I'm supposed to be working right now. But this interactive interview thing seemed a lot more interesting than sending emails to people I was supposed to write to last year, so I thought, why not?
The first thing this tape asked me was tell us about your life. Well, I was born in Ireland, in 1944. We moved to my mother's hometown, Coxbury, when I was six, and I've lived there ever since. I went to university in Cambridge, and that was where I met my wife, Mollie. I've got two kids, Harry and Lisa, who are both married now. Harry's got two kids, Tyler and Maisie, and Lisa's adopted a baby girl, who's about six months old now, I think. Sofia, her name is. The cutest thing you ever saw...
What was your occupation before you started commuting? I worked as a secretary about half an hour's driving distance from Coxbury. I always caught the bus, rain or shine (though I guess it doesn't make much difference when you're on a bus). It was an okay job, but it wasn't right for me. I knew I belonged somewhere loud, somewhere where I can be in control of something.
Why are you based in London? I saw this ad in the newspaper about twenty years ago. Said they were looking for newbies to be secretaries for estate agents. I'd already been in a secretary job for thirty years, and I'd never got any further with it, so it couldn't do any harm, right? I made the right choice - I was promoted in a matter of weeks, and now I'm head of the company. It's a hard job, but it's worth it for the money that comes in.
Why don't you just move to London? Yes, it would make commuting a lot easier. But there's a simple answer to that one. I love Coxbury. I love everything about it - the fact that it's where I grew up. I'm even living in the house I grew up in! It's beautiful - you can just look out of your window and see acres of green meadows and lush grass, and cows grazing. You can't do that in London, for sure. Mollie and I have lived there for years, and I'd never want to move to London. The bustling and the business of London can be exhilarating during work hours, but I definitely need some alone time, too, and Coxbury is the perfect place to have that.
Lastly, tell us an interesting fact about you, or your family. I love connecting with people, people who I don't even know. That's why I bring cookies onto the train, and into work. They're a fantastic conversation starter, plus Mollie makes the best cookies I've ever tasted! They're a nice refuge when work's got a bit hard. I can just sneak into the bathroom and gorge on her newest tray of cookies.
Thank you for your time. My pleasure.