I have a diverse selection of interests, although some of them are somewhat dormant at the moment. For instance:

Chess -	I don't play this very often.
Music -	I have Grade 8 practical on the flute.
	I enjoy lots of music, from Röyksopp to Sibelius.
Campanology -	I do a lot of this! We call it bellringing ...
Photography -	Sometimes I get the urge to do this. Combines well with Rail.
Exotic plants -	I like growing things from supermarket fruits.
Computers -	I use them so much at work that I don't really bother at home.
Railways -	Slam door third rail multiple units.
	This interest is due to be terminated by the end of 2005.

Campanology.

This activity is very absorbing, can be enjoyed at all levels and yet is largely unknown to the general public, who usually use the formal term campanology while we all call ourselves bellringers. Also we don't `play' bells: we ring them. And we never go for a `pull' or a `tug', thankyou! However, we might well go for a `grab' or a `long length'. (A grab is when you get to ring on a set of bells you haven't visited before.) Anyway, enough confusion.

I have rung several peals (extended period of ringing, lasting up to four hours) and visited towers all over the country. In Guildford there are four churches with bells:

1. St. Mary's (6; 15cwt-0qr-21lbs in F)
2. Holy Trinity (8; 23cwt-3qr-8lbs in D)
3. St. Nicolas (10; 22cwt-1qr-10lbs in E)
4. Cathedral (12; 30cwt-1qr-10lbs in D) -- the cathedral at night -- (0.077Mb)

Here is a picture of me having a go on a mini-ring, which has a tenor of only a few pounds!

Campanology is a very sociable activity and is great for getting out/about and meeting all sorts of people. For example, there are ringer's outings to distant parts of the country to try different bells. Some outings last for a week and involve lots of cycling and beer (naturally). Also there are ringing competitions (e.g. Worcester, 2006)and meetings with big teas and often beer tents laid on. After ringing the natural thing to do is head for the local pub, or even occasionally to Cindy's!. Some ringers also organise trips to the States where there are a few ringing towers to try.
For more information on bellringing, a good start is this page: Ringers Web Resources. Or, more locally, try the Portsmouth and Winchester Diocesan Guild and Guildford Guild pages.

I've visited Australia. Here's a video clip of a peal in progress on the fine 41cwt 8 at St Peters, Adelaide: Adelaide, SA (video; 2.1Mb)

Railways

Photography

Amber the Baleful:

I wanted to take photos of the 1999 eclipse (the view in Godalming, Surrey where I work was splendid) but I didn't have the right filter.

Tigers

Linux

Linux documentation... ...Linux games. The GNU home page.  (Not Linux, but closely related). Register yourself as a Linux user!!

Linux is not a good platform for games as not many have as yet been ported to it. However, there's much more to computers than games. It is great for programming and calculations. You can install and run your very own webserver at no cost.

Links