My music tastes are varied. I like early albums from Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music, King Crimson, Genesis, Black Sabbath, Be Bop Deluxe, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Simply Red, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Bob Marley right through to Alexander O'Neal, Scritti Politti, Alanis Morissette, Tanita Tikaram, Stevie Wonder, Abba (ok, ok, half of us Europeans like Abba), Talking Heads, Sade, Thomas Dolby, Prefab Sprout, Steve Hackett, Vangelis, Kate Bush, Sting, Deacon Blue, Bjork, Radiohead and on to Foo Fighters, The Zutons, Lucie Silvas, Massive Attack, K T Tunstall, Zero 7, Keane, Pat Metheny, The Prodigy, Faithless, Cherry Ghost, The Killers, Shooglenifty (a folk/rock band from Scotland) and a little classical thrown in for good measure, especially Prokofiev, Tippett and Satie. I like to hear folk, jazz and blues performed in small local venues. I saw Alanis Morissette in an intimate setting on the south bank in London in November 2006 - she was simply STUNNING!

I don't often watch movies. A short list of those I have enjoyed is Misunderstood, Carrie, Schindler's List, Airplane, The Fly, Shaun of the Dead, Flight 93 (essential viewing), The French Connection 1 & 2, Titanic (cheesey fictional love interest storyline, but stunning visuals), Amadeus, Fiddler on the Roof, The Deer Hunter, Falling Down, The Pianist, Final Destination (all of them), JFK, The Day After Tomorrow, The Mission (my favourite of all time)

I'm not a well-read individual, much to my shame. Where does the time go? However, I mostly read autobiographies. Recent ones include:

Jean-Dominique Bauby - The Diving-bell and the Butterfly (a short, life-affirming book)
Ian Holm (award winning British actor)
Gordon Ramsay (foul mouthed British chef)
Tony Benn (long serving Member of Parliament)
John Peel (influential English disc jockey)
Alex Zanardi (former Formula 1 driver)
Sunny Jacobs (innocent Death Row prisoner)
Traudl Junge (Hitler's last secretary)

I hesitated to include the final selection, but my reason for reading it was to try to get an insight into why the German population were so influenced by Adolf - a very good account for those interested in the history of World War II.

See "About Yourself" panel, above.

I'm a Man of Kent (very important in these parts), 5'8", weighing in at 11stone 4lbs which is 158lbs. As you can see my black hair has turned to grey, but it's never been an issue for me; once I had grey hair and a jet black beard which was good fun at the time.

I left school at 16 with adequate educational qualifications to start work at a local power station on the clerical side. I was there for nineteen years, progressing through a career that saw me as Head of Finance for the final five years; very stressful, but highly paid. When the facility closed I accepted severance, for personal family reasons, and looked round for a carefree job - I'm now a Postman and enjoy my work.

I have a keen sense of humour and readily join in with the banter at work, sometimes a little too loudly. I make friends easily and enjoy socialising. I always try to look for the best in people, being fortunate enough to only come across a handful of people in my life who I took an instant dislike to. I enjoy eating out, sampling locally brewed beer, going to the theatre in the West End of London, camping, visiting theme parks (big kid), driving, reading autobiographies, wildlife, boating on the Norfolk Broads, music, watching motor racing and doing home improvements.

I'm single, having been engaged to be married once and being burnt in the process. Miss Right has popped into my life a few times since, but has always been in a stable relationship, dammit. My overbearing scruples and sense of fair play prevent me from stealing another man's honey. But, I'm a patient person, usually, and enjoy the company of women immensely. I don't smoke and have never found the need to do drugs.

A passion of mine is cycling. I joined a cycle club twelve years ago and never looked back. Our style of riding is called "fast touring", which is a lot slower than the racing Tour de France cyclists, but faster than a family ride. I enjoy the sense of freedom that cycling gives, the sights, sounds and smells of the country are yours to behold and savour when you're in the saddle. I average 80 miles on a Sunday ride which keeps me fit enough. I have twice cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats which is a distance of 1000 miles on quieter roads and is the classic British cycle ride from one end of the mainland to the other, south to north.

I am a founder trustee of a charity that takes blind and disabled people out for cycle rides on a tandem. I try to devote as much time as possible to this venture, mainly because the riders get so much pleasure from being out and about on a bike.

In 2003 I was very lucky to survive an accident at work, which turned into a near death experience. I have always had an optimistic outlook on life. Since the accident I have found that my positive view of the world has been enhanced and I'm very thankful to still be here. I try to live my life to the full, as far as money allows.

And now I have achieved my first "year beard" and intend to go "terminal".......