Here's my father Edward Joseph O'Brien

He did his degree in Biophysics at Trinity College Cambridge. He has done in a Ph.D about base pairs in DNA, under the supervision of Francis Crick. He worked as a research fellow at Kings College London until 1988 before joining my mother in the business of piano retailing. Our shop 'Knightsbridge Pianos' can be found on Old Brompton Road, Kensington London SW5. There is now a web site.  He enjoys falling asleep in armchairs and, like me, has a history of Gilbert and Sullivan show performances. He is very fond jazz and classical music and can play the piano, the vibraphone, the clarinet and the accordion.

My mother, Paula O'Brien, and her father, Ted Tayler (and a statuette of Andromeda)

Here's my mum. She was born and bred in Oxford. She did an English degree at Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, and then did a Ph.D. based on James Miller. She is the proprietor of the aforementioned Knightsbridge Pianos, though she cannot play any instruments. Her favourite hobby is tea-drinking. She is still a reasonable sketch artist.

Here's my mum again.

To her left is her sister Anne Hill.

Anne's elder daughter, Claire Ladkin, is on the left as we see it.

Her younger daughter, Paula Hussey, is one the right. She is very good at softball.

Here is a much older photo of Claire, as a teenager, holding me, as a baby.

Here's Pam O'Brien, my sister.

She's not looking her best here, dressed up as Cruella de Ville, at her own 21st birthday party.

She's looking rather silly here wearing my mortarboard after my graduation at Manchester.

She's looking better in the photos below.

    Pam is 26. She has attained an upper second degree in English at Leeds University. Following that she taught English to pupils at a school in Le Mans in Northern France for a year and in the following year she taught some students at the University in Perpignan in Southern France. After that she did an MA in European Studies at Kings College in London which convieniently involved studying on the continent for 5 months, and she chose to go France (surprise, surprise). This time it was the capital, Paris. She is now teaching English and French at a school in Madrid. She also giving private to a few people, inlcuding the wife of footballer Raul Gonzales. She has recently doing some volunteer work for UNHCR. In December 2004 she helped organise a concert to raise money for the refugees in Dafor. She has just started working for FSID, The Foundation for the study of Infant Deaths, an organisation that raises money for cot death research.

    As well as She likes singing and has played Ruth in 'The Pirates of Penzance'. In March 1999 she directed a production of Anything Goes. In June 2004 she played Beth in Sondheim's 'Merrily we Roll Along' in Madrid, translated into Spanish. She founded a society at Leeds in her final year which helped raise money to help refugees.

Here's Pam with my grandmother, my father's mother, Dora. Dora passed away in October 1988, but I have fond memories of her chamring manner.

Here's James O'Brien, my elder brother

James is 30. He did a history degree at Trinity College, Cambridge. After that he did a MSc in Investment Management at The City University. As a result he now is earning pots of money at Standard Chartered Bank He has recently moved to their offices in Singapore. He is renown for having three major obsessions. Most of his expenditure goes towards these three things.

1. Food. James likes eating. He likes to eat the smelliest cheeses, the rarest steaks and the strongest curries. He also likes brown sauce and is proud of it (see the mysteries page). However, even he can't eat a durian, a foul-smelling vegetable from southeast Asia.

2. Football James is a devoted supporter of Arsenal football club. I had little choice when it came to choosing a club.

3. Hmmmm.

He doesn't like wearing sun cream when he sunbathes.

He has a web site of his own

OBSESSION NUMBER 1

OBSESSION NUMBER 2

A photo from May 1998

Here's a very cute photo of James and myself on rocking horses. You wouldn't think we were brothers. would you.

Here's David O'Brien, my younger brother

Dave is 23. He is a thin young man, although this photo might suggest otherwise. Hi appetite is large nonetheless. He has completed a degree in Music at The University of Oxford (he got a Desmond) and also an MMus in Jazz at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He plays the double bass and the piano. He seems to playing in gigs several days a week at the moment. He played in a band when he was at school and they had a big moment in November 1999 when it gave a short set at the schools prom at the Royal Albert Hall which included their piece 'The World's econd Fastest Oxen'. Why they called it that I do not know! He has recently been playing in a band known as 'Corpus Porpoise'.

He is also keen on Arsenal football club, and the jersey her is a substitute for a Santa Claus costume.

Here he is in action, acompanying Pam's vocals.

Here is David when he was quite little with my great grandmother, Florence, who passed away in 1988.

Here's little Dave and a little Pam with Maisie. Maisie was Ted's second wife. A very loveable lady who did a lot knitting. Sadly, she died in November 1994.

