Dave's page

This is a general page for personal stuff of David Straker, with notes for friends, family and prospective employers. In other words it's about me the person.

About me

I've been asked before about who I am, so here is a page that summarizes my life. Not worth a book or even a chapter, but I've had a varied career and been lucky in love and with family.

For day to day stuff, you can find a lot about my life, family and random thinking in my general changingminds blog.

Holidays

There's just a few photos online from our holiday 2005 in Rome and Croatia.

Here's blog notes and a few pictures from holiday 2006 -- the first with just my wife, Eleri, and myself for 24 years. Geraint was on a school thing in Africa and Heledd was in Edinburgh, working on her M.Sc.

Spring 2007, Eleri and I went off for a lovely couple of days in Frampton, Dorset. Here's notes and photos.

Half-term May/June 2007, Eleri and I took an internet bargain holiday in the Maldives. Here's the Maldives holiday blog, then the photos (in small, medium and full-size, plus a single page with all medium-sized photos on so you can scan down (but it will take a while to load). Here also is a page of Maldives tips that I wish I knew beforehand.

Summer holidays 2007 spent tootling around Ireland in the Z3 (2000 miles with the roof down!), in a reprise of last year's tour of Europe, staying at B&B's and chilling out. Here's the blog and photos. Here also is tips for touring Ireland.

Half-term October 2007 we stayed in a B&B in Suffolk for a couple of days. Here the blog and photos.

December 2007, I went to Paris for lunch with 'the boys' with who I commute to London each day.

February 2008 we took a half-term break in Florence. Here's the blog and photos.

May 2008, we spent a week in northern Madeira. Here's the blog and photos.

July-August 2008, we did something different for us: an Arctic Cruise.

Dogs

Our dogs have been:

• Gwen (rescue retriever): 1981 to 1994
• Bella (retriever): 1989 to 2001
• Poppy (rescue retriever): 2001 to 2006
• Tika (German shepherd, inherited from my father): 2005 to 2007
• Ceri (retriever): 2006
• Beca (retriever): 2007

Here's some photographs of dogs from recent years.

Hobbies

Writing

I started writing in the late 80s and a couple of books are now out of print, so I put them online (C Style and Quality Toolbook). From late 90s on, my major hobby has been developing content websites (see the navigation bar), in particular changingminds.org. I'd like to spend more time on styling, but content is king, as they say, and frankly I prefer the writing these days.

Photography

I like taking pictures, though hesitate to call myself a photographer of any kind. Just an amateur, really. Not even a serious enthusiast. Here's my photos online:

• Our dogs
• Florence photos
• A Frampton Break
• Madeira
• Maldives
• Mottisfont Abbey
• Norway and Arctic cruise
• Rome and Croatia
• Ireland
• London
• Suffolk
• Assorted other Britain
• Paris with the boys '07
• People

My current main camera is a Canon D20, mostly used with 17-85 IS lens. I've a few other EOS lenses from a previous film camera. It makes for a heavy package, but part of the fun is the fiddling around with it all and pretending to know what you are doing.

I also use a smaller camera. I had an Nikon S1 which was easily pocketable and took quite passable photos. This was lost in September 2007 so I got a Samsung NV20 as a replacement.

Other stuff

I studied Tai Chi for 15 years, but job time has prevented me going to lessons or teaching, so I just integrate it into how I move. It makes walking and all sorts of moving an interesting exercise, though having a hobby of 'moving' seems a bit bizarre. One day I'll do a site about it.

I also do DIY in bursts. I prefer woodwork stuff and build bookshelves and so on as needed. I can do electrics no problems. I am not a fan of plumbing, but will do it as needed.