Portable Power Station

I have resisted in getting a house battery, as I don't think we are getting the most out of it and the battery are still improving.  Even with the "plug-in ready" house battery, it is still a bit silly, with its bad round trip efficiency, especially they are all grid tied.

On the other hand, I have thought about a portable power station, which is not grid-tied.  It goes back to the inverter size question, what can it do for me.  After much consideration, we are thinking about getting a 1kWh power station.  Watch this space.

Go Ape Annual Pass Calculation

We thought we would get a discount for a Go Ape Annual Pass from our recent Go Ape visit.  Then the discount code we received is not applicable to the annual pass.

Then I made some calculation, the annual pass is essentially 4 visits, or 5 visits if good deals to be had.  It is not impossible, but it is more impossible to do 4 or 5 different ones, which include travels, and all the ones "near" us, we have already done.

After much consideration, we decided not to go for it.  Although we have been making good use of our Merlin year.

Dipping Sauce Rejection

I am not a saucy person, but the hot meal deal from Asda includes a dip, so I picked nacho cheese dip.  We had a tiny taste, and it went straight to the bin.  Who likes dips?!  Just pure unnecessary chemicals.

Power Up Game Plan

In order to maximise the power up session, I have done a spreadsheet on what goes on when.  I am happy with the plan, it looks good, and I know what needs to be prepared and it takes the thinking out of the day.

Let see how well we can execute the plan.

River Wear on Boat

I was tempted to row or drive a boat the whole holiday, and I finally got the chance.  We went to Durham, and we hired a big old wooden rowing boat.  I have not been on a big row boat like this and probably not again.

The oars were long and made of solid wood.  I felt like I was a galley slave!

We went down the river, then up the river, and back to the pickup point.  It was hard work!  I will stick with my small row boat next times.

Urgent Flu Jab

Since the free jab is unavailable this year, we decided to get the jab right the way, so we filled in the form, and went to ASDA.  They didn't even bother with explanations or ask us to wait anymore.

We also stocked up on picnic items, it was an efficient trip.

English Cha Shiu

I decided not to chop up the cha shiu, so the loin was served whole on a plate, along with some roasted tomato.  Tada, Anglicized.

Multipurpose Car Trailer

A car trailer turned up at my neighbour's.  I cannot image any of their car actually fit in a car trailer.  Then it turns out, you don't have to only move a car in a car trailer, it can move a lot of boxes!  They were moving, possibly just borrowed any trailers available.

Fradley's Horsepower

I was chatting with Pete about cars, his Fiesta ST has 180 bhp.  And it only occurred to me that Fradley (118bhp) actually has more horsepower than Unthank (106bhp)!

But of course, the power to weight ratio, Unthank is much lighter.

British Currywurst

Chip shop curry sauce + battered/fried sausage = British currywurst.  I like the German ones better.

Greyhound Racing

I popped by a local greyhound track, and saw some running dogs.  Another British experience ticked.

Slough Day 7 - M25 Car Park Beds and Bucks

We packed up and left.  We hopped onto M25, and we met the infamous M25 Car Park.  There was supposedly a vehicle fire, and the 30 minute drives to Luton turned into a 1.5 hours drive.

We stopped at Stockwell Park for a lunch and a walk around.  Some of their collections were closed to public, but there were still plenty to see and walk around.

Then we drove to Bradwell Windmill for a harvest festival.  It was a restored windmill, but mostly cosmetic.  We fueled up, stopped at another Waitrose for the toilets, but their coffee machine was down, much to our distress.

Dairy milk powered our last leg of the journey.

Slough Day 6 - Battersea

My friends told us about CelebrAsia, after some research, we decided to have a day out at Battersea, combining it with Go Ape Battersea.  We also got some cheap train tickets, which also helps.

We had the Windsor farm shop sausages for breakfast, they are okay.  Then we brought our pack lunch to the station, and ate them on the train.  We walked around the park, before going onto Go Ape.  There were no chipped zipwire landing, so we stayed quite clean.  The course was longer than expected, it took us full two hours and we were quite tired by the end.

We went to the Power Station, had a look at their little museum.  It is big!

We started walking around and started grazing.  Most of the food was much Anglicized, how could a gado gado has no heat, negligible shrimp paste, no rice cake, no tempeh, no prawn crackers, but I won't complain about the satays. 

Meanwhile, my friend was stuck in traffic, after refusing to take the tube.  They arrived just before 8pm, and we had a quick hi and byes before we had to start walking back to the station.

Slough Day 5 - Windsor

We could do with a calm day, so we went to have an easy day out in the Windsor town.  We parked up and walked in.  We saw the changing of the guards.

We had a look around some library, parks, supermarket, charity shops, just about the normal things we do.  We even crossed the river into Eton.  We went back to the car on the Long Walk, which felt like forever, and drove home via the farm shop.

Slough Day 4 - Thorpe Park

We were excited about going back to Thorpe Park, and we had all the strategy worked out.

It was also quite quiet like Legoland, but very few small children in sight.  We went straight onto the first open ride like last time, this time was Colossus, which is good, set the bar low.  It was as clunky as we remembered it.  Then we walked onto The Saw, also with minimal queuing, it was so much smoother!  Followed by Nemesis Inferno, which was smoother than I remembered.

We put in a few small rides, and onto the water ride, before the bottom of the boat is flooded.  The 4d cinema was showing the same movie, so there were no surprise there, neither of us remembered one of the tactile element, maybe it wasn't working last time.  

The queue was a little shorter, some 35 minutes, for Hyperia just before lunch, so we went for it, it was one engineering marvel!  I would go on again if it wasn't for the queuing.

We went to lunch and came back in.  We went the ghost train, I don't know why we want to go to spend time in a dodgy train and dodgy train station, who knows.  We were getting tired and the roller coasters are getting less fun.  We went back onto the water ride, and as expected, the bottom of the boat was flooded.

I went onto bumper cars and Tidal Waves, 4 times, on my own.  I was very soaked at the end!

I did get a quick change before headed back to the car for further change.  We nipped to a Lidl, not knowing the car park was not free, that's London for ya.  We went straight in and straight out, I think we were lucky that they actually have unpublished grace period, phew.

Slough Day 3 - Legoland Windsor

The forecast kept changing, and when it came to it, it was a rainy day in Legoland.  We tried to keep dry by going into the indoor rides first, but they weren't open!  Our first ride was their pirate ship, it was not a children's pirate ship!

Because of the rain, the park was extra quiet, so on most rides, we were able to stay on first a second ride.

We were quite wet by the time we went to the water ride, thinking we couldn't get wetter, and we were wrong.  The water ride had a lot of water sprays!  Even the Legoland Express train side and the boat rides, they all have the added excitement of water sprays! 

The submarine rides were quite nice.  We managed to get onto 30 "rides".  In the late afternoon, the sun came out, and we managed to dry off before getting back into the car, except for my shoes, we had to change before I could start driving.

Slough Day 2 - Chessington World of Adventure

As children are back in school, some off the theme parks are closed some days mid-week.  It helped us to decide which order to go to these theme parks.  Chessington World of Adventure was first up, it was furthest away from our base and also shortest opening hours.  When we got there, they also closed the main car park, so everyone was doing a strange u-turns and started queuing on the road.

We had some advise from a friend, that the theme park draws more younger children, so those areas are the busiest and the bigger rides are quieter.  We also revised the videos in preparation.

We managed to hop on 21 "rides".  It was a dry day, so we decided to go the water rides earlier in the day.  Although we had just been to the zoo, it was nice to see a few more animals.  It was a nice day out.

We were tired, but we had to get the dinners for the rest of the week.  I stuck to the game plan, got us two Tesco Finest meals.  When we got home, we made some fish and chips.  

Slough Day 1 - London Merlin Adventure

This holiday is a similar holiday to our Surrey holiday two years ago, except this year we are Merlin, not RHS.

We took the train into London, it was nearly an hour on the train.  We first went to the London Aquarium, it was quite big and quite nice.  They also had the Gentoo Penguins.

Then we had some authentic okonomiyaki.  We had time spare before London Eye, so we squeezed in the London Dungeons.  There were elements that is similar to the York Dungeons, and at the end, there was a drop ride!

We went onto London Eye, it was so nice that it has air conditioning!  We were able to point at a few things, it would have been nicer if there were fewer people.  

We had some Matcha ice-cream before heading home.  I have also learnt to boil eyes with microwaves, so we don't have to bring all the eggs back to the North!

