Born in Portugal in 1960, my parents brought me to the UK in 1968 and I then spent my formative years in Cardiff.

I graduated with a Physics degree in 1981 and joined the British Antarctic Survey, over-wintering at Halley Bay. I also spent time on South Georgia and Signy islands.

I then worked for over 20 years in the civil nuclear electricity industry in the UK as a safety engineer.

Currently I help my wife to run her business from home, which we share with 5 English pointers.

I've been interested in writing since my teenage years but have never had the time to devote myself seriously to it. Helium acts like a spur in that regard, providing encouragement - through the Marketplace and the Writing Contests - for me to write on topics that I wouldn't normally venture into.

I have much to learn about writing well when I am not passionate about the subject matter!

The variety of writers on Helium fascinates me - some of the most interesting articles are not always the best written - so I try not to be too flummoxed by the ranking process rules and tend to go with my instinct!

(Updated April 2008)

My passion is ...

Music, in all its forms

I know too much about ...

You can never know too much about anything!

My parents always told me ...

Never do to others what you don't want them to do to you

My childhood ambition ...

To travel in space

My favorite memory ...

Turandot Act 1 at Arena di Verona - life changing!

Why I write ...

Enjoyment

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

My 160GB ipod on shuffle usually!

My first job ...

Research Assistant with the British Antarctic Survey

My best moment ...

Holding my daughters for the first time.

My inspiration ...

This beautiful planet of ours.

Food & Drink > Restaurant Reviews What makes a great Italian restaurant

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There are three aspects that define a great restaurant: the food, the service and the ambiance. Quality of food and quality of service are the absolute key elements for any restaurant, whether it be high-cuisine or fast-food. However, you can compromise on ambiance if you're just looking for a good restaurant but it becomes a vital ingredient in the making of a great one.

Quality of food is, perhaps obviously, the prime requirement. The two key things that, for me, define a great Italian's restaurant's food are the quality of its pizza and the freshness of its fish: I have found that if ...

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