Top tune

Unorganized Hancock are a constant source of entertainment and admiration here at OTW, the sons of the multi talented Sippican cottage they are part of an admirable family by any measure...onwards and upwards lads.

Gabba gabba hey!

We're a happy family, we're a happy family, we're a happy family....me mom and daddy!  family OTW love the Ramones.

Going green

The dry cold weather this week means I've been able to move the building of the greenhouse forward a little.....another job off this years list, after rendering,pointing and electrics that is!

Watching the birds

I think its rather chilly but for these chaps who number in the hundreds in my garden most mornings it is positively balmy,hence the flying here from Scandinavia.

Boxed off

Early start in the morning with 300 of these to put in plus a couple of heritage apple trees and some fruit bushes if I've the time(red and blackcurrant,blueberry).Its that time of year when regardless of weather (howling tomorrow I believe) I have to bundle up and get cracking.....I think my sister gets a better deal outdoors!

New toy

New year New gun, I hope to do a lot more shooting this year and my new Franchi should help as all my other guns are on the scary black plastic side of the fence.

Easy does it.

One of the treats I have enjoyed over the Christmas season since I was a child are satsumas. the delight of peeling off the fragile leathery skin and eating the soft fruit within was one of the cheaper yet special treats in our house.As usual in December I started looking for them on the shelves in the grocery dept of the supermarket I use where they are usually found in mounds heaped up between the tangerines,mandarins and clementines.This Christmas however nearly all these seasonal delights had been replaced with......easy peelers...easy peelers? I presume some marketing tit decided to do away with all the magical names for the little citrus bombs for...easy peelers! I think I will have to look elsewhere for my daily fruit ration and maybe take up eating bendy yellow things instead.

Charlie Hebdo

Today 12 or more French journalists and policemen died at the hands of Islamic murderers. The reason?...publishing cartoons such as the one shown here. To the jihadi scum who practise such atrocities and would endeavour to subjugate us all....many of us will never submit to Islam.....fuck you all and the camel your prophet rode in on.

All the small things

Its been a very long and eventful year for family OTW and as good as its been I'm happy to see it draw to a close. In the last month I have wrapped up my company and the last of my employees have departed meaning for the first time in 30 years I don't have to meet a wage bill on Friday!!! I do have a project running in Liverpool until april but I can finish that with the help of subies so I'm...unemployed? retired? I'm not sure how to describe myself. I have been working solidly towards this moment for 7 years and now its here I feel rather strange, I have never defined myself by my work but not being a builder or whatever I have put my hand too is I must admit rather uncomfortable. Its not like I won't be busy as I've named 2015 as the 'year of a thousand small things' as the various properties here and the grounds all need attention both large and small.The fact I have 4 children between 1 and 7 who haven't seen enough of me is also something I've been planning to happily rectify so there is plenty of room there for filling up my days and weeks. Long term I do hope to look at another couple of large (by my standards) projects and in fact I drove over to north Wales (20 mins drive) today to look at this. Its a once nice Georgian house with some interesting features and grounds that would stand some tlc...and cash.I'm going to see this one later in the week and its a bit more of a challenge in several ways and so of more interest. I would love to rebuild the rather plain buildings in stone with more liveable and energy efficient interiors.Long term I'm pretty certain a property in California is on the cards with hopefully the experience of building in new materials holding out the promise of a new set of challenges.  So there you go...an eventful year gone and a busy but more of a family orientated year to come. I hope all who visit here have had a good year and that 2015 brings them happiness and contentment....cheers!

Better late

Boxing day....my favourite day made better by a rather rare snowfall so a quick walk in the woods around the house was an adventure for the little ones (me too!)

Eat, drink,drink more, be merry.

Mince pies are baked, eggnog is made (caught the taste for it on American Christmas visits) and thudlings excited ....all good here, how about you?

Any given (English) Sunday.

I went to Anfield today and it was as always an unforgettable experience. My fellow scousers as you can hear sang their hearts out and the team pulled off a creditable and entertaining performance, the off key singer by the way isn't me...I sing like an angel!

christmas crackers

My wife tends to go a little crazy this time of year but the kids love it and I drink bourbon...result...happy family.

1 2 3 4 christmas!

Making merry with the brothers.