Intro

I resisted having a home page that tells you about me for the first twelve years I'd been on the Internet at home. Guess it had to come sooner or later...

Basics

My name is Stephen Baines, I'm gay and have a husband/civil partner called Nigel, I'm 29 years old*, and have my own teeth, and I used to work for an IT company in Nottingham. I left and now train people how to use building management systems for security and HVAC. I was many years ago a school teacher, but I found the escape tunnel, and got away before it was too late... Until recently I did still see some of my ex-pupils, but mainly when I was out on the scene in Nottingham. 2006 was a big year for us as we have moved to Sweden.

Interests

One of my main interests is motor sport, especially Formula 1, sports cars and touring cars.

So much is my love of motor sport that my mad cat, Tazio, was named after the greatest racing driver that has ever lived - Tazio Nuvolari.

Tazio died in December 2006 - he was nearly 16 years old. We've now got a mad maine coon cross called Jyrki.

In recent years I have also come to adore tennis, and have been a frequent visitor to the Nottingham Open. I guess we need to find a new one, now!

I am also an avid cook, devourer of Bombay Sapphire and Blackwoods Shetland Gin, number one fan of Thurbo First Flush, and a lover of Ethiopan Yirgacheffe and a fine washed Sidamo. The one object I would rescue from my kitchen in the event of a fire is my KitchenAid.

We spent a lot of time in our garden and setting up our allotment and seeing our chickens. For now they've all gone as we start again in Sweden. Part of our big plans for Sweden is to become as self-sufficient as possible, and reduce our impact on the planet.

The Arts

Another of my great loves is singing, and until recently I sang with a musical society who put on Gilbert & Sullivan operas in Derby.

I have a wide taste in music, but amongst my absolute favourites in the world of pop are The Pet Shop Boys and Yello, as well as stuff like INXS, Rolling Stones, and all sorts of trashy camp pop music. If I'm going clubbing then the camper the better... There is no such thing as too camp... My Slimp3 revolutionised my music listening.

On a more serious side as well as G and S, I love grand opera, especially La Finta Simplice, and shows by Stephen Sondheim and old crooners such as Frank Sinatra.

I enjoy the theatre, and of shows I've seen recently, my favourite show has to be Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods". I'm not, however, a fan of Rogers and Hammerstein. I've recently discovered Betold Brecht's Thruppenny Opera, and I am currently very much in love with it. In plays, I've recently seen Speaking in Tongues which impressed me greatly - a play that could only ever work on a stage, as far as I can see...

On the film front, my favourites include the likes of Whisky Galore, The Birds (even though it terrifies me), Rear Window, Nightmare before Christmas, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Four Weddings and Strictly Ballroom.

Travel

A few years ago I managed to get a step towards conquering my fear of flying, when I went to California with work for three weeks. You can see my postcards that I sent back on this site from this trip and others. I got a second chance in 2001 when I returned to the US for two weeks in August. I've spent the last few years travelling on airlines a lot to try and conquor my fears. Then I had a chance to go to the United Arab Emirates for a couple of weeks with work. In the last few years that's changed a lot. In my new job I travel massively, and the days of terror in the airport seem a long time ago. You can read a lot more of my travels in the blogs and postcard sections of the website.

Stephen M Baines

* Tennessee Williams applies