Slough Day 0 - Magic of Thailand Ealing

One our way to our accommodation, we went to the Magic of Thailand in Ealing to meet up with some friends.  We had a big picnic and got to try many Thai food.  The shows were a little far, but we did get to see a little of them.  It was fun, we would recommend it.

We picked up some food from the supermarket and went to the accommodation.  We could not find a knife, so I used my pen knife to cut up vegetable.  And we also realised there were no hob, so we had to drastically change our dinner plans.

Greek Hummus

We went to a Greek restaurant.  We were more familiar with Middleeastern style hummus, so when we had the Greek hummus, we found them to be smooth, but could be stronger in its seasoning.  Noted for future reference.

Twycross Zoo Babies II

We went back to Twycross to look at the Bonobo baby and the Gibbon baby.  There were also Cotton Top Tamarin babies!  So cute.

The penguins were very vocal.

Rivals for Catan

After tidying up our games shelf, we dug out my Rivals for Catan games.  Then it was suggested that I can play with a nephew.  I haven't played it for so long that I forgot most of the rules.  After reading the rules and a couple games, I think we both liked it, I am looking to play more of it.

Unite not Unify

There is a mosiac on Leeds Market, everyone walks past but nobody read.  I saw the Chinese portion that says Unify (consolidate into one 

統一), I was shocked.  I was trying to find out what they mean to have translated from, I found the English portion, it says Unite.  They are very not the same.... it should have been 團結...

Tuxford Windmill

Last week, I went to Tuxford the first time on my motorbike. It was a little bit of a hassle to have to get off the bike on a slope and open the gate. The flour was worth it though.

 

Wrawby Windmill

Wrawby Winmill only opens a few Sundays or Bank Holidays a year, I have been meaning to go, and it finally came the chance.  It is the first Post Windmill I have been in. I think I tried to go to the one in Suffolk and I saw the one in Thorpness.

It was interesting, the volunteers were all very friendly.  They were selling Maud Foster flour, so I bought some.  Nice little trip.

Repairium at Leeds Festival

We went to Leeds Festival!  It was definitely an interesting experience to be at the Repairium at Leeds Festival.  The Farmyard Party definitely prepared for the Leeds Festival.

Lidl Oranges

Note to self, never to buy Lidl Oranges again.  If they are cheaper, but always 25% rotten, they are not cheaper afterall.

Window Manifestations

Window manifestations, such a big word for decals and window films...

UK Windmills

I am starting to lose count of all the windmills I have been, so here it goes:

Flour available:

Holgate Windmill, York

Tuxford Windmill, Newark

Heckington Windmill, Sleaford

Maud Forster Mill, Boston

Green's Windmill, Nottingham

North Leverton Windmill, Retford

Others:

Skidby Mill, Beverley, museum only, cap is off.

Waltham Windmill, Grimsby, cap and sail was off when I visited.

Wrawby Windmill, Brigg, Post Mill.

Bircham Windmill, King's Lynn

Thorpeness Windmill, Suffolk

Fulwell Windmill, Sunderland

Bradwell Winfmill, Milton Keynes

Further afield:

Tacumshane Thatched Windmill, Wexford, Ireland

To do:

Wymondham Windmill, Melton Mowbray

Moulton Windmill, Spalding

Sibsey Trader Windmill, Boston

Hough Windmill, Leicester

Billingford Windmill, Norwich

Dereham Windmill, Norwich

Hardley Windmill, Norwich

Thurne Windmill, Norwich

Wicklewood Windmill, Norwich

Pakenham Windmill, Bury St Edmund

Bardwell, Bury St Edmund

Horsey Windpump, Great Yarmouth

Saxtead Green Post Mill, Woodbridge

Stevington Windmill, Bedford

Chesterton Windmill, Leamington Spa

Tysoe Windmill, Warwick

DC Jack Replacement

We were looking at a two years old window vac, and it refused to charge.  After some investigation, I concluded it was the charging jack.  After proving my diagnosis, I harvested a old DC jack from an old clock and fitted it into the window vacuum.  It is charging, that will do.

Haribo Factory Shop

I stopped by Haribo shop, and it is now mostly the same price to their shops in outlets.  So I just picked up one tub.

Alton Towers in Summer

We thought it would make the difference that we went to Alton Towers on a Monday.  It probably was a tiny bit better.  We queue 20 minutes to get parked, then we went straight to the Congo Rapids, what we went for.  Followed by a few other rides and the Sky Rides were also running, which was good.  We squeezed in a pinball whizzer and Battle Galleons.  I was happy we did what we went for and avoid most of the queuing.

Jousting

I have wanted to watch jousting every since watching the Royal Armoury Horse shows those 18 years ago.  We finally watched some jousting, ie two riders running at each other with a stick.

Women in Moto in Uttoxeter

Another biker joined me to Women in Moto, Cardo did a good job taking us around the cities.  We arrived in good time and managed to get onto some test rides.  I went to a moto gymkhana session, it was a good refresher.  The CBR650R was very good bike, but it hurts my back.

For the test rides and the moto gymkhana session, it was worth my entry.  The food offers were not very good...

Green Hut Cafe

I was riding on A614, and I remember I went to this little biker cafe.  I didn't look it up before I set off, so I had no idea where it was.  I did stop by the nearby Esso to sort out the navigation, I didn't know it was so close.  I will think about stopping there next time.

Warranty Insurance

I have claimed on my Warranty Insurance for Danby before, and now I had to claim for Fradley. This is my second insurance claim of the year, after the travel insurance claim.

Bradfield Moor Wildfire

Because of Bradfield Moor wildfire, the Strines was shut and we had a very long diversion on our ride out.  Who would have known, there are so many gamekeepers on that Moors. 

USB-PD

Just when I think USB Power Delivery is just it, it has different power output... Not all the laptop USB-C chargers are 65W, some are 45W...

Mattessons Shrinkflation

I bought a snacking sausage. Oh my god, so small, like half the size from before!

Collective COVID Amensia

Inflation has been on the news, and somehow it is now uncouth to point at the major reason.

It was COVID-19, when a lot of the governments borrowed money to support the whole population, and subsequently being conned by millions by opportunistic scumbags.  It was a massive hole that we dug, so we suffered less at the time.

Since it was "so long ago", we shouldn't have to pay for the past mistakes.  

I had envisioned this at the time, and now it has unfolded much like I imagined, I wonder how this inform the governments when this happend next time.

Mistrial by Public Opinion

When a famous company/incorporation, that one has no stake in, hired a questionable staff, who had not commited any criminal activities, why does it have anything to do with general public?

What has the media or any other organisation to scrutinise these companies' internal affairs, in public, with limited facts? 

Mistrial anywhere brings devastation, mistrial by public opinion, orchestrated by media sensationalising incomplete facts is the real problem that we should be dealing with.

Free Banking Power

A lot of banks have work desks with chargers layout.  I used these tables before.  Were they meant to be free power for anyone?  The HSBC Meadowhall had a good setup.

English Curry

I took a friend to have some English Curry.  It was the first time at a curry house, so I explained the typical choices.  So we had fish pakora, onion bhaji, mahkani and butter chicken.  They went down well.  I probably would try another English curry next time.

Solar Eclipse 2026

I only needed to go the an adjacent street to have a clear view to the Sun. I used the phone's aperture to get the projection and tilted it onto the other part of the sensor to capture the image.

The sky wasn't that dark, but the solar output reduction was quite significant, hence the saving session.  So I stayed out for the remaining saving sessions.

Dodgy Charger

I have been travelling with the laptop and the charger is misbehaving.  I really need to look for a spare one before it dies on me.

Royal Armouries Mongolian Horse Show

We went to Royal Armouries' Summer Horse Show.  At last, Sarah get to see some cabbage chopping, for free.

Another Wifi Extender

I got another wifi extender, and this one was "free".  Unlike the Belkin one, this one has a new wifi name, so you have to disconnect from one to connect to another.  This Netgear has an arial, so psycologically, it is better.

Radish Seeds Preparation

I let the bolted radishes to go into seeds, and it is now time to pod them and prep them for next season's planting.  It literally took me 2 hours podding them... I hope the radishes are actually nice...

Computer Says

I went to a garage to get someone to plug into the car to see what was wrong with Fradley.  She needs a sensor perhaps.  Let see how I get on with the warranty claim.

Onions from Setts

The setts had not been the most successful.  Some "onions" were not much bigger than the original setts.  And the setts, even discounted, not really created their value in onions...

