Welcome to my User Page

I'm a British early-retired librarian living in Silverdale, Lancashire, having moved here from Leeds originally to look after my late Mother. I have a range of interests and a tendency to proof-read and correct typos! I used to spend a lot of Wiki-time Stub-sorting, and sometimes start by correcting one link and end up improving a network of related pages. I've worked with Category:Disambiguation pages in need of cleanup, WP:Suggestions for disambiguation repair, WP:Typo Team and WP:CiterSquad at various times. I contribute to the Women in Red editathons, picking one or two topics which look interesting, or are UK based, or if all else fails have the initial "P": it's a challenge to produce new articles on topics in fields where I don't usually edit, and I keep a list of my WiR contributions, taking great delight when one article fits two or, occasionally, three of the month's editathons. After a superb walk up Black Combe, April 2012, I decided to sort out the WP articles for the Outlying fells, which turned into quite a project. When I attended a meeting in Preston Patrick I found that it, and many other South Lakeland parishes, had no article - so I made them.

I've created a motley collection of articles or stubs, to fill gaps: some sparked off by a red link, others when I look up a topic of interest and find it's not yet got an article. Something on Radio 4 will sometimes inspire me: "Have they got an article?" "If not, are they sourceably notable?" "Let's go." And suddenly it's lunchtime, and I sat down with my breakfast. (Retired life!) I'm very glad that I've kept the list, below, which reminds me why I created each article, and recommend the practice to other editors. Wikipedia has the fascination of an infinite jigsaw puzzle - there's always another piece to fit in.

I'm increasingly worried about gradual deterioration in our articles, through links going dead, information becoming out of date, and accidental or worse damage by later editors. I've decided, 2023, to start looking through the articles, listed below, which I've started: but it's a slow process and can lead down a lot of rabbit-holes of related topics needing attention.

Yes, I know the page looks a bit of a mess at present - will learn about layout sometime and prettify it!

Articles, templates and stubs I've created

Not including umpteen disambiguation pages created while working on Wikipedia:Suggestions for name disambiguation and otherwise, surname pages created as a list of name-holders, a few articles where I've created a "non-infringing stub" to rescue a copyvio article's non-creative elements and its incoming redirects, lots of redirects, etc

2024

• Pulchérie Abeme Nkoghe, 1 Feb; Gabonese poet for WiR: O-P & WiR: Black women
• Wendy Phipps, 1 Feb; Kittitian politician for WiR: O-P & WiR: Black women
• St Peter's Way, 23 Jan; long-distance footpath in Essex, resolving red link
• Bestseller Awards, 15 Jan; UK book award, resolving mystery of "Whittaker Gold Award" in an article
• Olive Clarke, 4 Jan; farmer, public figure, hon president of Cumbria-Westmorland WI Federation, funeral today, also for WiR: 2023 deaths
• Uri Ruiz Bikandi, 3 Jan; Spanish educator for WiR: Education, WiR: 2023 deaths & WiR: M-N (first name Maria)
• Maria Giovanna Maglie, 1 Jan; Italian journalist for WiR: 2023 deaths & WiR: M-N
• Alice Le Geyt, 1 Jan; temperance campaigner for WiR: Temperance

Total articles created in previous years (2007-2023): 1050.
(Not counting a lot of disambiguation pages, surname pages, and many, many, redirects)

