Interests

Charles's other interests

The Cavy

Ever since I could push hard down on a stationary cars' pedals, I have always loved the illustrious Vauxhall Cavalier MK3. I have owned five so far, the last I owned is the one pictured on the left and sadly more than likely in cavy heaven by now. I bought it back in 2010, on the 10th of January which when I looked back into her history was her exact seventeenth birthday, or as near as you can get for this was the day she first rolled onto the road. I owned her for two years. Under her bonnet was the c20xe engine, more commonly known as the 'red top' engine, and was still running fairly reasonably when I sold her. It was the rest of her that was the problem.
Each day that I drove her, I did so to the max, well, when the road conditions were right anyway, I absolutely loved how she sounded with her performance exhaust and cone filter, but the latter let her down, I found her to be sluggish which soon changed when I went back to an original air box.
You may be pleased to know I am not the only, cavy nutter, there are a few of us out there, who, don't see these simply as 'old mans' cars'. And yes we have get togethers from time to time. If you own one, or just love the look of them, the two forums I am involved with, can be found in my links page. I will definitely have another, and am on the look out for a V6 or higher spec cav.

The Castles

With a keen interest in our history, I like to get around the castles of Great Britain. I did not really have much interest in the subject at school, and only really got into it in the last five years or so. In that time I have visited many castles around the UK.
To the left is a picture of Orford Castle, sighted on the eastern coast of England, in Suffolk. Although I enjoyed the tour, and learned a great deal of its history, there was one tale that I learned in the basement of the castle, of which I found the most endearing. That of 'The Orford Merman'. Read about it here.
My favorite has to be Warwick Castle, it comes well recommended for its family orientated structure of events and their dungeons tour is a must, not for the faint of heart, but a must see none-the-less. Since my visit, I believe there is now a section dedicated to 'Merlin'. This may have changed so check their website for more details.

Pigs, pigs, pigs.

Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. If you ever meet me in a pub, fat chance these days, I'd be found holding up the bar with tales of these adorable farm animals. So much so that I have dedicated a whole page to them.
Check out the pigs page and fall in love with them yourself. You'll find stories in tales from the farm and some of favourite photos.

The Travelling

In October of 2008 I traveled to New Zealand, to enjoy a working holiday. I was there for eight months, working on a dairy in the south Canterbury area of South Island. In the height of summer, February, I took time away from the farm, to travel on a Kiwi experience tour bus. We travelled from Christchurch, to Nelson, and then down the west coast to all manner of attractions. The Franz Josef Glacier, was an amazing experience, but we had a scare on the way back when one of our party almost fell into one of the many watery pits. She was OK, but very shaken, it was no surprise really, as by the end of the four hour hike the brightness was beginning to hurt the eyes and concentration was diminished somewhat. We enjoyed numerous amounts of country walks, where we had the opportunity to view such sights as the many mirror lakes, bungee jumping, (which I did not try, for the fear of heights,) and much much more. Later on that holiday I travelled to Kaikoura, to partake in a whale watching tour; it was awesome.
Having enjoyed it so much the first time, I had to go back and visit those places I omitted on my first visit. So in November 2011, I took the long flight there again. I hired a min-camper and travelled at my own leisure to such places as the Volcano Visitor Centre near Taupo, North Island, and many of the wildlife centres dotted around both islands. The main attraction for my visit this time around was to catch up with the friends I had made on my first trip.

My next big adventure will have to be to Rome. It has been a dream of mine to visit the Colosseum for as long as I can remember, so next year will have to be the year for it.
After that who knows, but perhaps a trip to Nashville, to record my own singing voice, with my rendition of 'Forever and ever, amen' by Randy Travis.

Author

Charles F Bond is a writer of fantasy and paranormal fiction. He hopes you enjoy your visit and have much merriment in the pursuit of great reading.

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