Carrots

Carrots are also ready.  They are never as big and long as the ones from the supermarket...  So they disappeared into the food really quick!

Shadwell Chippy

We went to Shadwell for some Fish and Chips.  I am a little confused, I think they are now part of Marlows.  It was as nice as we remember it.

GBMCC @ Earby - Day 4

How time flies.  There were a lot of food left, so I encouraged a lot of people to take food home.  And because of that, I had to go straight home before going into the office.

I had a few things to do in the office, including a Teams meeting.  It was a long day!

GBMCC @ Earby - Day 3

On the second day, people were slowing down on their breakfast already.  I took the direct route to Devil's bridge and waited for everyone to arrive.  We then rearrange, and went onto Kewsick to meet up with the rest. 

I, rather, Cardo Ride, led us back from Keswick. Of course there were some holiday traffic, but we were on single track roads all the way from Windermere to Sedbergh.  It was tolerable that it has been dry.

From there, I thought about going on yet more scenic route, but I thought we could just do the direct scenic route instead.

We had Tawa for Four at the curry house, it was a meter wide Tawa with all the food on it, on a catering flame candle.  It was interesting.

GBMCC @ Earby - Day 2

Everyone was up early making bacon sandwiches.  The rolls all went on one day. 

I fired up my Cardo Ride to take us to Glasson Docks, but the road between Dunsop Bridge to Lancaster was shut, so we skipped Glasson Docks, we swam through the road works and went to Arnside.  On the way back, we stopped at the cheese shop, got myself a lung full of mould spores.

GBMCC @ Earby - Day 1

This is the second time I organised the Earby Weekend.  I went to Earby via scenic route, which is also congested on the Friday...  I got there early to take in the Sainsbury order.  I fired up all the ovens, got everyone settled and we all ate around the table, mostly supermarket pizza.  The salad was less popular than expected.  

First Tomatoes

The first tomatoes were ready.  They had been ready for a few days, maturing on the vine.  They were from the slimmest plant, so they were quite small, but nonetheless delicious.

Swiss Chocolate

I finally broke open the Swiss chocolate from Ascension.  It has for corn flake bits, which was a surprise, otherwise, it was a nice milk chocolate.

.

Cardo Ride III

So I just worked out I can save planned route on Cardo Ride.  I have got all the rides programmed for Earby weekend, let see how it goes.

Pack Lunch

I am not good at making pack lunches.  Crisps and coffee, that'll do...

Sunday Too Good To Go

I was in town having dim sum with some friends.  I was parking at my office, and there was a TGTG from a cafe near the office, so I thought I would give it a try.  It was two loaves of bread, a pastry and a crumble slice, they all turned out very nicely.  I will go back to that cafe again.

Happy Valley Pride on Bike

We went to Happy Valley Pride on the bike, it was a little chilly up the top.  This is the first year they have a parade, and luckily we missed the traffic chaos.  It was an interesting parade.  The quilt is nice too.

Puncture Near Miss

When I left the bike shop, I heard a funny noise.  I stopped and look and could not see anything.  Then I rode another mile or so, I saw a screw...  So I went back to the bike shop, and luckily, it had not punctured through...

Professionally Phone Service

When my sister went to a phone shop in Hong Kong, and asked for a new phone case, to cover the scratch.  It turned out well.

I got replacement phone and need a screen cover.  I could not be bother to save a few quid, so I went to a shop, and they applied it for me.  Perfectly aligned and no debris, that's worth the money.

Shit Online Shop

My friend asked me to place an order for her, she hadn't properly vetted the company, and I just followed the instruction .  Days go by, no communications.  I followed up and no reply.  So I asked for a refund, which was promptly processed by the payment company.

I later looked up this online shop, absolutely shit.  Always check trustpilot...

Pistachio Bubble Tea

I was deciding which bubble tea to have, and I stick with my normal ones, brown, purple or green.  Now, there is a second green one, pistachio.  I decided to get a taro at the end.  Pistachio bubble tea would just be too English...

Freezer Scraps

We found an old box of meatball pearl barley, and I had that for my lunch.  We really should turn over food more often in the freezer...

Lardy Risks

My friends were growing confidence in their Cantonese palate, and they wanted to venture outside the safe space I created for them.  Of course they have my blessing, and I provided no comment and judgement on their choices.  They clearly forgot everything in Cantonese has pork and lard, unless otherwise specified.  Just don't remind the vegetarian.

Pride Discounts

The Leeds pride was trying to extended to the Saturday, so we popped in town to have a look.  

We also made use of some Pride discount, went to play some games in the arcade.  It was fun, the big pop it game is a new game in my arcade career, glad we have ticked it.

Summer Hot Pot

We had a break in the hot weather, so we jumped in to have a hot pot.  It was a very simple affair, maybe it is just more suited for colder times...

Caramel Drizzle Chicken

I saw this in the Irish Chopstix, and I thought it was Irish food, as it turns out, it is very much available in England...

Hot Honey

I had to explain what "Hot Honey" is, and I think it is an English version of the sweet chilli sauce, which is Thai.

Local Cricket

I went to a local cricket game on the weekend.  It was interesting to watch, for a bit.  It was fine in the shade with some breeze, but I am not sure I could stand in the sun for hours.

Key Fob Battery

Fradley sometimes cannot detect the fob, so I change the battery, let see if it helps.  I need to buy more next time.

Kirkdale Ford

Calimoto took us through a ford, Kirkdale Ford, quite a big one.  It has been very dry, so the ford was dry, but plenty of debris.  

Race for Life Pretty Muddy

There was supposedly a market festival event in Temple Newsam, so I cycled there to have a look.  When I got there, it was Cancer Research Race for Life - Pretty Muddy.  It was interesting to watch.  It also looked pretty muddy.

Magnum Signature Pistachio

These are better than their imitation from Aldi. 

Tap Watering

It has come to this time of the year, when I have to water my plants with dish water, shower water and actual tap water...  I am not looking forward to the water bill.

Chain It

I had to park on the street, and all the signs say chain it, so I was moving my heavy chain around.  That is the price to pay for security.

Off-grid Solar One Year On

One year, it has provided 100kWh worth of hot teas.  The least used month is November. 

Tomatoes Suckers

The warm weather is making everything grows, including all the tomatoes and their suckers.  I really need to keep on top of those suckers.

Tomatoes Plants Giveaway

After the initial rounds of tomatoes seedlings give away, I still had a few.  We managed to give them all away.  Let's see how my 10 tomatoes in the ground will do this year.

Travel Insurance Payout

After 3 weeks of my recent travel delay, my travel insurance has paid out.  I didn't stay at the most expensive places, as the place I chose are just local to where I was and needed to be.  And I am happy that the travel insurance has worked.

Crossed Wires - The Podcast Festival

We got a few tickets to a few shows in the Crossed Wires festivals.  Much to our delight, we landed some last minute tickets for the Newscast, and we managed to see them in the meet and greet.  

It was interesting to see the Invention of ... the Invention of...  At the same time, it is very depressing to think about us trapped in the creation myths that shaped the society and that shapes the society cycle.  

The Montgomery was very warm... and somehow lacks ventilation.  Talking about what we cannot control breathing into our lungs...

It was a nice day out in Sheffield.

Wifi Range Extender

I have setup a range extender at my home.  I still need to properly test it.  The extenders are all 2.4Ghz, so the extended network is actually slower, but supposedly more stable...  

Barton Bike Night 2026

Barton Bike Night is as impressive as I remember it.  It was a fairly dry day, and the England has minimal effects on people turning up.  Rebel Curves are there also.  I got a high vis strap from the Humberside Fire stall.

I navigated it there with my iphone, and it nearly killed it, so I managed to buy a snack.  I really should get some cash or cards with me.

Cardo Ride II

Free Cardo Ride no longer support curvy navigation, but it is still working for direct...  

Urban Power Outage II

The extra hot weather brough on lightning, and I got a text from the Northern Powergrid to say my power was affected.  Surprisingly I didn't get such message last time.  I checked my meter reading again, it was less than an hour, and more clocks to reset.

Frappuccino

Aldi was selling Frappuccino for 99p, so I could not resist.  I wish I have a blender at home to make it into a frozen Frappuccino.  James did not understand why we would touch something like that, but I have no shame to admit I consume junk food, and coffee, ie caffine is pure medicinal for me.

