I'm looking for my next challenge. Not content with starting a whole new life for myself and my family, in an amazing country full of possibilities, once again I'm learning new skills and new approaches to that new life.
We've been in Ontario, a village called Westport, surrounded by bigger towns like Perth, Smiths Falls, Brockville and Kingston, since summer 2009. Last winter took it easy on us and we're settling in well.
Things could be easier, those who know us, know what I mean, but
nothing worthwhile is ever easy is it? But right now, I'm typing
this overlooking a stunning vista of lake and woodland, Abigail's
out with her boyfriend, Dan's mowing the grass for his mother, the
five year old is playing on her bike in the sun, and my incredible
wife is sitting on the deck with a cup of fresh coffee (...so why am
I in the house on the laptop again?)
Life is good eh?
In the late 1990's I worked as a self-employed IT consultant in the Small Office / Home Office (SOHO) market, with stints at Heathrow Airport and for local government.
I have a Post-Graduate
Certificate in Education (from
the
Anglia Ruskin University,
specialising in Information Communication Technology, and my last UK
post was lecturing on advanced level and professional certification
courses at
Suffolk College, Ipswich.
But it was not ever thus...
After a few years as an animal keeper in various UK collections, including spells at Windsor Safari Park, Colchester Zoo and Penscynor Wildlife Park, I did my degree in Biological Sciences (Zoology) at
King's College London.
Then followed post-graduate research in captive dogs, comparative ethology of Canidae (dogs and wolves),
behavioural ecology and activity patterns in Ursidae (bears) and
evaluation of captive-breeding and re-introduction programmes, before a gradual migration to
IT Professional and College Lecturer - I still keep as current as I
can, the very methodology of scientific investigation (critical
thinking and experimentation to answer the questions of life) is a
passion.
Who knows, maybe one day I'll get out in the field or put a lab' coat on again. Until then...
If you're visiting here looking for the photographic record of Daniel (b. 19/08/1992), Abigail (b. 06/07/1995) and Amelia Joyce Patricia (b. about 16:10, 25/11/2004, 5lbs 61/2oz), not to mention Lorraine, myself, our parents, the rest of the family, friends, pets and everybody else, then I'm sorry, they've been moved.
The sheer number of photo's and space they took up just got too much and I've had to move everything to...
The benefit however, is that I can keep all the photo's at their best quality and store as many as I like. Consequently, you'll find more than a thousand photo's over at Flickr. Take a look and leave a comment.
Having said all of the above about how all the photo's have been moved, I haven't actually updated Flickr for months. I will do, when we get proper broadband sorted out for the log house out in the boondocks... sorry.
Until then, check out the family pages for Lorraine Godden, Paul Godden, Daniel and Abigail on Facebook (but, as ever, Lorraine and the kids are better about updating their stuff than I am).
Lastly, I promised my beautiful step-daughter that I wouldn't put any pictures of her, in her semi-formal outfit, on Facebook. So, because I'm proud enough of her to risk the tongue of a teenager, here's one, NOT on Facebook...
She's stunning aint she?