Throughout my life I’ve always enjoyed the freedom to follow my many different interests, rather than limiting myself to one area of specialism. Even when I was at school, I participated in several different extra curricular sports. In fact, in those days I thought I’d go on to become a PE Teacher. Little did I know then, that I’d eventually become a Dance Teacher instead. But that came much later.

When I left school, I studied Sports Science at undergraduate and graduate level and had the opportunity to work in a sports research unit. But after a few years, I longed to do something more creative. So, I decided a complete change was necessary. I went travelling for a year and wrote my first fiction book (unpublished). Then I started to make and sell my own jewellery at craft shows around the country. About the same time, dancing came back into my life. I discovered Modern Jive partner dancing. It was this I started teaching first. Then I decided to create my own unique classes covering a variety of different dance styles from week to week, using my own choreography. Since then, I’ve never looked back. I even love being self-employed and enjoy all the many aspects of running a business and not just the teaching.

It’s no surprise I enjoy a diverse range of subjects and styles when it comes to nature and photography as well. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed photographing abstract images and urban scenes as well as beautiful landscapes and wonderful wildlife and as a result have experimented with all sorts of lenses. But now I realise what I love the most, what inspires me, is photographing the natural world. And even though my love of photography stemmed from my overseas travels, it’s helped me to appreciate not just the amazing foreign places I’ve visited, but also what’s on my doorstep.


I’m constantly striving to improve my photography skills and increase my knowledge and understanding of the subject matter of interest. It’s an enjoyable part of the learning process. Whilst I might venture out with a specific subject in mind, often I find something else unexpected grabs my attention. There are times I don't even have a plan and enjoy the feeling of being open to whatever I stumble upon. Ultimately, for me, photography isn’t just a great way of recording a sighting or capturing the beauty of the natural world, it’s also about encapsulating an experience, a special moment in time that otherwise might fade from my memory. An image can be so powerful because of the feelings and memories it can evoke.

It’s funny how things come together. I feel like I’ve finally put the missing piece into the puzzle. I’m now making more time for writing again and I’m thrilled. It absolutely feels like the right time. I’ve moved on from writing short stories, poems and fiction, which I did in my younger years. I’ve discovered that non-fiction is actually what I enjoy writing the most. So, I’m very excited to be working on my first non-fiction book and keeping up with my blog.

Variety really is the spice of life. I couldn’t be happier juggling my time between dancing, writing, photography and nature. I’m sure I will continue to for many more years to come. We live in a beautiful world and life is very precious. I want to celebrate and treasure both and make the most of every day.