Air Conditioning Seeking - Phoenix

I have honed my air conditioning seeking skills since young age.  To continue our cool shelter seeking adventure, we want to Phoenix, they are well air conditioned, we are very please.  We have given them a lot of our customs in exchange.  We just need to brave ourselves to find our way home.

City Break - Leicester

We took the heat wave opportunity to have a city break in town, at a hotel with air conditioning.  We checked in before the official check in time.  They were so kind to give us free ice, and we made very good use of their air conditioning and their water.  We also have some curry for dinner.  It was well worth it, for the cost of a new portable air conditioning, we could have stayed at an air conditioned hotel for 10 days.

Portable Heat Pumps

In additional to "it's time to move to Scotland", we debate the merit of a portable heat pump every year.

The central theme is, discounting the running cost, as it would be run on solar, the initial outlay for this comfort seems excessive.  And more importantly, we must be able to use it for heating in winter also, otherwise it would be less useful.

I kind of regret not buying the ones from WY Cameras when they closed down.

Confucianism is Feudalism

In the late Bronze age, all the cultures started to write down their tales, aka religions, the East Asians are writing down their Rites, which if you read much about it, it is just plain feudalism and classism.  And Confucius was resurrecting the Rites of Zhou.

If you are from a class that read and write, you are supposed to follow the social order as layout in the ancient text, because only by obeying your lord, and stay in your station, the society will have order.  And if you cannot read and write, you are a savage anyway.

And after thousand of years of promoting being subservient, and casting out those who don't, you wonder why East Asians are so... subdued.  

Fish Pizzas

I was surveying what pizzas people wanted to eat, two of them specifically mentioned fish.  Is it a thing? 

Do they mean anchovy?  Which I remember having when I was in Italy and it was awful.

MAG Farmyard Party - Day 3

I planned to wake up early to take down the tent before clocking in for my shift.  I woke up at 4 am and saw the sunrise, but I wasn't ready to get up, so I went back to bed.

I overestimated how fast I could take down my tiny tent, so I clocked in a little late.  And my last shift is also traffic management, so watching bikes goes and be a lollipop lady for the morning.

We had some lunch buffet before I rode home.  I am glad I have ticked Farmyard Party off.

MAG Farmyard Party - Day 2

The music did not stop till 2 am, and earplugs are useless against heavy bases...  We were so close to solstice, so the light were up early.  It rained a little, and I was a little cold at night.  Welcome to camping in England.

I wandered around the stalls again, chatted more about bikes, and then clock in.  Stamping people's hands and ask them to get off the road, whilst watching clouds past in a gazabo's shade.  

After work, I caught the back end of the comedy show, then I had my dinners, and went to walk down to the river, it was a long way down, and I did it twice...

I turned in early again, this time I was wearing earphones with podcast, much better.  I did wake up slightly around midnight, but I wasn't about to get dressed and go to watch the adult entertainment...

MAG Farmyard Party - Day 1

I went up again after I finished with work.  I went on the road I knew, again, I didn't know how they look exactly, so I am glad I can see it now.

I pitched up and clock in for work, which is traffic management, watching bikes coming through, and chatted about bikes all afternoon,

MAG Farmyard Party - Day 0

I have been meaning to check out the Farmyard Party, this year worked out perfectly, just.  I had to pop up for an induction on the Thursday.  I also take the opportunity to take in some scenic roads.  I really like being able to see where I actually went on like this, thanks Cardo Ride.

 

Urban Power Outage

I came home to a big hole in front of my house.  The oven's clock was blinking.  There was a power cut, but since the meter history wasn't immediately available, I would have to guess what happened.

It turned out to be some 12 hours power cut.  I wonder when they will come to fill the hole.

Ireland Motorcycling Day 4 + 2

I rang up AA Ireland first thing to confirm she is being moved.  And I was told the job has been accepted and in progress, so I gathered my stuff up and went to the bike shop.  The bike shop has free coffee, which was very nice.

And Unthank turned up, finally!  She was straight on the bed, it took a little while to find the broken wire, and once that was jointed and everything put back together, we were on our way!

I went to the Howth headland for a little ride.  I was tempted by their seaside fish and chips.  At the end, I opted for a supermarket lunch box. I fueled her up so I can ride straight home without stopping.

I fueled up and went straight to the port.  Whilst waiting at the port, I start putting together my travel insurance claim...  I also emailed everyone else that I should be back at work the next day.  It was a resounding sound of relief for all.

Home at last!

Ireland Motorcycling Day 4 + 1

I decided to go to the first motorcycle shop early to get an early answer if they can look at Unthank.  I took a bus there with all my luggage.  They said they don't really have time to have a look.  So I called the other bike shop, the other bike shop said it is possible, so I called to get the bike recovered to that bike shop, all assuming Unthank will get there.

I made my way onto another bus, for a long bus ride to the other side of the city.  I got to the bike shop.  Sofia was so nice, and let me leave all the luggage and helmet behind the counter.  So I went to get a breakfast before I chase them again.

As it turns out, AA Ireland cannot find a tow to move a motorcycle by 9:30 in the morning, so the bike won't make it till the next day.  And they only let us know after I chased and it was by then a little late to get her moved privately.

I found somewhere else to stay, nearly.  I grabbed a few essentials and went to the lodging.  I was lucky that I was allowed in before official check-in, and I even used her washing machine.  I emailed everyone to update and amend my Tuesday plans.  I went to Aldi to get some food and settled in.

Ireland Motorcycling Day 4

Most of us are on the same boat, some of us find a different route.

I went to a few castle ruins using Cardo.  After lunch at a Mount Usher Gardens, I was going to go to Sally Gap and see Lough Tay, but Unthank had other ideas.

We stopped right near a junction, and there was a shaded farm entrance.  I called AA recovery, and by the time we tracked down the recovery time, it was not possible for me to make the ferry.

He had a go at wriggling the wires but no joy.  The tow kit at their back can also tow motorcycle, at least I don't have to wait for another recovery.  He drove through some small roads with Unthank at the back, which is quite impressive.

I was dropped off at a service station where I reorganized and planned the next steps.  From that point on, I had to carry all my luggage.. I found some last minute lodging, went and settled in for the extra night in Ireland.

Ireland Motorcycling Day 3

I did not bother with breakfast this time.  I saw a windmill earlier, but it was marked as closed.  I went to have a look anyway, Cardo did well navigating,

I went to join the group at they first stopping point.  When we broke into two groups, the group riders in front of me lost us.  And Mark's maps were playing up, so we got there very late.

The lighthouse restaurant has seafood chowder, so I ordered one, and Mark saw it and wanted one too.  Whilst everyone earlier all had sandwich or scones.

We took a little ferry across the bay, and I part way with the group, I went to do some shopping.  I got some steaks and some chocolate.  We went home on the Cardo curvy, which were pretty good.

To complete the food shopping, I stopped at a local strawberry van and picked up some Wexford strawberries.

I had steak and chips for dinner, and the others learnt their lesson, found their own food earlier, only a few ordered the pizzas. Irish Sirlion is not like the one we call Sirloin, they are called strip steak, like the American.  They were pretty good. Strawberries were in varying ripeness, but in generally pretty good too.

We said goodbyes to people on a different boats, and went to pack and rest.

Ireland Motorcycling Day 2

I had some sausage and hashbrown, ie smashed up chips, for breakfast.  I had a look at the local beach, there were horse riding at the beach.

We set off for a ride.  It was a mountain ride.  The Cardo tracked my ride well. It was fun until we got a bit tired. The final stop, I got some local soft serve ice-cream.

I had a bath and more sausage and chips, whilst everyone was down at the restaurant waiting for their food.

Some of them were up for some board games, way past my bed time, so I passed.

Ireland Motorcycling Day 1

It was forecasted rain, and it came.  It sounded bad at the caravan, but it was actually very bad.

We woke up early.  We put on all our waterproof and rode down. In hindsight, we should have waited till the last minute.  We were drenched in that short 25 minute ride.  And there was no waiting room, so we stood in the rain for another hour.

We took off as much as we can when we got on the boat.  We slightly dried up when we disembark.

I was volunteered to lead the ride down.  We decided not to take the toll, so the city centre traffic jam had not been kind to us.

We stopped for a coffee and some cake, and by then, we decided we want to take the motorway to go straight down. 

When we got to the petrol station, we bumped into others, they said the on-site restaurant was not open, so I better get something.  I got sausages, chips and milk!

We settled in for the night and I had some sausage and chips. 

