Essex girl repatriated to the frozen North of England! Graduated BA (Hons.) 1981, married 1986, 2 sons; partner teaches drama, plays cornet and sings opera. Major TC seizures since 8/9 years of age, but well controlled by medication (350mg Lamotrigine daily). Quite like to kid myself I don't look my age or my weight! I like: food/wine, theatre, ballet and cinema, choral/jazz/classical music, but also music hall, 70s naff disco, anything with close harmonies ranging from barbershop to 60s classics like the Beach Boys, chanson, musicals, which I absorbed from my parents at a very impressionable age (can still sing 'The Sound of Music' straight through) Queen, Ooberman (and quite a lot of other indie pop), anything that showcases the spectacular pianistic brilliance of my friend Russell Churney: live entertainment in general. Fantasy & sci-fi in all media. It doesn't have to be 'serious' - I have an enduring affection for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, from way back. I adore magic, dragon and vampire mythology. My television viewing is, no surprises here, chiefly 'cult' - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Scrubs, The Simpsons, Red Dwarf, Bones, for instance. The elements these shows all share are witty, intelligent and challenging dialogue, the expectation of a well-informed viewer and believable characters who portray a genuine connection.

Oh, so very many over the years: I revel in choral singing of all genres, any involvement in performance, drama or theatre, designing and handcrafting teddy bears, calligraphy, cross-stitch embroidery, handmade greeting cards, writing and translating poetry and doing logic or sudoku problems and crosswords to unwind (!). I collect fairy tales, folk tales, legends and myths from all over the world. These days I also enjoy membership of various online communities via which I can make international cyber friends and learn more about other ways of life. I'll get involved in anything reasonably sedentary and creative - I need relaxation when I get a break from work!

Oh whoops, forgot the reading. I can't read as singlemindedly as I used to - I don't have time - but I do read a lot of series when I get invested in the characters. So I like Anne of Green Gables and its many sequels, Mary Poppins, Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, Adrian Mole, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Harry Potter, Arthurian mythology, the Northern Lights trilogy and Artemis Fowl (great writing there from Eoin Colfer! Hope his Hitchhiker is as good). Betty Smith's 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' is a personal touchstone, as are Eleanor Farjeon's Martin Pippin books. Still can't quite get into Lord Of The Rings though.

Communicator: which is to say, teacher of modern languages (French and German) to innumerable adolescent males of 11 to 18 years. More fun than it sounds. I'm second in department and Head of Year 7 - pretty daunting work but extremely rewarding. My mission statement is 'Educate the whole person', because, however corny it may sound, it's the only way to teach memorably and effectively.