I'm middle-aged, a Londoner by birth but currently living in Gibraltar and Spain. I'm a qualified chartered accountant but have seen the light and been born-again as a student of Maths and Computing with Britain's Open University. I read voraciously - mostly thrillers and crime, but enough of the more improving stuff creeps through that I can perform quite well in pub quizzes.

My husband is semi-retired but works part-time for a telecoms company. We have two teenage children, one off to college in England next year, one attending an international school in Spain.

I love to sew, particularly patchwork and quilting but also dressmaking, tapestry, cross stitch... My new sewing machine does embroidery and I plan to use this feature in a series of quilts which are currently festering between my ears. If you're interested in needlecrafts and live in the Western Costa del Sol or Gibraltar area, send me an email - info@pensplace.net (copy and paste into your email program).

Gibraltar is a very interesting place and well worth visiting, not just for the apes and the duty-free shopping, but also because it is steeped in history. My Gibraltar page gives some links to sources of information. My Spanish page also gives some useful links, and lets me muse on the experience of being an expat here.