2023

• Marinez Santos Bassotto, 30 Dec; technically mine, but I only moved and tidied the draft created by a deceased editor
• Norman Cross, Cambridgeshire, 27 Dec; hamlet and hundred, whose info was buried in the article for adjacent POW camp
• Meta Ditzel, 23 Dec; Danish politician and peace activist for the year-long WiR: Peace & Diplomacy
• Indodana, 11 Dec; song sung by Choir of the Earth
• Leeds Mechanics Institute, 11 Dec; article needed for the building and the institution, separate from the museum currently occupying its building
• Koringa, 4 Dec; circus artist for WiR: K-L and after hearing about her on a visit to Morecambe Winter Gardens
• Eva Kunz, 2 Dec; German politician for WiR: 2023 deaths and WiR: K-L
• Anoushé Husain, 1 Dec; paraclimber, for WiR: Honoured women, and had been on the "to do list" since coming across her somwehere
• Las Capellanías, 29 Nov; Spanish archaeological site, after someone tried to add it in to Bryher Woman
• Migration Museum, London, 24 Nov; after finding its popup exhibition in Leeds
• Brontë Birthplace, 20 Nov; in the news recently re funding, seems to need an article
• Indira Joshi (singer), 4 Nov; disentangling from actor for WiR: I-J
• Indira Joshi (actor), 4 Nov; disentangling from singer for WiR: I-J
• Irena Stefoska, 3 Nov; Macedonian politician, for WiR: I-J and WiR: politicians
• Jonquil Solt, 1 Nov; promoter of para-dressage, for WiR: I-J
• Kerri Andrews, 30 Oct; had read her book Wanderings
• Keighley College, 26 Oct; shouldn't be a red link after all these years
• Dan Davies (writer), 19 Oct; author on whose work The Reckoning was based
• Naomi Wood, 11 Oct; British novelist and winner of BBC short story comp
• Fanta Siby, 2 Oct; Malinese doctor and politician, for WiR: STEM and WiR: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Alien on Stage, 2 Oct; redlinked (LIFF etc) award-winning film
• Audrey Brown (journalist), 1 Oct; South African BBC journalist for WiR: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Germaine Djuidjé Kenmoé , 1 Oct; Cameroonian physicist for WiR: G-H, WiR: STEM and WiR: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award , 23 Sep; started it as a section in Hay Festival, decided it should stand alone
• Amy-Jane Beer, 18 Sep; winner of Wainwright Prize, and for WiR: Writers
• Walter Strickland (died 1569), 17 Sep; a red link in Sizergh
• Alastair Chisholm, 12 Sep; Scottish children's writer, to resolve a red link
• Softball cricket, 9 Sep; because our local cricket club has a team in the Westmorland league and it seems to need an article
• ENT UK, 7 Sep; medical organisation with umpteen incoming redirects, to fix a longstanding red link in Philip Stell
• Niamh Greene, 4 Sep; Irish writer for WiR: Writers and WiR: Celtic nations
• Estelle Maskame, 1 Sep; Scottish writer, a triple for WiR: E,F, WiR: Writers and WiR: Celtic nations
• Bluemoose Books, 7 Aug; after coverage in The Guardian and on Radio 4 news
• Walking netball, 6 Aug; just watched the World Cup, and thought this needed an article (had a go, once)
• Designing Women (1947 film), 2 Aug; after working on Audrey Fildes
• Connie Bush, 1 Aug, for WiR: C,D and WiR: Indigenous women
• Jalila Baccar, 1 Aug for WiR: Film & Stage and WiR: Arab League countries
• Bryher Woman, 27 Jul; In today's news, body in iron-age grave with mirror and sword ID'd as female, also for WiR: A,B
• Zakia Abu Gassim Abu Bakr, 19 Jul; Sudanese guitarist, after WiR post from Sudan-interested editor and for WiR: A,B
• Shelve, Shropshire, 9 July; hamlet redlinked in Corndon Hill which I climbed last week
• Sheila Llewellyn, 3 Jul; novelist, winner of last year's Volcano Prize (and WiR:#1day1woman)
• David Park (writer), 3 Jul; novelist, runner-up for Volcano Prize
• Amaka Okafor, 2 Jul; Actor, for WiR: A,B, was a redlinked award-winner along with Ruaridh from The Archers
• Lynne Biddulph, 1 Jul; long-distance cyclist, on my "to do" list for a while and now for WiR: A,B and WiR: Sport
• William George (solicitor), 19 Jun; Lloyd George's younger brother, inspired by finding his wife Anita George confused with namesakes in a WiR redlist
• Zenobia Żaczek, 1 Jun; Polish activist, for WiR: XYZ and WiR: LGBTQ
• Giulia Francesca Zuffi, 1 Jun; Italian opera singer for WiR: XYZ and WiR: Music
• Mekdela Amba University, 26 May; an Ethiopian red-linked university I found while led to Magdala/Mekdala from a famous Far Headingley resident
• John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize 4 May; won this year by a poet whose article I started
• Wanda Szuman 1 May; Polish educator, special needs expert, for WiR: Education, WiR: Disability, WiR: CEE countries and WiR: U-W
• Brigit Wyss, 1 May; Swiss politician, for WiR: CEE countries and WiR: U-W
• Hilary Pole, 1 May; "most handicapped person", POSSUM user etc, for WiR: Disability Approximately my 1000th article creation!
• 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 30 Apr; winner of Baillie-Gifford "winner of winners", tagging #EveryBookItsReader
• Dominicana (novel), 27 Apr; an unlinked shortlisted book for Women's Prize for Fiction (added 2023 shortlist today), for WiR: Books by women and #EveryBookItsReader
• Rosewater (Little novel), 20 Apr; novel mentioned on radio, for WiR: Books by women and #EveryBookItsReader
• Our Future Health, 11 Apr; ambitious NHS-backed project, heard about in an email, seems notable
• Tristan Gooley, 10 Apr; Natural Navigator, heard on Radio 4 this morning
• The Gardens of Consolation, 3 Apr; for WiR: Books by women and #EveryBookItsReader
• Harriet Silius, 3 Apr; Finnish women's studies academic, for WiR: Gender studies and WiR: S-T
• Remziye Tarsinova, 2 Apr; Ukrainian dancer, choreographer and ballet-master for WiR: Dance and WiR: S-T
• Aura Timen, 2 Apr; Netherlands-based Romanian doctor for WiR: Health and WiR: S-T
• Constructing a Nervous System, 1 Apr; award-winning book for WiR: Books by women and #EveryBookItsReader
• Forest and Frith, 30 Mar; a missing parish in County Durham with an intriguing name (and spectacular scenery)
• Fatal Legacy, 29 Mar; the latest Lindsey Davis book (should have waited a couple of days to include it in WiR 266 and EveryBookItsReader!)
• Netherfield, East Sussex 23 Mar; after someone tried to hijack the Netherfield disambiguation page with an unsourced attempt
• Charles O. Greenwood, 2 Mar; Idaho state politician and husband of the better-known Annie
• Rossella Galbiati, 1 Mar; Italian cyclist, for WiR: Geofocus: Mediterranean and WiR: Q-R
• Vera Roik, 1 Mar; Ukrainian embroiderer for WiR: Art & Activism and WiR: Q-R
• Olivia Potts, 21 Feb; a redlink in The Museum of Curiosity, and for WiR: O-P
• Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, 8 Feb; newly-launched literary award
• Victoria Adukwei Bulley, 6 Feb; Ghanaian-British poet, for WiR: Black women
• Erna Pomérantseva, 2 Feb; Russian folklorist, for WiR: Folklore and WiR: O-P
• Yaya Migansi, 1 Feb; Dahomey princess and stateswoman for WiR: Black women
• Magda Oranich i Solagran, 1 Feb; Catalan lawyer for WiR: Justice and WiR: O-P
• Thoraya Obaid, 27 Jan; Saudi UN official, for WiR: Peace & Diplomacy year-long theme
• Heaning Wood Bone Cave, 25 Jan; Cumbrian site in the news
• Vladimir G. Lukonin, 19 Jan; Russian historian of ancient Iran, inspired by a mention in Mary Anna Marten whose son and grand-daughter were in the news today
• Edwin J. Booth, 10 Jan; Chair of Booths supermarkets (founded by his gt-gt-grandfather)
• Nell Stevens, 9 Jan; British writer, for WiR: M-N, on the "to do " list since finding her book changed from "a bibliomemoir" to "a bibliometric" in a shockingly bad edit at Elizabeth Gaskell
• Maria Cust, 5 Jan; English geographer in ODNB, for WiR: M-N
• Polly Morland, 2 Jan; British writer, for WiR: M-N, on the "to do " list for a while since Bailie-Gifford shortlisting
• Maria Bertolini, 1 Jan; Italian politician, for WiR: 2022 deaths and WiR: M-N
• Gankhuurai Battungalag, 1 Jan; Mongolian diplomat, for WiR: Geofocus: East Asia
• Dungeness Tudor ship, 1 Jan; read about it this morning, will see it on BBC Two this evening

