I was browsing the Welcome Wagon earlier this morning and it's a delight to see so many new faces around. It struck me that perhaps I should re-introduce myself here for all the newcomers. I'm "moderator" for this board - which in theory means that I can delete and change posts if I feel it's necessary - for example if they contain personal attacks or copyrighted material. In practise, on the very rare occasions that a post needs revisiting I prefer to ask the original poster to make an appropriate change ... and my role here is much more one of assisting in (for example) adding pictures to a post, pointing people in the direction of further resources, or answering travel, transport and driving questions.
So - my bio.
I'm Graham Ellis. I'm British, married to Lisa (LisaE on the forum). We met in 1996; she was American and had been living in Florida for many years, and I had been living in the countryside about 90 miles to the west of London, also for a very long time. A long distance courtship (emails, hours on the phone, lots of transatlantic flights) and Lisa moved to the UK; we got married in 1998. We have three children (OK - they're no longer really children, but you know what I mean) from former marriages. We have been through many of the issues talked about on UK-Yankee; a few things remain, but mostly they mellow with time. Lisa and I now live in Melksham, Wiltshire, UK and run our own business from home. This is why you'll see me posting advise occasionally in "on-the-job" and SOHO - I've read a lot of CVs in my time (from UK and non-UK applicants), I've interviewed, and I've taken staff on to work in the UK - both on our own behalf and previously when working for a larger company.
Why travel and transport?
I've always enjoyed travel; starting as a teenager, I toured the UK extensively and I know my way around - by train, by bus and by car. All my jobs for the past 25 years have involved extensive journeying - at times, I've driven nearly 40000 miles in a year, and to this day I'm out of the UK an average of once a month. Coming up later this month, Lisa and I are in Washington, DC for a few days, back home for 1 day then off to Guernsey. February will take us to Manchester, York and Munich. And I still enjoy it, even though I tend to end up in the right place at the wrong time of year to do any touring, or in the wrong part of town. The Hague, last February, is an example ... a biting cold wind, tourist spots being refurbished for the season, and a hotel in the industrial zone opposite fornesic labs with a steady stream of hearses in and out. But such are life's experiences!
The travel, transport and driving board here is one that's peculiarly suited to having a "native" moderator (my opinion, you may choose not to agree). From rules of the road in the UK, through MOT testing and driving licenses to deciding whether to drive or take the train into London, and deciding what's a reasonable commute / where's a good place to live, I've been there.
This board has grown very much more active in the past 12 months - my thanks to everyone who contributes. Please feel free to send me personal messages or emails if you've anything you would rather not post - I do make a point of being here at least once a day, and viewing most threads.
Have a great year, everyone. I look forward to reading your posts about travel, places, driving and more through 2005.