Ireland Motorcycling Day 0

I made my way to Anglesey the night before the sailing.  It was a long ride, and it was quite rainy, so it took a while.  I was tempted for a diversion of Welsh Food Centre, it was just about closing time when I arrive, so I just had a quick bite and a cup of tea.

We had some wood fire pizza by the coast, followed by some ice-cream.  They were okay.  The ice-cream was so hard that she cracked the cone, and I nearly dropped the whole thing, I caught it with my bare hand.

The caravan was fine, we were surrounded by cows.

Cardo Ride Walk On Water

I recorded a longer ride, except when it loses Internet, it also lost its position, so I appeared to be riding over body of water.

Repurposed Coat Hangaway

The hangaway portable coat stand has been consigned to the bin many years ago.  This year, we found a new purpose for it, umbrella stand. Not only the bottom half can be used as an umbrella stand, the top half too.  Another thing saved from the landfill.

Oversized Sunflower Sprouts

We have been eating the sunflower sprouts from last year's sunflower.  But some sprouts look different, or grown wrong, so I am letting them to have a second chance as a sunflower, since they didn't want to be eaten this round, by us.  They may still get eaten by creatures in the garden.

Riverside Festival 2026

I looked up my diary, we were at the Riverside Festival last in 2019, but I barely had any memory of it, maybe it was not very memorable.

This year we have seen more back bits of Leicester.  And the dragon boats are always a good laugh.

Lidl Frozen Prawn

I went shopping hungry, so I gave into some frozen prawn.  They are actually pretty good, a little in the small side, but good overall.

Solar as Saving Bond

One of Youtube electricians made a suggestion that solar installation is more like a saving bond.  Instead of thinking it of an investment, searching for a return on investment.  It is like a saving bond, that gives 10% return year on year, and it can be improved it you could run the battery/self-consumption better.  There is no product that gives this kind of return.

Discounted Coffee Stockpiling

I went to a couple supermarkets, and they are clearing out their coffees ready for more summery drinks.  I am now fully stashed with coffee at a good price, what is not to love.

Outdoor Oregano

The oregano shrank a lot over the winter.  We moved the oregano to outside this year.  It has its first growth spurt. The leaves are much bigger, it does look happier.

Char Siu Wrap

I made some char siu cubes for barbeque, how they are supposed to be.  Then people put them in a wrap, how very strange...

Horizontal Integration

Eufy started out with some security cameras, which I don't have.  They got into the robot vacuum business, which I got.  I got all sort marketing emails from them.  They latest venture, breast pumps, how very strange...

York Pride

York Pride has moved up to May this year, which was even better for the asparagus season.  We got some asparagus and went to pride.  We stopped at a few stalls.  I was short of notepad, and I managed to get one.  It was so warm and sunny that we needed a quench at Tesco after.

York Dungeon

We went to York Dungeon for a laugh.  It was a little weird, I was very much not at ease.  Some bit I did find amusing, but they are very loose with the history.  Ticked, no need to go back.  I am not sure we have the time and patience for the one in London.

Neighbourhood Watch

We have just noticed the neighbours' front garden changes.  This is the kind of neighbourhood watch that I do.

Cardo Ride

I came across Cardo Ride, it turned out to be something like Calimoto, but it has a free version.  I tried it, it was okay... Let try playing with it a little more.

Heatwave Caterpillars

I forgot how fast the caterpillar can come soon after the heat wave, even though it is still early in the season.  I thought I was leaving the pak choi seed pods to mature, but they were being eaten by the caterpillars, so no further pak choi for us...  Then a few days later, they were gone, possibly being eaten...

Merlin Adventure - Warwick Castle II

We went back to Warwick Castle for the new Viking Raider show.  It was very hot, the queues was very long.  The Viking Raider horse show was interesting.  We watched the bird show again, this time we actually read the posters for more avian information.

I cannot wait to go back the third time, for the jousting!

The AA Ireland

I just checked with AA about their European coverage, and my much to my delight, my AA membership includes AA Ireland.  I know where all my riding holidays are going to be now!

Evaporative Cooling with Laundry

We just stick a rack of wet clothes in front of the fan.  We wouldn't be getting a fan with a wet filter for the same effect.

Air movers are really expensive...

Bank Holiday Heatwave

A heatwave coinciding with a Bank Holiday weekend is a dream come true for most British.  The British loves to frolick in the Sun, it is possibly a common Northern European pasttime.

On the other hand, it is a bit of a nightmare for me.  Maybe all the supermarket shopping is a subconscious response to the heat...

Peanut Brigade

Someone called me "Peanut Brigade". As it turned out, it has a history and specific, it early supporter of Jimmy Carter, which I am way too young to do.

What that person meant was that I goes to free events. When I was younger, they were catered by pizzas, these days they are catered by pastries.  So if anything, I am pizza or pastries brigade.

Spring Growing

I always want to bring forward the growing season by starting in March, from the solstice, but in reality, it only really starts one and two months from the solstice.  Maybe I need to remember for next year. 

On the other hand, there are only so much brown bin space I could prune.

Cardboard Collar

I saved some cardboard to make some cardboard collar for the new plants going into ground. Let see if the tomatoes survive the upcoming heat wave...  I just have to hope for the best for the carrots.

Scandinavian Mile

A Swede told us about "Swedish Mile", it is 10km... I guess Scandinavian Mile just never caught on, for the better...

New Self-Checkout

New Self-checkout counters have been installed in the local shop.  It took me a minute to realise how there was nobody at the cashier, and I proceeded to the self-service checkout.  Then a man still didn't realise it was self-checkout thought I jumped the queue. 

When the cashier came back to remove the tag from another customer, he explained that these are new, and he later apologised.

GLME Arrochar 2026 - Day 4

The departing day of the camp.  I got up to have some breakfast, final packing and left.  Some of them are staying on for the NC 500.

My first stop was Lock Lomond Shores, they just introduced parking charges, there does not appear to have motorcycle exemption.  It doesn't appear to have blue badge exemption either!  

I took the opportunity to visit the Sea Life Centre.  It was quite small.  Coincidently, they also have a market on, I bought some Lorne sausages.  I packed away my rain jacket, what a mistake.

By then my tank is blanking empty, as planned, I went to the Sainsbury's I stopped on the way up. In the short 10 miles, I was soaked.

I made a stop at Cairn Lodge again, I saw a couple familiar bike, when I popped in, I saw them and said hi.  After my sausage roll again, I got back to the bike, another familiar looking bike, but I couldn't spot the owner this time.

I stopped at the ASDA in Carlisle, the same one on the way up, then it was straight home.  The weather was looking good, but I didn't want to tempt faith again, so I had the water proof on all the way.

GLME Arrochar 2026 - Day 3

I was told the trip I signed up was the same one from the day before, besides it is in the other direction.  So I signed onto another trip instead.  But that ride leader had a tyre problem so we were not sure if the tour would go on.  

He borrowed a bike, although it doesn't suit him, but it works.  We stopped at Kilchurn Castle, then had coffee at Oban.

I checked out the seafood hut in the train station, which is less impressive than the one at the ferry terminal.  I did not buy anything form them.

Then we got to Duntrune Castle and Gardens.  The owner was not that impressed with all these uninvited guests, he thought he would get me to pass the message, which I did.

We stopped at Lochgilphead for lunch, the group ended up in two different cafe.  We went to one with real home made food.  I had the cullen skink, it was quite small and creamy, much unlike the ones I make.

It rained a little, we got home a little late.  I took the opportunity to have a bath before dinner.  After the dinner we have a handover party, followed by Eurovision party.  I stayed for the handover party and went to pack.

GLME Arrochar 2026 - Day 2

After chatting with others over dinner, I thought I had better idea of my run.  The run was pretty good, the set off was a bit messy.  

When we stopped at Falls of Dochart, which I have been in 2021.  Then stopped at Crieff for lunch and came back via Duke's pass again.

After dinner, there was a drag show, I stopped for a bit and went to bed.

GLME Arrochar 2026 - Day 1

When I sign up on the rides, I didn't really read in details.  So when I got to the little steam boat excursion, it was a surprise for me.

Loch Katrine was quite nice, the ride was pretty good and the weather held up.

After dinner, there was ceilidh.  I just watched for a bit and went to bed.

GLME Arrochar 2026 - Day 0

I signed up to Arrochar only two weeks ago.  In order to save my annual leave, I worked in the morning and only set off in the afternoon.

