Welcome to Graham Beven's Personal Web Site.

Graham now

At the moment I live on 'Maid of the Mist' a 60 foot narrowboat with my wonderful wife Jean. I 'retired' on to the boat when I was 55 and besides marrying Jean, think it was one of the best moves I've made in life!

We are however after 3 winters on the boat now spending the winters in the sun. We did Thailand for 6 months during the winter 2007 / 2008 - We're planning our Sri Lanka 2008 / 2009 trip now and Island hopping back from Turkey in the Med through Cyprus, Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Balearics and Gibraltar in 2009 / 2010.

We live on my military pension, earnings from our websites and some money from Multi Level Marketing companies I've joined since about 2002.

I'm a bit of a 'lone wolf' and don't make 'friends' easily, Jean is my best friend as well as my wife and partner but I like people, especially 'characters' and I will talk to anyone (about anything) and spend more time listening than talking.

I've always been a 'planner' as my dad and my forces career taught me that 'failing to plan is planning to fail!'

Besides travelling; I like to build information websites in partnership with Jean trading as JeGraNet.com, enjoy taking photographs (I can hardly call it photography!). I like fishing and 'foraging' walks (collecting wild fruit, nuts, berries and fungi). I'm intrigued by rocks and fossils and love the natural texture of different woods.

I have two great daughters Lea and Zoe, and a grandson Ryan, Zoe's son.

My favourite colour is olive green (ex-army you see);

I don't have a personal lucky number; they're all lucky for me!.

My favourite foods are curry, spicy foods (Indian, Thai, Mexican and the like) and fresh, ripe tropical fruits (Mango, Lychee, Kiwi, Pineapple, Paw-Paw or Papaya and Bananas).

I'm a bit of a 'hoarder', which isn't compatible with living in the boat and travelling but having said that I'm not 'in to' possessions. I'd sooner have experiences that create memories and photo's.

I used to gamble a bit on the horses in my early adulthood but prefer safer options now. 'Premium Bonds' are a great bet! I do the lottery in a family syndicate with Jean, Lea and Zoe as well as playing, for free as an affiliate in an online syndicate of 49 for the National 'Lotto' and 36 for the Euromillions.

Graham Then

Born at a very early age, I've always loved travel and I've managed to combine that with work and now retirement and JeGraNet.

I was the first born of James Patrick Beven and Beryl Phyllis Beven (nee Williams) and brother to Paul Beven.

During my childhood I lived for a while outside the UK in Sri Lanka, Ceylon as it was then, for about seven years in all and Kenya (Before independence) for about three years, as my dad was in the Royal Air Force at that time.

I went to schools on the RAF camps when overseas and local schools when he was stationed in England. In all I think I moved school about seven times. Eventually I went to technical college in Redcar, but dropped out after a year to join the RAF in 1966.

I was an RAF Policeman for twelve years, a civil policeman, in the Humberside Constabulary, for a while and then I 'did' ten years in the Army as a Military Policeman. Besides being stationed in England and Northern Ireland (twice), I spent time in Aden, Sharjah, Salalah, and (West) Germany (three times). I never went to 'war', just 'conflicts' and as far as I know I never killed anyone!

I met Jean when I was serving at RAF Uxbridge and we have travelled together since, except for a couple of three month un-accompanied 'detachments'.

Graham Fishing

I like to go fishing wherever I am in the world. I'm a Yorkshire man, so hate parting with money! I do buy my Environment Agency, National Rod Licence, £25 this year, but don't like paying for 'Day Tickets'. I find Free Fishing wherever I can (so much so that I ended up self-publishing 'The Directory of Free Fishing for England and Wales' as a paperback booklet).

I am now the webmaster and co-owner of the web sites: www.DoFreeFishing.com and www.DoFreeFishing.co.uk.

My favourite (not the biggest) catch was a Wels Catfish, caught in a pool within the environs of Telford, Shropshire.

Graham Travel

I like beaches, especially with white sand and coconut palms (or similar) but that is not 'the holiday' or 'visit' as I prefer to call it; I love sightseeing and especially World Heritage Sites or sites of exceptional natural beauty, plus I'm wild about animals in the wild. So excursions are the order of the day.

It's got to the stage now that at least once a night whilst watching TV, I can say 'Been There'!

Favourite places and sights so far have been (in no particular order): The Grand Canyon (USA); The Burj El Arab Hotel (Dubai); Texas (USA); Venice (Italy); Hampi (India); Chichen-Itza (Mexico); Ayutthaya and Bangkok (Thailand); Abu Simbel (Egypt); Calgary 'Stampede' (Canada).

We were in Thailand for the winter 2007 / 2008 (October - April), spending two months in Bangkok, 5 weeks in Chiang Mai, 5 weeks in Hua Hin and back to Bangkok for the last 5 weeks.

Travelling on our narrowboat on the English canal system has given us a peaceful, steady pace of life - and chance to develop an on-line canal magazine.

Besides the countries already mentioned. Jean and I spent a full year touring the USA and Canada, south in the winter - September 1994 / September 1995 - north in the summer, visiting 36 US States and two Canadian Provinces in a 1983 Winnebago American Motorhome we called 'Serendipity', travelling about 12,000 miles in all. We planned the trip by placing dots on the north American map of places and things we wanted to see ad just joined up the dots, taking the nearest road to the line!

We have had 'package' holidays, usually crammed with excursions, in: Canary Islands (Lanzarotte), Egypt (Nile cruise and stay in Cairo and Luxor), India (Goa), Kenya (beach and safari), Mexico (Cancun), Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui) and Tunisia (two 'beach' holidays - once to Sousse and once to Djerba).

We have taken self drive touring trips around Denmark, Germany, (Northern) Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Spain.

Taken two 'weekends' in Paris, visited London on a number of occasions and been to Mumbai (Bombay).

Visited or stopped over in Austria (4-5 days), Belgium (4 days), Cambodia (2 days), Dubai (4 days), France (7-8 days), Gibraltar (2 days), Holland AKA Netherlands (20 days or more), Switzerland (4-5 days) and Wales (loads of times), where the 'outlaws' live!

I'm looking forward to visiting Sri Lanka (again), Turkey, The Med Islands, Australia, New Zealand, The West Indies and some counties in South America.

I have a smattering of German, Swahili and Arabic (enough to show I have made 'the effort' and buy some food and order a beer!) I am looking forward to acquiring a similar level in Thai, if I can get my tongue round it!