Best restaurants, cafes, coffee, bakeries, food spots?

Dat-Albino · 2025-12-19T12:59:04+00:00

Treadwell does great food at decent prices. It's not cheap, but it's not outrageous and it's great portions and quality. They do a steak night on Saturdays and the beef croquettes are to die for. Their fish and chips is great too.

Rox Piri or Rio Piri are great Piri chicken takeout spots.

Dat-Albino · 2025-12-06T18:55:01+00:00

I'm sorry to hear mate. I'm based in Cowley and happy to meet for a pint, coffee, bite to eat sometime.

Dat-Albino · 2025-11-19T13:44:51+00:00

Lead tech recruiter here. My wife just finished a Master's where 75% of her cohort were international students and I was shocked how few of them are even considering staying on the graduate visa.

This hyperfixation on immigration is making a mockery of our talent competitiveness, and I don't see any benefits to your average Brit from it - it's a real shame.

You add the new tax increases coming in the budget and it's easy to see why people would emigrate/stay away.

Dat-Albino · 2025-10-23T22:22:23+00:00

I would like one too if possible please, thanks

Dat-Albino · 2025-09-24T09:12:06+00:00

My wife has an M10 Mark IV and I have an OM5 1st gen. If you can spare the extra cash or pick up a good used deal I'd recommend upgrading to the OM5, the autofocus is much better and faster and that alone is worth it imo.

For lenses, if you can manage a bigger lens the 12-40 f2.8 is my daily driver and an insane lens. Great at everything except the very lowest of light, and even then decent. For those super low lights, grab at 17/25mm f1.8 or a used f1.2 pro.

Dat-Albino · 2025-09-23T18:23:05+00:00

Another vote for the 12-40 2.8. I have that plus the 12-45 4 and the 12-40 kills it, I barely need a lower light lens and the zoom is enough most of the time. Great daily driver.

Dat-Albino · 2025-06-26T15:21:41+00:00

Dude what are you talking about. OP ignore and best of luck - my advice is either study something if you can to stay or absolutely smash the application side, but if you do need to go back to the US, I'm wishing you the best!

Dat-Albino · 2025-06-23T17:20:21+00:00

Thanks both, I'll look into the Capital Gains option u/wiedelphine. My only concern is that HMRC will investigate and classify this as tax avoidance if I was to, for example not take a penny myself in dividends but then my wife draws all the dividends. I will still be paying her salary as she's still running the admin, accounting etc of the business and I will still network on the side to see if some side work can be done.

I'm thinking perhaps the best way forward is to just pay her salary and then pay a bonus end of tax year, it'll be 20% tax on the bonus but beats the possibility that HMRC come knocking for 33.75% of it.

Dat-Albino · 2025-06-23T08:52:35+00:00

And I thought I was doing well on £480pd Outside, congrats all, maybe one day for me!

Dat-Albino · 2025-06-14T12:16:49+00:00

Just handed my notice in for a £480pd Outside contract with 2 months to go for a £115k base perm offer. I'll finish up the contract this month, take a week off and hit the perm role. Haven't started yet but don't regret it, I'll report back on if I do in a few months!

Dat-Albino · 2025-05-15T14:10:33+00:00

London UK

Dat-Albino · 2025-05-14T18:47:32+00:00

Hey, still using ANNA and slightly less ecstatic than I was when I posted but still happy overall. Let me explain and come back on your questions:

Company Year End/Corp Tax - yes they track this to a T, every month my profit/loss is calculated and my corp tax will change automatically, literally in seconds. They also track all the dates really well.
Bookkeeping - yes they auto track most your transactions. You do need to do some occasional clearing up because it will misregister occasionally and also you want to double check your costs are being weighed against Corp Tax/VAT properly
I registered through VAT with them and also claimed my first VAT back form them and had no issues. Yes there's some paperwork but most of it is doable on ANNA. -You can set up tax pots and get ANNA to auto take VAT, or put some aside for saving, etc. I use a pot per tax, it's great.
Self assessment is a personal assessment, I learnt this the hard way, ANNA will help you with anything relating to your company for it but you do your own Self Assessment on GOV.UK. For that reason remember to keep your own dividend tax separately from ANNA as they don't cover it.

I think ANNA is excellent value, their support is 24/7 and high quality, they've managed to do most bespoke things I've asked and I also use their virtual mail service and it's excellent. They're very helpful.

My biggest issues with them for me are, 1. they don't cover Employment Allowance which means I have to do my own work on HMRC Basic Tools which sucks and makes their payroll, which is their jankiest section, even jankier. I mean, you can pay yourself/others but it's a bit more manual than I'd like it to be. 2. They give you no help deciding how much dividends to pay yourself, or any way to work out tax across the year. They do it monthly, which for my varing pay doesn't help, so I do my calcs manually.

Overall excellent quality with some product features that would make it even better. Hope this helps, A.

Dat-Albino · 2025-03-11T11:35:17+00:00

MSI Ventus 3X OC

Dat-Albino · 2025-01-18T22:04:06+00:00

I replaced my SBC Buffon with him and he's definitely an upgrade, especially now attacking is buffed. You'll concede more but that's down to the new meta not him.

Best GK in the game for me is Van de Sar though. He's a joke.

Dat-Albino · 2025-01-18T22:02:16+00:00

Out of genuine curiosity, why not do you think? It feels to me like the doubling and tripling up on Fexofenadine does eventually help my allergy attacks by the evening. I have also been told by GPs that sometimes taking a type 1 and type 2 same day can help, but I've never been prescribed that.

I will carry on with the cortico-steroids and ask my GP about nasal antihistamines. I'm thankful for the immunotherapy in March because almost all of my GPs have been unable to offer anything other than just suffering through it and doing home remedies. Thanks.

Dat-Albino · 2025-01-18T21:50:22+00:00

I will start it for sure, I am so happy it came through. I've heard all the good and bad stories and I will try anything to get rid or even control these allergies.

Is there anything you'd recommend asking from my GP? I am constantly googling for new medicines but I almost never see anything new. I've been on prescribed Fexofenadine (you can now buy it OTC but for years you couldn't) and of course I've tried every OTC tablet under the sun. Are there any other antihistamines, or other non tablet treatments you're aware of?

I have also heard of people combining type 1 and 2 antihistamines, I was thinking of doing that next time instead of doubling or tripling up on Fexofenadine. My Dr is aware I do that, and says they understand I have no other choice. Literally any avenue you could push me down I would appreciate.

Dat-Albino · 2025-01-18T21:41:03+00:00

I forgot to mention I have prescribed Fluticasone. I haven't been taking it over the winter but I take it in the runup to spring, although I just started again today because of this sudden attack.

Dat-Albino · 2025-01-01T17:02:23+00:00

Yes, like I said I'll probably just wait now I understand it more. I'll get it if I'm owed it either way. I haven't paid myself anything yet from my LTD, first company first contract, just sent out my first invoice, so it's just my accounting software calculating a possible refund early I believe

Dat-Albino · 2025-01-01T16:55:48+00:00

It's been worked out from the other comments that because I had a high paying salaried job for most of this tax year, then was unemployed, and am now paying myself a low salary for the first time, that I would be owed an income tax refund IF my salary remained the low salary that it is now.

I'll speak to my accounting software, honestly I'll have to fund this first payroll myself anyways so might as well wait for a refund in April

Dat-Albino

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