On my way to Arrochar, I stopped at a service station/farm shop.  When I parked up, I thought it looked familiar.  Because Cairn Lodge is part of the Westmorland family.  I had a coffee and a sausage roll again. 

It was cold and wet.  My new waterproof was quite useless.  I got there, showered and had dinner.  We cranked up the heating to try our gear.

Paper Dosa

I tried a paper dosa from Herb.  It was massive.  It was evil, full of ghee.  It is like ghee fries lentil and rice crisps with spicy potato on the side. 

Gloucester Services

I finally had the opportunity to check out Gloucester Services.  It is special because they are run by the same team as Tebay Services.  

Their sausage rolls were really good, the take away pie were very underwhelming.

Gas BBQ

We were playing the a gas BBQ.  I have used them a many times.  We did short ribs, Barnsley chop, rainbow trout, pork chops.  Short ribs do need a lot of precooking, a whole 90 minutes in the BBQ was still not enough.  The indulgence of cooking on gas...

Derbyshire Food & Drink Fair

As it turns out, we haven't been to a Derbyshire Food Festival since 2014.

We brought out little National Trust chairs with us, we walked around, had some lunch.  I tried some loaded fries, I had low expectation, and they still manage meet the low expectation.  They were absolute waste of calories, never again.

Then we walked around Elvaston Castle before going back to the fairground for some Bluebells icecream.

It was not a good value of money, but I am happy we supported some local businesses.

Alton Towers - Day 2

We went really early to make sure we don't get stuck behind the big queue.  We got in plenty early, and we went straight to Bluey queue. 

We got on all the rides that we want to go.  We want to see the pagoda cum water fountain, weird.  Then we went back to the car for another quick coffee. 

When we came back, we were the only person on the mono rail.  It was so much quieted than Polling day. 

We were hoping the Congo Rapids would be open, as we can see it was having test run, but it was still shut.

We went back for two final Galactica runs and went home.

My top three: The Smiler, Nemesis Reborn, Rita.

Alton Towers - Day 1

We arrived at the Alton Towers resort at 10am, we had a quick coffee then joined the monorail queue...

We had no idea why it was so busy, as it turns out, some primary schools are being use as polling stations, the students get a day off, so they all came...

We packed our own lunches, and I put them all on my jacket to safe a bag search.  I regretted that decision, my sandwich was quite squashed...

We did manage to get on most of the rides.  Single rider queue was a godsend for most of these rides!

We left after our last ride of the Octonauts and left with the mass exodus.  We decided not to take the Monorail, we walked a whole mile back to the car.  By the end of the day, we did 18,000 steps, quite a workout.

Twycross Zoo Babies

Last time we went to Twycross Zoo, they just welcome a bonobo baby, and it was not yet on show.  This time, we caught a glimpse of it.

We also saw a gibbon baby, the second snow leopard and a few other babies.  It was a nice day out.

Scone-wiches

After our special event, we want to Abbey Tearoom for their "famous" Scone-wich.  I was not convinced that a scone can be made into a "sandwich".  And its not a sandwich if you cannot pick it up.  Considering scone are usually crumbly.

Apparently, they have since changed their scone-wich, possibly as part of their re-branding and re-structuring.  They are very rich, and in the latest format, it can be physically picked up.

I will stick with my plain scone or cheese scone next time.

Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre

We went to Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre for the first time.  It was a nice little place at a bargain price of £2.5.  The garden was nice and it was very educational. 

Great Central Railway Quorn

We went to Quron to watch the steam train to go past.  It has been 10 years since I was last there.  That would mean last time I was there, Tom was only 1.

We did not go on an event day, we did not pay to go on the platform, we did not go on the train.  I managed a good timing to watch them going past, had a cup of tea, then watch them again.  It was a nice day out.

Pumpkin Microgreen II

As it turns out, pumpkin microgreen, is very much an acquired taste, even if they are very young, much more palatable when wilted...

Automated Jibberish Responses

An internet card comes with an AI function.  I prefer my message to be short, sweet, to the point.  We clicked on the AI button to see what the LLM would spit out.  Absolute garbage, sick making garbage.

Lidl Springrolls

I was hoping to get a mixed "oriental" starters, but they ran out.  So I found some spring rolls from the freezer.  The normal size one is the same price as the minis, but I think the normal size is more suitable. They turned out pretty good, so I bought them.  It was well received.

Tonsillectomy

I quizzed Steve why he had his tonsil lopped out, it was because he had frequent recurring infection.  I have also heard all the other problem he has. 

The NHS ENT consultant are less encouraging than private doctors.  Let's wait and see.

Easter Chocolate Final Sale

This year's Easter chocolate didn't come down in price as quick as before.  So we waited and waited.  I bought a bunch of Lindt truffle eggs for 25p.  Bargain.

VOX Radio

In VOX, Voice activated transmit, the two way radio will begin transmission without having to press a button, but the first word is often not transmitted correctly, as the first word "wakes" the system up.

In a sense, in real life, "hallo", "the", "and", "yo", all the useless, meaningless words we need to use in a the beginning of the sentence to wake someone's brains up.

I need to remember that to remember to add particles in my writing, and my speaking.

Train Ticket Exchange

As it turns out, you can change a ticket, even if it was an advance ticket.  I put in a request to change my £2.10 train ticket to a different time, after admin charges, I may get 85p back.  Either way, I would have to forfeit the one I booked earlier due to plan change.  Let see if it actually refunds.

Old Town Festival Leicester

We went to the Old Town Festival in Leicester.  It was perfect for a history buff like myself.  I learnt about Ratae Corieltauvorum.  Not only the Romans, the Saxons, even the Roundheads, all their reenactors were having a grand day out.  I thought they must be hot in that gear.

They had a few dragons roaming around, the animatronic dragon was cute, and the one "St George" was riding was hilarious.

It was Sunny and warm, much to my distress, but others seemed to be basking in the Sunshine.  It was a good day out.

Plant Swaps

We gave away over 30 tomatoes.  I gave away another three tomatoes and sunflowers to a friend, and I got a different tomato back.  Let see whose turn out best.

Pumpkin Microgreen

We got some free seeds from the local incredible edible, they were giving out pumpkin seeds for "microgreen".  We thought, sunflowers works, surely pumpkins would be too.

They are very much not micro, even when they first sprout.  An they gain chlorophyll really quick, making the bitter taste along the way.

Odysea Chicken Gyros Filo Rolls

I got one of these with my meal deal, I ate it right the way whilst it was warm and breakfast.  Nice, warm, crunchy, which was good, placebo amount of chicken, less good.

Free Lidl Vegetable

One time Lidl deducted my free vegetable voucher on the cheapest vegetable on my trolley, I was so mad!

Every time other than one time, I opt for the giant bag of potato, and every time was hard work eating them down.

This time, I went for some posh cherry tomatoes.  They were good, they are free, that'll do.

Decaffeinated Coffee

We were looking for some decaffeinated coffee at Lidl in the mid range, except they ran out of mid range decaffeinated.  It significantly hamper our goal on reaching the discount voucher at £40!

Computer Recovery

After some kind of updates, my computer started to freeze.  I rang IT the first thing Monday morning, he was about to certify it dead after I told him it was 3.5 years old.

These days, there is no CD ROM for recovery disc, so I managed to get the recover code out of him and the computer has settled down for now.

Cold and Flu Medication

I was lucky not having to use my cold and flu medicine for a couple years.  I went in to get a bit more for this bout, have they gone up in price, too?

Modern British Sushi

I went to a "modern Japanese" restaurant.  It looks good and it is always busy.  It has so many signs emphasising they are not Japanese, but merely Japanese inspired.

We had their lunch deal, when my noodle came out, they forgot my meat!  So they replaced it with a new and bigger bowl of noodles.

The maki were sliced evenly, and they kept the ends.  I watched how they made nigiri, they have enough rice for an onigiri... Probably those are the non-Japanese bits.  

All in all, very tasty and reasonably priced food.

New Fry Pan

I finally had enough of the old frying pan, so I open the frying pan I bought from the January sale.  It works well, let see how long it lasts.

Costco Mystery

It is true that Costco's fuel is cheaper than other high street filling stations.  So I looked up their membership criteria.  As it turns out, their membership only opens to certain professions.  In that case, I am not sure how some of the people I know get their membership.

Than I looked at their website, there stuff really isn't cheaper.  It is still a mystery why people like their Costco membership so much.

