We all live in High Wycombe, approximately 25 miles
north and west of the City of London in Northern Europe. Liya & Mark were married on
February 14th 2001. Liya was born and raised in Kazakhstan, she has a
daughter, Yana Glaub, now aged 18, who joined us in July 2001. Liya & Mark met when Mark went to work
in Ust-Kamenogorsk, in eastern Kazakhstan, in March 2000. Liya was working
as an Administrator and Translator.
"Krofire.org" was
started by Mark in 2001 originally to publish our Wedding Pictures on the
web so that friends and family in Kazakhstan could see them. This occurred a
year after Mark founded his own business "Krofire Enterprises Ltd" and after
he named the family home "Krofire House". The contents of this Web Site
relate to all family life dating from that time.
Mark
Mark was born and raised in Britain. Mark runs his own Professional
Services Business working with Clients around the Globe. He has
little spare time as he is chairman of the local Transition Town
movement. Mark's hobbies include DIY, model-making, low-carbon
living and maintaining THIS (and various other) web-sites,
including the Company one at krofire.com. Currently he is
working with a client at their site in Birmingham, UK.
Liya
Liya studied to qualify as
an Accounting Technician (AAT) but more recently has been teaching
evening classes in "English as Second Language" for adults. This
keeps her busy preparing paperwork to the small hours of the
morning. Liya is interested in
being a super-Mum, foreign languages and
career matters.
Milla
A Baby girl - Milla Rose Brown - was born to us at 6.27pm on
Tuesday 25th July 2006. She was 3.8kg (8lbs 6oz). You can see more
of her in our Baby Photo's section. She is a very good baby but runs
rings around her Mum until her Dad comes home from work - then she
is a little angel. She is now 2 years old and climbing all over
the furniture in her new home.
Yana
Yana
attended Godstowe School, in High Wycombe, for two years until she left in
July 2003. She then schooled at Wycombe High and continued there for A Levels.
In 2008 she obtained four 'A' Levels - two A's and two B's. She is now
studying Politics & Economics at Bath University. She started her first year
there in September 2008. Apart from this Yana likes all the things teenage
girls are meant to like - dancing, music, friends, cats, the internet,
playing with her sister, etc....
Our Recommended
Movie: "Age of Stupid"
The Grierson Award-winning "The Age of Stupid" has its "People's
Premiere Sunday 15th March. It goes on general release from the 20th
March. The movie stars Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living alone
in what is a devastated world of 2055. He is a historian looking
back at film archive footage of 2008 and asking "why didn't we stop
climate change when we had the chance?" Directed by Franny Armstrong
(McLibel) and produced by Oscar-winning John Battsek ("One Day in
September"). Profits from the Premiere go to Climate Change
campaigns.
What's NEW: Late May Bank Holiday 2009
The
late May Bank Holiday saw a busy weekend for young Milla. On
Saturday Milla went down to Harefield for her friend Charlotte's
Birthday Party where Milla got several rides on a Pony. On Sunday
Milla played outside in Daddy's Car. Then on the Monday we all went
to Legoland Windsor. For more go
here.
Our Carbon Footprint
April 2008 to March 2009
As part of our
continued commitment to a post-Carbon future, we are measuring our
Carbon Footprint as a Family. In 2007/2008 our family Carbon
Footprint was standing at 18.3 tonnes DIRECT. In 2008/2009 this went
down to 14.2 tonnes. This is 4.73 tonnes per person
(average is 5.4 in the UK). We Offset this at CO2Balance
with an investment in a renewable energy project in China - the
Dajiantan 8MW Hydro Power plant. You can see the Certificate
here.
Liya studied to qualify as
an Accounting Technician (AAT) but more recently has been teaching
evening classes in "English as Second Language" for adults. This
keeps her busy preparing paperwork to the small hours of the
morning. Liya is interested in
being a super-Mum, foreign languages and
career matters.
Yana
attended Godstowe School, in High Wycombe, for two years until she left in
July 2003. She then schooled at Wycombe High and continued there for A Levels.
In 2008 she obtained four 'A' Levels - two A's and two B's. She is now
studying Politics & Economics at Bath University. She started her first year
there in September 2008. Apart from this Yana likes all the things teenage
girls are meant to like - dancing, music, friends, cats, the internet,
playing with her sister, etc.... 