The man on the left is Chris Ladkin, the husband of Claire.

He's good at doing barbecues, and drinking too much. He does a fair bit of choral singing.

He's a devoted supporter of Luton Town FC.

Here are Claire and Chris with a smart-looking James.

On the left is Rosie Ladkin, eldest daughter of Claire and Chris.

The naked one is Gemma Ladkin, youngest daughter of Claire and Chris. She is trying desperately not to expose anything she shouldn't.

Here are the same three girls again, 3 years later, with Eloise on the left, Claire's middle daughter.

The little one in the chair is Charlie Kaye, who arrive in the summer of 2003. He's the son of Paula and Martin, who's holding him. The tall man at the back is Roy Hill, Anne's husband.

Here's a closer look at Charlie.....Still not smiling much.

Here's Charlie again, aged 20th months or so. He has quite a lot of hair, and a lot of teeth.

Here is my father with his two brothers David and George (in the kilt) and his sister Norma.

George has spent much of his life running pubs, as did his father.

David is humorous but forgetful character.  He has worked as a manager in various hotels including the Savoy and a hotel in Alchobar, Saudi Arabia. After that he helped out my parents in the piano business. Once Hollywood actor Richard Gere came in to buy a piano, David didn't recognise him.

Norma lives in St. Margaret's Bay near Dover. I remember going to her house when I was little. I remember going to and from her house to the beach was quite an adventure, via the labyrinth of staircases. There are a lot of stairs in her house as well.

Here's my cousin, Tamsin  her son, Oscar.

Oscar was in a bad mood that day.

Tamsin works on a local news program at BBC North.

Oscar has grown up a bit and is now a keen footballer.

Here's Tamsin's daughter, Bethany. She has grown a bit since then and is now very talkative.

Here's Peta O'Brien, David's eldest daughter with her second daughter, Hannah.

Peta works as a solicitor in Manchester and recently co-founded a new business.

Here's Stephen Fletcher

Peta's fiancé

In his arms is Robyn, his daughter, aged 7 weeks (September 1999). The fat cat on the couch is Alfie.

Steve used to be chef. He has also had a job designing labels. He has recently completed some kind of business course and owns a barbers shops. He has been a Manchester United fan since 1972, and thus experienced good times as well as bad in that respect.

Here's Robyn aged 7 months.

Here she is again, aged 2 years, with Steve, who'd recently visited his own barbers shop.

Here's their second daughter, Hannah, who was born in May 2001.

Here is a more recent photo of Bethany, Robyn and Hannah.

They all have a lot of fancy clothes, and a lot of toys.

Robyn seems to like that particular pose.

Here's Damon O'Brien, David's son, with his girlfriend Sarah. Damon has a PhD in Oceangraphy from the University of Southampton. He does a lot of work with flood defences.

In the right half of this photo is Jon Marston, a cousin of mine, and his wife Lynette. in the left half is their son Lee and his wife (whose name I've forgotten, sorry!).

Here's another of my cousins, Brian Aherne, Norma's son, and his son Reece.

Brian looks a bit like me though is a little older. Brian does a lot of work in producing various TV shows.

Reece enjoys playing football and flirting with girls (and he's only 11 years old). He also seems to have an interest in fast cars and technology.

Here are Brian and Reece again.

Here's Brian again, and behind him myself, Francine O'Brien (George's youngest daughter), Teresa (George's eldest daughter), Mike (her husband) and Tony Aherne (Brian's elder brother).

On the left here is francine's partner Belisario Nieto, or 'Beli' for short. He comes from Colombia. On the far right is Chia, the daughter of Francine and Beli. Next to Beli is Natalie, a secon cousin by a complicated route. In the centre is Alastair, Teresa's son, with his girlfriend, another Natalie.

Here are Francine and Beli together.

Here is my cousin Alison, another of George's daughters, with her husband Mark. They had just got hooked.

Here are the bridesmaids and pages who were at the wedding. At the front are Chia and Pacho (not sure about the spelling), Francine and Beli's children.

Here's Tim O'Brien, George's son with his wife Wendy

<>They run a pub in Clacton in Essex called 'The Plough'. However it is temporarily closed due to a serious fire...

Here are their elder two sons, William and Matthew.

And here's their youngest son, Callum, playing with George's walking stick.

The previous photo was taken a couple of years ago. Callum is the one in the striped pullover. By the end of this year he won't the their youngest son anymore.

Matthew is playing dead.