Living", got had a nice reply from Dick, and then forgot all about it. About a year ago I checked the site, found the correction hadn't been done(hint, hint), and discovered the forum. As luck would have it, one of the threads at that time was something I knew about (an esopteric bit of knowledge about sailing conditions on the East Coast of England) and I was hooked.

I don't perform in public, althogh I have been known to inflict my singing on Trainees on the Sail training Ship "Spirit of New Zealand" of which I am a volunteer crew member. I have dabbled in instrument making (Psaltry) and my eldest son plays the fiddle in a band for Scottish country dancing. One other son, wife (whom I met at the folk club in Tunbridge Wells), dog and three cats make up the set,

We live in Normandale, Lower Hutt (just outside Wellington) looking out to the Wellington Heads, and across farmland the other way. Wearther is a typical spring day - Clag down below the house, raining and wind gusting to 90 knots!

Best wishes to you all, and thanks for a wonderful site and community.

Pete M