Merlin Adventure - National Sea Life Centre

We walked into the National Sea Life Centre, straight into the Penguin Talk.  It was interesting, the penguins were cute.

Then we chatted with penguin speaker, and the starfish staff.  The starfish staff took us around the back to see extra bits behind the scene.

We went onto the Otter Talk, the Northern Sea Otters are massive!  We also picked her brain.  We went back to the shark tank for the last feeding, but perhaps no gathering visitors, she saved the talk?

It was quite compact, but it is in Birmingham city centre afterall.  The parking at Q-park was a bit expensive.  But we made out before rush hour properly hit.

Merlin Adventure - Cadbury World

I have not been to Cadbury World for over 20 years.  It has changed a lot! The only thing they maintain is the free chocolate element, we got a couple bars of chocolates as part of the tour. We went on a Monday, and there were still a lot of queuing!  I did learn about the Cadbury, I did not know Mini Eggs came from Mr Cadbury's Parrot, and other weird bits.  At time, I find some of their exhibit really funny, which was a good laugh.

I wouldn't mind stopping by if I am in the area again.

Merlin Adventure - Warwick Castle

My two friends also bought the same deal, and she told her two friends.  So we all went to Warwick Castle, which has a big capacity, compare to all the other indoor venues.

I haven't been to Warwick Castle for at least 8 years.  It has changed, yet even more.

There were more shows on a Sunday as expected.  The shows, including the falconry show, are now very well choreographed.

We were a little burnt, and a little cold, but it was a good day out.

We need to go back to watch Jousting and their Christmas fair. 

Merlin Adventure

We bought a package with an Essential Merlin Pass, and today is the day to activate it.  What we had not taken into account is that, the tickets allotted for Essential Merlin is limited, and we did not get to go to Cadbury on a Sunday, which turned out to be a bless in disguise.

I also took the opportunity to read the fine prints.

Woodland Creation - Meanwood Planting

Somehow I did not write about when we planted some trees in Meanwood about two years ago.  Then I went back to have a look, some of them took, but most of them didn't.  The one that is growing has a lot of growing to do!

Seeds in A Box

I got some seeds in the boxes.  The tomatoes are doing well but not the cucumbers.  Now I have got tons of tomato plants...

Cheap Gloves

I got some new motorcycle gloves from the charity shop.  The looked okay, but after using them for a while, they are very not breathable, so my hands get quite sweaty.  At the same time, they were not really warm!  Maybe I have to relegate them.

Commercial Sweeping Robot

I have seen robot lawn mowers out in the wild.  I recently saw the robot sweepers in the shopping mall, in the busy hours.  Impressive.

All the (Easter) Eggs in One Basket

We had a repair cafe on the Easter Sunday.  It was adequately busy for the holiday.  Then there was a big basket of Easter Eggs.  We are not sure who left it there, but everyone is enjoying the eggs, especially not having to hunt them down!

Full Price Skiing

Unlike summer skiing discount, we went in the Easter break, and it was full price, some £36 quid, for 1 hour.  That is a month worth of petrol on the motorbike...  It makes the ski membership more appealing, on the other hand, makes motorcycling looks like a really cheap hobby.

They removed the hump, so no jump this time.

Fiesta Maps

The map is fairly accurate, except sometimes the visual maps is a little wrong.  And I hate not being able to setup before I start the motor.

Big Bells Small Church

When we were in Tideswell, Cathedral of the Peak, the bing bong goes all night.  Stoney Middleton St Martin's is quite small, it still bing bongs all night...

Monsal Trail - East Bound

We went back to Hassop, Monsal Trail on the second day, we went into Bakewell, which is very near Hassop.

We walked around some shops, and I finally find something I wanted to buy from the Ginger Butcher, they are less competitive than Chatsworth.  The ladies in the Ginger Butcher were talking about how busy it would be for the Easter weekend, and where to avoid.

The car pack were jammed pack by the time we got back to Hassop.  We just went back to base and started packing.

Monsal Trail - West Bound

This time we brought our little folding bikes to the Hassop, Monsal Trail.  Between my two folding bikes, I bought the single gear bike, it is "smaller and lighter".  And the trail is supposedly "flat".

Unlike an adult bike, we wheels are just too small to get any speed.  Sarah was distracted by her wild flower counting, and I made a wrong turn half a mile from Blackwell into a dead end old track, so I didn't quite reach Blackwell, which was only 200 metres away.

The trail was quite busy already, and full of characters.

Maybe next time I would take a geared bike.

Fackham Hall

We were meaning to watch Fackham Hall in the cinema, but we didn't manage to go to a showing.  We finally watched it with the free Rakutan voucher.  Funny, funnier than Mother's Pride I think.

Derbyshire Oat Cake

We had some lunch at the Chatwsorth Farm Shop, their Derbyshire oat cake were very reasonably price.  Most things are reasonable prices.  I did refrain from getting a ham hock this time.

Plug-in Battery

With all the latest knee jerk reactions, people are thinking the low installation costs options.  I have double checked my understanding, looking up available products.

First of all, the regulations called for their own disconnect, ie it should not be plugged in.

Then I did all the maths.  For the balcony solar, which I won't need, one would have to be very lucky to get a payback within 5 years, even with South facing balcony.  The only saving grace is that micro inverter and solar panel should be good for 25 years.

Not taking into the fact if electricity price is decoupled from gas, electricity price could be a lot lower, hence increasing the payback.

I am more interested in battery, but a small, AC coupled battery has a bad round trip loss, taking depth of discharge into account, it is hardly any buffer.  And in the best case scenario, I could get payback in 3 years, by then, the battery is half dead. I just generated another piece of rubbish...

Also not taking into account of the price is decoupled, that would easily make the payback longer than it's life.

Let's stick with my original plan, in 7-10 years time, when the string inverter packs in, get a hybrid inverter with a battery then.  Hopefully by then the sodium battery technology is matured and cheap.

Danby Vanished

I was just checking on Danby, and realised someone put a personalised plate on her.  I wouldn't able to check on her elderly health from now on.

First Brown Bin

 The first brown bin has been collected.  It took two hours to fill it up again!  Let's the Spring begin!

SNL London

I have watched a few sketches of the SNL London, they are quite funny.  Not funny enough to make me want to subscribe.  The American stuff are "free" online.

Disappearing Snoods

I thought I had a loads of snoods, the Suzuki one, the two Bike-it, my orange one.  Now I can only find the orange one.  I might have to break open the Harley Davidson one!  I check the most likely places including coat pockets! Where are you!!! 

Closing Down Sales II

I went to another Factory shop.  It is later in their closing down sale, so although some signs are still not right, they were all heavily marked down.  I did bag a few bargains.  I am looking forward to my chocolates!

Fiesta Maps Update

I finally got a big memory stick for updating the maps.  I read the instructions, it was going to take forever to update.  I was not going to leave the car running on idle just to update the computer.  So after a job, with a long drive home, I start the update.  It was supposed to have a break after 30 minutes, except it didn't come soon enough, so I skipped lunch and drove on.

It flashed at me a few times, I drove all the way back home, and it still wasn't done, do I use the drive-thru and got some lunch.  Just as I was finishing lunch, finally, it did it! 

I will check it every 6 months to see if there are any updates, meanwhile, it was hard work!

Empty Pumps

Fuel situation has not been great.  I saw a very good price pump, but I missed it, as it wasn't too empty.  Then I went back that direction another day, the price was still good, I pulled in, all the diesel pumps were out of service...  They really should just turn the sign off...

Menu Contraction

We went to a popular Japanese restaurant.  The Japanese portion of the menu is quite small, and they added other crowd pleasers.  Business need to do what they need to go.

Twisted Long Island Iced Tea

I was tempted with the happy hours offer.  After being told their frozen margaritas are not frozen, I went for the long island iced tea.

It was Las Iguanas, the menu had not purposefully highlight the Latin twist on the classic.  The drink was indeed in the "classic" section.  When it arrived, I tasted it, they tasted funny, I looked at the menu to see, they used spiced rum rather than white rum.  The second glass had a little less spiced rum.

Either way, I finished both, but I may stick with margaritas on rocks next time.

Japanese Bluetooth Earphone

I finally opened the new earphone from Japan.  The instruction were completely in Japanese, but they were quite standard.  Apart they don't sit snug in my ears, the battery life and sound quality were good.

Seaside Seafood

Seaside Seafood, what a con.  I had a dressed crab, they were clearly frozen.  And when you are at the beach, "in a good mood", you wouldn't want to slash out on them.  What a con!

