About Me

I started this life in the beautiful country of New Zealand and then lived in another just as beautiful country--Australia. And although I've missed them at times, Japan opened up many exciting possibilities, one of which was becoming a writer.

My Interests:
Indeed, I have too many interests to fit into my days but there are things I love doing ...

Motorbikes: Since my teenage days in New Zealand I have loved bikes, and I've owned several. Despite the extreme weather in Japan, I still ride all year round.

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Motorcycle Portraiture

This is something I have picked up as a hobby and fit it in when I can. Some bikes have terrific proportions and styling and with a handsome or gorgeous model on it, the composition can be stunning. 

You can see some samples of my Motorcycle Portraiture in the Gallery section.

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Hiking

Since I was a teenager in New Zealand, hiking has been one of my pastimes. 
In a country like Japan, which is over 70% mountains, there are so many places one can go. So I've got enough places to visit here until the end of my life!

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Some years ago, I did a study on the history of the English language. It was truly fascinating and I would have left it at that, but two things struck me: 1. many people I encountered didn't understand it well, and 2. I realized I could present it in a simpler, more visual form than how I found it. Thus, The Timeline History of the English Language was born!

Because English suffered several invasions and has been swamped by incoming influences, its history is complicated. My goal became presenting charts and timelines that would make these influences easy to comprehend. This timeline, entitled A Wide View lays out the main sources of influence over the last 25 hundred years.

Coming from Germanic, English is a member of the Indo-European language family. This chart shows that descent and the many sister and cousin languages across Europe as well as in Southern Asia and the Middle East.

This timeline, entitled A Simple View, lays out the eight most significant events that shaped the English language.