I've already given a short history of my start to variable star observing in VSSC 101 for September 1999.

Although I started VS observing in 1967 variables did not dominate my schedule immediately as I was still a keen planetary observer then. However, when I married in 1970 we moved down into Kent (From what was NW Kent but is now SE London) and although the skies were much darker the seeing was not so good for the planets. The reason for this was that we lived in the Medway Valley and had to look through much murk. However, the transparency was often good and so variables started to dominate the observing schedule.

This continued into the 1980s when I commenced my photoelectric photometry experiments when I was doing a bit of both but gradually, less visual observing.

In VSSC 101 I also wrote that I was experimenting (with help from Richard Miles) with CCD photometry. Who would have thought that this now completely dominates my observing and that I now do precious little visual work; just the occasional binocular observation. And since being President of the Association as well there has even been less time to monitor many of my favourites and so I've concentrated on those objects I can perform time-series on.

It'll be nice to have more time to observe and analyse my results.