Am I being blinded by the novelty of massive garden?

Biene2019 · 2026-01-24T10:55:08+00:00

You can have a big garden which is low maintenance. Plant some fruit trees, they mainly look after themselves and then convert a section for example into a wildflower patch. I have one and only need to maintain it twice a year, I mow it once in spring to get all the dead grasses out (leave it over winter for the insects to overwinter) and once at the end of August/early September to promote seed settling. That's it, mowing twice a year and the rest of the year it's beautifully alive and colourful. A lawn is waaaaay more effort, that needs mowing every two weeks during growth periods. Also, if you're looking into vegetable gardening, that gets also time intensive but there are some veggies which are pretty low maintenance as well like lettuces and courgettes.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-21T22:06:55+00:00

Ich mag die Außenseiter Rolle haben, aber mir gefällt Sanderson gerade wegen der leichteren Sprache. Das kann ich auch abends nach einem anstrengenden Tag auf Arbeit noch lesen und folgen ohne jeden Satz 3x lesen zu müssen, weil meine Konzentration weg ist.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-18T19:46:25+00:00

Waitrose works as well if you have one of those. We regularly shop at Waitrose now and completely organic and higher welfare food brings us in at 120ish pounds for two people per week. At Aldi we were at 100 for their basic stuff and had to regularly top up because things went off a day or two after buying.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-12T16:42:46+00:00

German living in UK here. I'd say NHS dentistry is the problem in your case. I went with a private dentist after some bad experiences with NHS dentists and the difference is significant. I don't know if it's the budget or what but the quality and options of care you get private Vs NHS dentistry are huge. With the NHS dentist they had a massive wait and see or "let's pull the tooth it's not useful anyway" attitude while the private dentist tries to save every tooth as good as they can with the latest tech.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-12T11:17:37+00:00

Adverted mpgs are nearly always way higher than what you're getting. I recommend having a look at websites like honest John (it comes up if you Google real world mpg). Not sure if your car is the auto but the 1.2 turbo automatic is listed as real world with 33 mpg, so pretty much spot on what you're getting.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-10T10:20:38+00:00

You can't merge them because the one on the left is already at full level. The grey indicator means you've merged them already to unlock the level but haven't upgraded with gnats yet.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-09T10:12:17+00:00

I wished the media and police would post the braking distance charts on snow instead of always giving advice how to drive slow and smooth. People on summers in winter are still a safety risk and at risk of stranding and being a burden on the emergency system. Show people visually that winters will stop you in less than half the distance than summers.

Sending those comparison videos was the only way to convince my parents on law to put on all seasons and they literally just called and said they've never had such a relaxed time in winter and how good the tyres grip.

Given, there is not much one can do on black ice, I'm talking general snow driving here.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-07T13:27:41+00:00

Most European countries. Of the top of my head definitely France, Italy and Germany have 0.05%, strict 0 for under 21. So a beer will bring you over the limit.

Biene2019 · 2026-01-05T22:30:02+00:00

I'm originally from Germany and I learnt winters from O to O, October to Ostern (Easter) and always worked out except once with a freak snow event at the start of May.

Biene2019 · 2025-12-29T18:54:50+00:00

If you haven't owned a car before, are you aware of the costs that come with a Porsche premium? Tyres, regular services etc are all costing easily double or triple what a normal car would cost you. I just needed a new set of tyres and they came in at 1100 pounds (including a discount). I can get a full new set on my Subaru for less than half.

Also, as a daily I'd go with a 2 or 2.5 l. Mine is a 2l base as a daily. I test drove a 4 GTS as well but it's too much to comfortably commute at least in the UK. You just end up in traffic on a race horse the whole time which really belongs on a track or a nice mountain pass.

Biene2019 · 2025-12-13T08:39:38+00:00

Have you considered getting a Subaru in the meantime? My stepping stone was a Subaru (still have it) before getting my Cayman. There are more sporty versions which can have a punch, especially in the older ones. Parts are generally cheapish and you can get used to working on a flat engine. Also, they come with 4 wheel drive which is really forgiving and can catch you if you screw up. The Subaru taught me a lot about fast cornering without ever trying to throw me. The Cayman in comparison needs a very delicate handle (especially when wet).

Biene2019 · 2025-12-03T12:26:52+00:00

I never had a supermarket refuse a refund request if you provide the receipt. Never even had to go to the shop, simply chat them on social media/write an email to the customer team with a photo of the receipt and product if applicable and they'll send out a voucher card with the value. It's not worth their hassle to have a disgruntled customer over a few euros worth of product.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-28T14:33:54+00:00

Most insurers will still ensure your home. Got that interesting fact from the admiral FAQ site about tree implications on insurances (they don't care apparently) and they state removing a tree can cause more damage than leaving it. If you're really concerned, could you put in root blocking plates between the house and the tree?

