Judith Mole Judith writes: We live at the bottom of the Long Mynd, Shropshire, UK in the summer and in the volcanic area of La Garrotxa in northeastern Spain, in winter.

I grew up in Germany (but not in a forces family!). At 17, I left home and moved to the UK which was like a foreign country to me. I spent a few comedy filled years learning the local customs and getting used to the interesting food and flat beer. I wasted a few years at Uni doing a degree in drama, film and television studies. Being good with my hands, I then trained to be a sign language interpreter but couldn’t cut it at the chalk face so went into management. After realising I was doing a lot of work for not much pay, I ditched that and went freelance.

I took up hang gliding in 1996, but I never really could do the landing thing, so I now spend a large chunk of my time flying, or trying to fly, paragliders. The rest of the time I go skiing, rollerblading, do archery, walk, bum around on the beach, snooze in the sun and very occasionally we do some work to fund the rock ‘n roll life style.

Geoff MinshullGeoff writes: I spent the first part of my life working with non-government organisations and the voluntary sector, working with community groups, advice and resource centres, etc., in places such as Leeds and Nottingham, where I set up the first centre in the country which offered computing services to the voluntary sector and trade unions. At the time, this was real groundbreaking, innovative stuff.

Getting a bit burnt out, I went to be an IT lecturer for some years, during which time I managed to live and work in the US for a year; live and work with Sandinista organisations in Nicaragua during the civil war; work in Zimbabwe and South Africa with ANC front organisations during the fall of apartheid. At this time I set up a major UK overseas development agency, which is still going strong. Now semi-retired, except for the odd online conference which keeps the wolf from the door.

I’ve been flying hang gliders since 1990, paragliders since 2005, and have recently learnt to alpine ski after years of doing cross country skiing.

I have no children, have not learnt to play golf, have never owned a caravan and will never join Facebook.

[30.10.13 – I rarely go back on what I say, especially in print, but I did join FB this year. But I still don’t have kids or a caravan, or play golf. Everything else, of course, has changed….]