Sunny Spring Day

It was so sunny and warm that my new plants became very sad.  I had to water them to make them perk up, imagine that.  

Weird Dim Sum

We had some lunch at Oriental City.  They have some new dim sum.  One of which was red cheung fun with fried prawn.  So strange.  There were 6 of us, so we get to share more things.  They have discontinued some less popular dim sum, much to our disappointment.

Planting Out 2026

It is warm enough, and my sprouts are big enough to go outside.  I am expecting great things from my Poundland marked down onion setts, especially they are getting so much of the prime real estate!

First Slug Hunting of 2026

We finally got a perfect damp night to do some slug hunting/killing.  When I said we, I meant Sarah.  Good job!

Supercharger Demonstration

Matt and I went on a long trip, and it has demonstrated how superchargers were indeed very fast.  I did slightly regret not going electric, after the fuel price jumped 10%...

Closing Down Sales

The Poundland in Crossgates and the Factory Outlet in Garforth was having closing down sale.  They know some product can sell without discounting, so they don't apply discount on them.  However, the labelling were not the clearest, considering their staff maybe stressed.  So I ended up not getting much from either of them, and was disappointed when the product was scanned the price was not reduced.

Crepeaffaire

We got a coupon for Crepeaffaire so we tried it. We did not know their savoury pancake is not default buckwheat.  All in all, it was a good deal.

Driving Ergonomics

I took advantage of a coupon and bought a seat cover with lumber support.  Danby had a Lumber support lever, and it did not work well.  Let see if this actually works.

Mother's Pride

We watched another free good movie, Mother's Pride. The cinema was actually full for the showing.  Why are so many silly movies based in the Southwest?

Gripfill Adhesive

It takes a long time to use down a tube of Gripfill.  To be exact, it takes a long time to use down any tube adhesive.  Coincidently, we broke a picture frame, and it was the best adhesive for it, or PVA.  If I had discover expanding foam adhesive earlier, I wouldn't even have bought the Gripfill.

I just need to use down the foam adhesive now...

Library Random Books

We picked up a few random books from the library, they were quite random.  I started reading a couple autobiography, I took one home.  I got bored of them, clearly I am not as interested in them as I thought I was.  But some may say, reading for reading sake...

Not Stottie

I was in Newcastle and ordered a sausage and bacon stottie. I got a knife ready to cut it up.  When the sandwich turned up, it was NOT a stottie!  It was at best an oven bottom.  I was very disappointed!

Danby's New Home

Since I have been on Carcheck.co.uk checking things away, Danby has already got a new family!  New tax has been applied and all.  I am happy for her.

New Fiesta II

I upgraded the car's console's software.  I had to move some files around to free up a big enough memory stick for the job.  But none of my memory sticks is big enough to update the GPS maps!

When I drive her around some more, and this time, I was not baked in the car.  The climate control is magically working.  Surely it has nothing to do with the console, but what a coincidence!

Reset Connect North

Someone posted Reset Connect North on the chat group, and since it aligns with my interest, I registered and went.  It was quite interesting, I chatted with some people, said hi to another and learnt something new.  I will consider going again if they come back next year.

Free Silly Movies

Our free Octopus Rakuten voucher code was running out, so we watched two silly movies in a roll.  Good Fortune and Ella McCay, I would recommend.

Vacuum Robot Infirmary

It was one of the busiest repair cafe.  The first two patients I saw were two vacuum robots.  There were actually something wrong with them, but just the copious of dirt trapped in them.

The first one was very similar to our Eufy, its sensor lens was somehow loose.  The second one was the super expensive Roomba!  The bumper was jammed in a strange way, I managed to spot it and dislodged it.  I gave them a good clean whilst they were being looked at.  It was very accomplishing!

New Fiesta

The day has come, we went to collect my new Fiesta and say goodbye to Danby.  There were a lot of work before getting to this point.  I managed to put everything, the car, the tax and the insurance all on the 0% credit card, with the added consumer protection!

We were cooked on the way home, we were not sure why we couldn't get the cooling going...

More Groupon Pub Food

I took up the Groupon opportunity to revisit an old haunt.  The food meets the expectation of the Groupon price.  On the other hand, we have some resident expert mac and cheese maker.  I am doing my little bit to help the economy and help their kitchen turn over...

By-election Elsewhere

I am not sure why everyone cared about the by-election that is not where we are living in.  One of my friends is actually one of the candidates.  

Bus Fare Problem

Single bus fair is meant to be capped at £2.5.  Somehow one of the bus company's default bus fair is £3.  I had to ask for a £2.5 fair, and even so, sometimes I still get charged £3.  I just have to try to use alternatives.

Horlicks Tablets

Horlicks put out some tablet candy as Christmas stocking fillers.  I finally came across some of them.  They were pure sugar, pure evil!

Car Supermarkets

Car Supermarket is not really like a supermarket.  It could be like a supermarket, that it only has a small selection of items, and they are in varying condition...

First Time Rail Replacement Bus

I was lucky enough that I don't remember having to take rail replacement bus.  I willingly take the rail replacement bus, as it works out to be cheaper than actual bus rides!  And faster.

Mail Order Salmon

I had to bulk up the order for the fishes and ordered some salmon.  To make it not the same as something from the Supermarket, I got a salmon steak.  Let me keep the bone and I will save the filleting labour.

Mail Ordered Smokies

Mail order Smokies were okay.  We had two dinners, few days apart.  Hot off the barrel is of course the best.

Night King

We went to the cinema to watch a Cantonese film, Night King.  It was a good experience.  It was nice to have Sarah joining me.  I think she was the only non-native-Cantonese speaker in the cinema.

Outgoing Octopus Decrease

It has finally happened.  Octopus is cutting the output rate to 12p.  I have got to start using more of my own generation...

Betty's Brekfast

We managed to visit Betty's for some breakfast for the first time.  It was very nice indeed. 

Colour & Light York

We went to York to see the Colour & Light.  It was very cold...  Castle carpark is full of pot holes.  I am glad we went.

Meet Fresh

We finally checked out Meet Fresh in Leeds.  It is always nice to be reminded that when you paid for someone else to cook the same thing, they usually make it much richer.

Mail Order Fish

We finally did it.  Mail order fish.  They turned up as expected, in good condition.  We shall do it again.

Quinoa Rice

I have been making mixed grain rice, namely black rice, red rice and quinoa.  It definitely tastes different, and I like the original rice taste.  In the name of health...  And as it turns out, quinoa comes out the other end.

New Glasses

I have ordered some new driving glasses.  These days, the glasses are full to prescription so it is only good for what they are for, distance.  Once upon a time, all my glasses were just "aiding", now it does fully correct it.  I have to take them off whenever I am not looking afar.

Lidl Free Bakery Item

I am making good progress on the Lidl freebies.  It is nice to get free snacks.

Weird Kit Kat

We broke into the flavoured Kit Kats.  They were too sweet for us.  Good to have tried it.

Winter Olympics Drone Noise

So many of the Winter Olympic videos got this annoying buzzing noise...  Very distracting.

February Panettone

We are still working through the Christmas stash of treats.  The chocolate panettone turns out to be quite nice.

Winter Olympics

I am watching the Winter Olympics and saw all the audience there, they look cold... 

Vegetarian Restaurant

We went to an old vegetarian restaurant.  It is everything you would expect, expensive and no meat.  I went to get a bacon sandwich to top up my lunch.

M&S Essential

I picked up some milk and basic bread from M&S, they seem to be fairly competitive in price.

McVities Moments

In the afternoon sugar dip, I would end up buying some random out of date biscuits from the market.  What is worst it that, they are not actually cheaper than the shop!  Sugar dip often affect judgement.

Miso Complete

I finally got to the bottom of my 1kg pack of miso!  A little left on the big bag of wake, I have to go find more miso.  Because of the fermented food fad, it is getting expensive, weird!

Frozen Ears

My hair began to bother me, so I went to the barber, just when the cold front come in.  My ears are cold!

Superglued

Since I remember I have some open superglue, I superglued a couple of things, like the cracked mug handle, and a edge of the shoes.  I should have glued the mug handle long time ago!  How could I just remember to do it!

Freezer Defrosting

I don't remember having defrosted the freezer for 3 years.  It was a massive task, it took a long time, my hand were very cold.  Let's hope it stay frost free for a bit!

Yet More Insoles

I got yet more insoles from another vendor.  These ones are less supportive but quite comfortable.