After the usual house jobs and, not knowing what to do next, I was steered by Jimmy Goodliffe to the American Hospital in Paris, a good post at my time of life. In due course there appeared other Guy’s people - Keith Fairweather, Chips Atkins, Andrew Murphy, Tony (AJ) Richards.
Thence to Middleton Hospital, Ilkley, again by courtesy of Jimmy Goodliffe, following in the footsteps of (I think) Steve Roberts, Peter Curtis, Samiran Nundy. (Am I right?) There I came under the influence of the enthusiastic Robert Bruce who, as well as introducing me to immunology, encouraged me to ditch the violin and take up the oboe; vital advice which I have always been grateful for.
A job at Taplow led me into Rheumatology at King’s. I had a year out in Geneva on an immunological project. By this time I had married Clare, and our first child was born out there.
I got my consultant Rheumatology post at Colchester, living in nearby Wivenhoe, where our family still is.
Being on the River Colne, sailing is obligatory, but I managed to get by with no greater involvement than dinghy sailing and a bit of windsurfing. Now we cruise the canals in our 62 ft narrowboat which is a delight.
Wivenhoe is the sort of place where amateur operatics thrive and, as Clare grew up with G&S, so I was hooked in. (I blame Tony Bron et al. [Doom at the Top] for starting me off).
Clare and I do quite a lot of walking eg Coast to Coast, and usually one a year in Italy, where the locals have to tolerate my attempts to speak the language.
Three splendid children; a lawyer, a city-slicker, and a musician. And two grandchildren so far…
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