Author: Mr C

Dad to 2 grown-up boys and 3 lovely stepdaughters, I'm Mrs C's right-hand man and 'Bamps' to 6 new 'grand-arrivals' Dylan, Harris, Connie, Toby, Rory and Seren. I enjoy a weekend away, a good film on the telly and a good restaurant. I also love a good rant when things aren't up to expectation or are playing on my mind.

Outside Space

by Mr C -
The Finished Project

With the majority of our indoor work done, it was time to look at making our outside space a little more presentable. Originally our rectangular back garden had very little useable space due to the garage being built 'longitudinally' in the space.  This resulted in no more than a postage stamp's worth of space.  Of course we managed, slotting our little bistro set into the

Our House Project – Getting There?

by Mr C -
Part of the new bathroom

Oh, how the grass grows if you don’t watch it! Our house project has continued, albeit at a slower pace than the first couple of years, but we have passed a few milestones along the way.One was our bathroom. Yes, remember that one? Where that lovely (?!%*) freestanding bath we wrote about when we moved, emptied itself into our utility room below. The memories are

Chicago – The Windy City

by Mr C -
The incredible Chicago Skyline

After a night spent on the outskirts of Detroit in the Hilton Garden Inn in Novi, it was time to venture even further west to Chicago.  The journey down through Michigan State was quite entertaining, with us marvelling at place names like Climax, in Kalamazoo County, Sprinkle, Springfield (about the fourth one of those since Cape Cod… and still no Homer Simpson!), Valparaiso and Gary.This was

Project House Barry – 2 Years In

by Mr C -
shiny new bedroom floor

Is it because we’re getting just that little bit older, or has the Covid19 palaver distorted our interpretation of space and time? Whatever the answer, the last year of project house Barry has flown past so quickly that I only recall having blinked a couple of times.The Dump of a HouseDespite this, our humble abode, so clearly described when we first bought it, has started

Narrowboat Life – Peace and Quiet On The Canal

by Mr C -
Narrowboat on the Canal

“Elliot! ELLIOT!! Pull it in! No! Not there you idiot! The other one!” - Crunch…. “Oh, for God’s sake… PULL! No, not that way!”Meanwhile, poor Elliot has no idea what the objective is. He just happened to be there at the wrong time and is now at the receiving end of his Dad’s wrath. He can’t really hear him properly anyway because the boat’s engine

Project House – The Early Days

by Mr C -
An interesting old fireplace

Following on from the last update, here’s where we are in project house - the early days:Just had a quote for replacement windows… We had budgeted a significant amount - a five-figure sum for new windows to be precise.  However, when your first quote comes in at nearly 70% over budget it sort of takes your breath away and makes you sweat a little. This

Project House

by Mr C -
Project House

It’s all gone quiet over here! Where have Mr and Mrs C been all this time?  We've been thinking ' Project House '.After our whirlwind world tour last year we hit the ground not so much running, but with a thud! Getting back into a routine after a year away takes some doing, believe me.However, here we are, fully rejuvenated, horizons broadened and ready for

A Devon and Cornwall Holiday

by Mr C -
The river at Looe, Cornwall

It's a funny old place to get to, Cornwall.  We commented this morning when getting from Polperro to Mawnan Smith how easy it is to take a road that you think is right and then end up getting dead-ended on some promontory somewhere with only a chain ferry that runs twice a day.  That's part of the attraction of a Devon and Cornwall holiday.Whichever way

Hong Kong

by Mr C -
Hong Kong City

Hong Kong was to be our final fling - the last stop on our round-the-world jaunt, so as we boarded our plane in Singapore we were both excited, but at the same time a little melancholy at it being our last port of call.After a slightly bumpy landing at Hong Kong airport we hopped on to the Airport Express train for the quick run into

Singapore

by Mr C -
Singapore Harbour Bay

There are a couple of definites in Singapore.  Heat and humidity is one and high-end shopping as far as the eye can see is the other.  These were exactly the same when I first visited Singapore way back in the late 70s, but back then there was also still an enormous amount of character.  Lots of the old buildings were still standing and it was

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