Back At It.

I’m back from my summer break, and honestly, I can’t say I’m raring to go. But, as with most things, you put one foot in front of the other, and before you know it, we’ll be staring down Christmas.

Throughout August, I had a few moments where I thought about digging out the typewriter and pulling together some Thoughts for the Weekend. But more pressing things just took priority. Today, though, I woke up, and the first thought crossed my mind: It’s Friday. Write something. So, here it is—the first six things that come to mind this morning:

1.

I love Rhondda and look forward to spending the weekend with her.

2.

My daughter is about to start her new job in London. She just graduated in July, and I’m immensely proud of her. It’s exciting to see her take this next step.

3.

This week, I played golf with my dad and my son. We returned to the little Dorset course where my dad and I played together as a teenager. Spending time outdoors, doing something we all enjoy, felt great. My son’s developing his swing, and it’s a reminder that golf, like so much in life, is about consistency. The horror shots gradually fade, and he’s getting there—learning a life skill, one swing at a time. As for me, I hadn’t played in years until May, but I ended the summer with a level-par back nine. Not bad after 30 years off.

4.

I’ve been reflecting on the design videos I made before the break. I’ll pick them up again soon, but I’ve decided I’m done with YouTube. The social media experiment never sat right with me. I tried Facebook and Instagram for about a year, but not much came from it—just time and energy spent on platforms that profit off your data. I’ve concluded that I don’t believe in groupthink, which says you must be on social media. I’d rather fail on my terms if it comes down to it. So, I’ll host the videos on my website, where I have control.

5.

Speaking of the website, I’m working on an online shop. Well, Oliver’s doing the technical bits. The idea came from the design videos and years of thinking about how to simplify the process of hiring an architect for smaller projects. The videos have been a low-cost, accessible way for people to explore design concepts for their homes. I’ve had some success helping homeowners visualise everything from small internal changes to complete overhauls.

The shop will offer a full range of architectural services—concept videos, planning applications, building regulations, and site inspections—with transparent pricing. No more fee letters or wondering how much an architect (well, this architect) charges. The challenge will be creating standard fees for larger projects, but I’m up for it. The goal is simplicity and clarity.

6.

Lastly, a quick note: don’t bother with the Chiltern Firehouse. Its margaritas are overpriced, and it’s full of boring twits. Two finance chaps sat beside us, struggling to handle their rosé while boring the life out of us. That said, one showed us a video of his night out with Taylor Swift at Wembley. His tickets were worth five grand, which made me think about the Oasis ticket fiasco. How hard is it to sell tickets fairly? As the CEO, you’d think Noel Gallagher would’ve been on top of that. Instead, he’s probably downing margaritas at the Chiltern Firehouse.

This week’s web links include Jaron Lanier on Social Media, something about protein and a lovely cottage garden in Hampshire.

You will always find me at carl@carlarchitect.co.uk

​All the best

This Week’s Links:

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.

A Hampshire cottage garden with a wonderland of topiary.

Eight signs that you’re not getting enough protein.

Why are we so fascinated by seeing how other people live?

The house design video I mention above. The opening bit is pretty terrible, but it gets better.

I realise that at least half of us aren’t supposed to like Mr Trump. But I enjoyed watching this.

Why we resurrected Oasis.

This article appeared in my inbox this morning. Interesting and speaks to what i wrote earlier (abobve) about not being on the ‘socials’ feeding the algorithm.