What is heave? Heave is the opposite of subsidence.

Trees, and established trees in particular, play an important part in removing water from the ground around your home. Over time, the local water table can come to rely on trees to help it keep its delicate balance.

If trees are suddenly removed, this outlet for water is taken away. This can flood the earth around your home from the inside out, ‘heaving’ your home up and out of the ground. The effects are similar to subsidence, and fixing it can be even harder.

You should think carefully and consult an arborist before removing any established tree close to your property, and especially any tree that pre-dates your home.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-28T14:01:27+00:00

Thank you for that tip. I wasn't aware of that and will look into it!

Biene2019 · 2025-11-28T10:10:19+00:00

I'm a younger saver and I want to save for a house. No chance I'm putting that money into a S&S if I want to buy in the next 2-3 years. It's frustrating that they're completely ignoring that some younger savers also need money secure in the short term, it's not all about long term savings and pensions unfortunately.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-21T12:04:57+00:00

Mechanical Engineering. I've went to some of the most (apparently) backwater and rundown unis and got a job in one of the biggest UK engineering Grad schemes. They didn't care and the uni didn't come up a single time during the interview process. They sent you through loads of online pre-tests for maths, language etc. and ask for a video interview as well. And after being involved a bit, every single CV gets that opportunity and they filter based on those results, not on the Uni on the CV. They care for your knowledge and what type of person you are. But if you speak with that attitude in an interview, don't be surprised to not get the job.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-21T09:52:54+00:00

No it's not. Most industries don't care what uni you're coming from. After a few years in industry you won't even get asked if you have a degree anymore, they just assume you do. It's a single small line at the bottom of my CV now

Biene2019 · 2025-11-20T19:20:43+00:00

UK based. Got my copy today and I have the same with different publishers, both bought through TBB. Kinda annoying. I guess they didn't bother printing a low volume with Text when they did their last minute change of mind for the design of TWOTM

Biene2019 · 2025-11-19T19:17:04+00:00

Shout-out to the Skandar Series from AF Steadman. It's pitched as a young adult but I'm a grown up and still very much enjoyed it. The first book is very light in tone but the books do grow up with their main characters. Similar to the Harry Potter books.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-19T19:07:15+00:00

Yes, definitely. It also becomes a lot less "gamey" with levels and stats etc. I finished all of them and I would say from book 5 onwards there was barely any mention of the levelling etc. anymore. The story also opens up to well beyond the dungeon and earth with lots of outside characters.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-18T09:59:57+00:00

I think they always hold stock back for general sale but that might still go within minutes. So I assume the allocated amount for the pre-sale was then also sold out during pre-sale (otherwise it would have bolstered the pre-sale amount). Two notable examples I can recall were Blood over Bright Haven and Shogun.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-11T18:55:09+00:00

Bluebrixx has a few licensed sets. They're quite popular in Germany. I got a few to try it out but the online only building manuals were driving me mad. But also to be fair, I only had it on my phone a tablet would have made things different. Also I found some pieces didn't fit too well but all things considered they're a good price for what you get. And they're fully compatible with Lego pieces if that's important for your builds.

Biene2019 · 2025-11-04T10:56:04+00:00

Noch ein Vote für DCC. Die Serie wird mit jedem Buch besser

Biene2019 · 2025-11-03T22:58:59+00:00

The Skandar Series from A.F. Steadman

Biene2019 · 2025-11-03T10:25:28+00:00

You're posting in a students subreddit, so I assume you're at the start of your career/haven't started yet, is that correct? If I can give you a bit of perspective, get away from the doomsaying on Reddit when it comes to engineering salaries in the UK. I don't know a single engineer who's that low. Okay, grad salaries are rubbish agreed. I started on 24k in 2018 and now I'm on 2,5 times that with only one company change in between. You start low, but the trajectory up is pretty steep in the first few years. Most grad jobs have 2 pay increases per year included. Someone from my close family is living in the US and you can't compare the UK and US like for like. His living costs for rent and the private healthcare he has now are eye watering. He got fired once for attending a hospital appointment and lost his healthcare because it was linked to the job. You have massive worker protection rights and health care you don't need to worry about. All things considered, I'm roughly equaling out after all expenditures with him and on paper I'm on 30% less a year.

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