"The silence is broken only by the booming call of a Whooper Swan, or the whirring wingbeats of a Red-Necked Phalarope..." My story is about what I regard as my 'real' job. Each summer from May to September I go to Iceland to lead hiking tours. It's been a case of my hobby becoming my job - and I consider myself very lucky. My lifestyle is a bit alternative, and of course wouldn't suit everyone, but I feel it demonstrates a more universal point: when it comes to work, people will be better off doing what they really enjoy, rather than what is well paid. I'm 51 years old, married with two sons aged 18 and 20, and live in Scot Hay, Stoke on Trent. Out of season, I join my wife to work part-time in the library at Keele University. I refuse to have a car and use my cycle to get me everywhere I need to go. I enjoy listening to most types of music, but especially jazz and play a lot of squash - as competitively as I can, at my advanced age! Inside Lives is a challenge, but that's certainly no bad thing. For me the best bit was meeting the other participants and hearing their fascinating stories. | 
