Born in October 1952 on the day tea rationing ended in Britain (good timing that, given my mother’s obsession – and subsequently mine – with the brew) and, as an only child, I enjoyed a happy childhood, revolving mainly around football and cricket. I had the good fortune of growing up during the sixties, the music of which provided a thrilling soundtrack to my childhood. I attained a BA (Honours) in English and European Literature at Essex University, writing my dissertation on the novel “At Swim-Two-Birds” by Irish novelist and journalist Flann O’Brien. This was followed by studying towards an MA in Anglo-Irish Literature at Leeds, majoring on Joyce, Beckett and Yeats and producing a paper on the novels of Patrick Kavanagh (“The Green Fool” and “Tarry Flynn”).
Eventually, I exchanged academia for the last refuge of the modern scoundrel and joined the UK civil service in March 1980. I subsequently spent 29 years in the Department for Work and Pensions and its many antecedents, latterly in human resources and diversity before securing early retirement in March 2009.
My interest in travel led me to undertake a Level 3 BTEC Advanced Certificate in Travel and Tourism via home learning. I completed the course in December 2010, achieving a Distinction in all three elements – understanding the travel and tourism industry, tourist destinations and tour operations). My ambition now is to concentrate on writing, for which I believe I have some aptitude, and, of course, to publish on a regular basis. I plan to focus on my passions of San Francisco, cricket and travel, though I will not be able to resist on pontificating on life in general from time to time.
My first book, A Half-Forgotten Triumph, written in collaboration with Martin Moseling, detailing Kent County Cricket Club’s fourth County Championship title in eight years, was published in August 2013 and I have now started on a book, provisionally titled In the Strangest of Places, which builds on my experiences of being an English visitor to San Francisco.
Aside from the above topics, my other serious interests are walking, skiing, baseball (a fan from afar of the San Francisco Giants), association football (a life long fan of Gillingham), music (principally folk, blues, country and West Coast rock borne of the original Summer of Love in 1967), theatre and eating out.
I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to pursue all of those interests, as I am also for the support and encouragement of my wonderful wife Janet whom I married in Vegas on Halloween 2009 after 27 years together (it’s 31 years now!).
First I love your San Francisco posts!! I was wondering if you ever made that list of negative quotes about San Francisco?
Thanks!
Hi Molly, firstly many thanks for your kind comment. And – no I never did produce that list of negative SF quotes – shame on me! But I think you have given me the push to do it now! I will be in SF for the whole of June this year and plan to write a daily diary for my blog. I’m sure even I will find some things to complain about in that time! Homelessness and MUNI spring to mind. Anyway, watch my blog for that list, which I promise I will prepare shortly!
Thanks for your interest in my SF post. I’m glad you liked it. I shall be interested to see what your thoughts are about the city when you return in June. Meanwhile I shall have a browse through your stuff.
Cheers, Jude (even luckier than you as I was born at the end of sweet rationing!)
Jude, remember I’m English – tea comes before sweets! Thanks for taking such an interest in my posts. The current series of photo galleries of different neighbourhoods is a prelude to getting back on track with my SF writing – and a diary during the June stay.
Thanks again xx
You dont have to be a fan from afar of our awesome Giants!! I say, this year… it is time to be a fan… up close!! 🙂
I will be – at least for three games, against the Blue Jays, Padres and Marlins in June!
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Thank you too for visiting my blog as well. We have a great town for a little pocket project like a blog. It is pretty cool. 🙂
Great read ……..also great name 🙂
sorry i missed you….here is my June column in the NOE VALLEY VOICE….mazook
http://www.noevalleyvoice.com/2013/June/Rumo.htm
Looks like you were arriving in SF just a couple of months before we departed, returning to our home in Fresno. SF is a very expensive place to live, especially on a teacher’s pension.
You’re not wrong there, Delaine! Thanks for visiting and liking my blog, it’s much appreciated. Yours looks really interesting too and I plan to spend some time perusing it! Thanks again, Tony
What a great blog! I adore San Francisco.
I just returned (to Derbyshire) from my tenth visit to SF and my son, who lives in Bernal, sent me a link to the piece about you in Bernalwood.
I don’t like cities, but I do like San Francisco and I do like Venice, which I think has a lot in common – the blue skies, the ubiquitous views of water, the friendliness, the fabulous colours everywhere, the human scale of the buildings, and the safety of walking around. I won’t go on.
So far, there is only one annoying thing I have come across in SF and that is the poor signage on the BART. It is very hard to know where you are by peering out into the darkness through the window, as the signs are few and badly lit.
Btw, I also worked in the DWP but as a psychologist – from 1980-1984.
Hi Sue, we do appear to have a lot in common don’t we?
I’m with you on Venice too, indeed all of Italy. There are major similarities in particular between the two great port cities.
It will be good to keep in touch. Many thanks for the kind comments about the blog. Keep reading – there will be more to come over the next couple of weeks – and beyond!
Regards
Tony
Thank you for following my blog! happy that you like it 🙂 what an interesting blog you have! for sure will be back here 🙂
Thank you for your kind comments. It so happens that I’m going to Sorrento on 4th August and will be posting photos and articles while I am there! I will also be writing a blog post within the next week about my love of Italy! Regards Tony
Hi Tony, thank you for deciding to follow The Call of the Pen. I hope you continue to enjoy the posts 🙂
You’re very welcome, Lyn. I really look forward to reading your posts. Regards Tony
Hi Tony! I’m creating a program for a fundraiser for Room to Read and I was wondering if we could use your fantastic image of the dome of SF City Hall. It’s a great picture and it goes with one of our auction items perfectly. What do you think? I’m afraid I’m in quite a hurry–this goes to press on Monday. Thanks!
Hi Virginia, you’re very welcome. I am delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile program in a small way. Regards Tony
Great blog on my hometown, well, from 1962. My parents owned the Garden House on Sandgate Road and I attended Westbrook House on Shorncliffe Road.
Thanks David!
Hi Tony, I’m looking forward to reading your book about San Francisco. I have been in love with the city since I was about 11 and in the sixties and became a hippie. I finally made it there for the first time in 2006 ,between then and 2013 I visited numerous times sometimes for a month.I haven’t been for a while now but I have booked for September this year. :).
I came to Hong Kong in 1981 for a week and I’m still here(been back to England yearly at least).I never meant to stay this long! I too,was a civil servant before I came here.Anyhow,I’m writing this on a smartphone and for some reason it won’t let me see the words I’m writing anymore so I’d better stop .:)
Dear Tony,
I am the great grandson of Bottle Koenig (Ferdinand Koenig). I loved reading your accounts of Oofty Goofty and Big Bertha who both appeared at Bottle Koenig’s. Would love to know if you have further information (or the location of such) about Bottle Koenig or his various establishments. I have enjoyed your posts!
Thank you and best wishes,
Charles Morey
Many thanks. Charles. Unfortunately, without doing the research, which I am not able to do at the moment. I cannot provide any more information at this stage. I am inn the UK, working on publishing my first collection of poetry. Thank you again for your kind comments. Regards Tony