Out of the Woods But Not Over the Hill

For Gervase Phinn, growing old is not about a leisurely walk to the pub for a game of dominoes or snoozing in his favorite armchair. As this sparkling collection of his very best humorous writing shows, he may be "out of the woods" but he is certainly not "over the hill." Looking back over more than 60 years of family life, teaching, inspecting schools, writing, and public speaking, Gervase never fails to unearth humor, character, warmth, and wisdom from the most diverse of experiences, whether they be growing up in Rotherham with the most un-Yorkshirelike of names or describing why loud mobile phone users get his goat. Brimming with nostalgia, gently mocking life's absurdities, never shy of an opinion, this is Gervase Phinn at his wittiest, twinkly-eyed best.

Gervase Phinn is a teacher, freelance lecturer, author, poet, school inspector, educational consultant, and visiting professor of education. For 14 years he taught in a range of schools, then acted as General Adviser for Language Development in Rotherham before moving on to North Yorkshire, where he spent ten years as a school inspector. .