Total articles created in previous years (2007-2022): 967.
(Not counting a lot of disambiguation pages, surname pages, and many, many, redirects)

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Good Articles I've worked on

• South West Coast Path 9 Jan 2008 - a great team project
• Leeds Country Way 23 Oct 2007 - pretty much a solo effort

Ongoing projects

• Purge "is been", "should of" and similar, regularly, using WP:AWB, for WP:TYPO
• Create pages for Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom
• Add Charity Commission links to UK charities
• Various Leeds buildings
• Henry Dorling

Early milestones

Did You Know contributions

• ...that Gavin Patterson, the new CEO of BT, is known for his open shirt collar? 12 January 2014 (stub I re-created - though without this fact - after a previous one had been wrongly speedy-deleted; massively expanded, and nominated, by Andrew Davidson
• ... that international breast cancer survivors' dragon boating had its beginnings when University of British Columbia's Don McKenzie organized "Abreast in a Boat" as breast cancer survivor therapy? 13 July 2012 (article I created, nominated by User:Maile66)
• ... that the use of bloke, a slang term for a man, has inspired "First Bloke", a male variant of "First Lady"? 13 June 2012 (article where I supported its creation and suggested title)
• ... that critics described the 2002 comedy thriller Triggermen as "neither noticeably comic nor remotely thrilling"? 26 April 2012 (article I helped rescue from AfD by finding refs, and MichaelQSchmidt then expanded)
• ... that the Lancaster City Museum houses a Roman tombstone with a dramatic depiction of a Roman soldier with a decapitated opponent at his feet? 26 December 2011 (article I created and Prioryman expanded and nominated)
• ... that Henry Dorling, step-father of cookery writer Mrs Beeton, was the first Clerk of the Course of Epsom Racecourse? 3 September 2009 (article I created and nominated)
• ... that statues of The Boy with the Leaking Boot are found in Cleethorpes (England), Winnipeg and Toronto (Canada) and several cities in the United States, but his origins are obscure? 17 July 2009 (article I created and nominated)
• ... that Muphry's law states that "if you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written"? 23 July 2008 (article I expanded and nominated)
• ... that George Hargreaves, Christian Party candidate in the forthcoming UK Parliamentary by-election, has said that the dragon symbol on the Welsh flag (pictured) is "nothing less than the sign of Satan"? 1 July 2008 (article by User:Warofdreams which I nominated)
• ... that Fountains Fell, a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England, is named after Fountains Abbey whose monks grazed sheep there in the 13th century? 30 May 2008 (article I created and nominated)

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