I am married to Michelle and have three incredible children, Natasha, Elise and Ethan.

My blog

Do please try My blog. Initially it is focussed on issues with moving this website to Drupal. 

David Thrale in Chinchón Parador garden: 7 March 2003

Profession

I am a Chartered Environmental Health Practitioner. I am also an authorised Health and Safety Inspector with an additional Occupational Health qualification. Between 1999 and 2002 I was Food Standards advisor to the UK's National body LACORS. I am currently Director of Environmental Health for a London Borough.

Written 18 years ago , my post graduate college dissertation, Health and Safety in Residential Care Homes PDF - 166k, is available for download.

Books

David and kids: Normandy beach August 2004Books I have finished reading (most recent first):

• Outliers (200*) ISBN 9780316017923. Written by Malcolm Gladwell.
• Systems Thinking in the Public Sector: The Failure of the Reform Regime.... and a Manifesto for a Better Way (2008). Written by John Seddon. (ISBN 0955008182).
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005). Written by Malcolm Gladwell. (ISBN 0-316-31696-2)
• Freedom from Command and Control: a better way to make the work work (2003). Written by John Seddon. (ISBN 0-9546183-0-0)
• I Want You to Cheat: the unreasonable guide to service and quality in organisations (1992). Written by John Seddon. (ISBN 0-9519731-0-X)
• White Teeth. Written by Zadie Smith in 2000. Funny read, but story and my interest tailed off towards the end.
• The White family. Written by Maggie Gee in 2002. A good read.
• The truce. Written by Primo Levi - very moving.
• Getting things done by David Allen - highly recommended for keeping life and work in order.
• If this is a man. Written by Primo Levi. A moving and essential book.
• The tipping point by Malcom Gladwell.
• The Coffin Dancer by Jeffrey Deaver 1998. An enjoyable book, with a implausible ending.
• Love among the chickens by P G Wodehouse in 1906.
• Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy in 1874. Another really good story by Hardy, with a slightly anti-climatic ending.
• Fanny Hill by John Cleland in 1748. I really, really tried but over halfway into this tiresome book I gave up.
• The Empty Chair by Jeffrey Deaver 2000. A detective story with a difference that I couldn't put down. Great book!
• The retreat from Flanders - 'We shall defend ourselves whatever the cost'. Winston Churchill House of Commons speech June 4 1940.
• The manner & form of the Coronation of the Kings & Queens of England 1385 - 1460.
• The life of King Alfred From A.D. 849 to 847 by Asser.
• Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream" Words spoken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 23 August 1963.
• Martin Luther King Jr. "I've been to the mountaintop" Memphis Tennessee 3 April 1968.
• A Troublesome Disorder by Dave Randle.
• The story of the Inexperienced Ghost written by H G Wells in 1965. A very short easy to read story with a 'you'll never know' ending.
• Mr Standfast the final book in the Richard Hannay trilogy by John Buchan. This third and final book more than made up for the rather tortuous second book. The last half dozen or so chapters were great, even if I did guess the ending.
• The Mayor of Casterbridge. Written by Thomas Hardy in 1886. An intriguing read full of twists and turns, with a rather anti-climatic ending. I enjoyed this.
• Lord Arthur Saville's Crime and other short stories. Written by Oscar Wilde in 1891.
• Aesop's Fables 620 BC.
• A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. By Samuel Johnson. Published in 1775 this recounts the experiences of Johnson and companion Boswell on their tour of the Hebrides in Autumn 1773. It is easy to see - just from reading this book - why Johnson was so highly revered. His observations of people, land, farming, society and life are beautifully written, and display a deep and profound understanding of a very wide range of subjects.
• The Vanity of Human Wishes. Verses written by Samuel Johnson in 1749.
• Greenmantle. Written by John Buchan in 1916 - the second book his Richard Hannay trilogy. A reasonable read. A little too convoluted for me. I enjoyed the character John S Blenkiron.
• The 39 Steps. Written by John Buchan in 1915 - the first book in the Richard Hannay trilogy. I enjoyed reading this, despite thinking that hero Richard Hannay's good fortune and skills were a little incredulous.
• About a boy. Written by Nick Hornby in 1998. I enjoyed reading this on holiday.
• High Fidelity. Written by Nick Hornby.
• Fever Pitch. Written by Nick Hornby.