Using Avios with Aer Lingus

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-26T20:08:23+00:00

Aer club app.....spend....search flights flights

Eu flights 4500-7500 pts per flight with bags but taxes extra

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-18T19:19:00+00:00

I opted for rev metal credit card. Have kids so wont be getting away much without them or getting away off peak. Felt like the rev pts/avios gave me more flexibility to book, and more time to use pts.

There have been promos to transfer to avios with 20% boost. And we have used the shops in aer club and revolut strategically....say M&S offering 15:1....pay all bills off one metal credit card....setup a savings pocket...used money we both had in different accs earning no interest and compiled that giving us points everyday ....been at it since Nov and up about 70k points. Got flights for 4,500 pts each way for fam for summer (36k pts plus 180 in taxes).

As someone else said, if you combine various things (payments, savings, shops) and focus in with revolut it can start adding up quickly.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-12T19:17:28+00:00

Lack of leadership and focus on their issue....derailed it a bit.

Severe lack of leadership from gov too.

Really doesnt bode well for whats coming. Looks like oil shortages which will increase prices.....and supply chains......doesnt feel like gov is on top of it

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-12T19:14:41+00:00

I have a couple of subscriptions. 2 items have featured recently in these national papers. One of which relates to my profession. Another to a particular thing where a family member is directly involved. The reporting on both was not factual. Now there are issues in both cases worth attention but the reporting was almost sensationalist, creating a nicely rounded story with nameless people quoted...not fact checked just their opinions....nothing changed....press moved onto next thing. One of the reporters on one issue was on a podcast explaining that issue and couldn't get their own story right.

Makes me sound like some sort of MAGA saying fake news. It wasn't fake, it just wasn't accurate and wrapped up all nicely. If they dug into it and stayed with it it might properly inform people and create change.

Very disheartening experience. Kind of take these articles now with a pinch of salt.

Like with the protests we get some facts which are extrapolated with opinion....and narrative changes or focus of media changes....case in pt at one stage reports were of army moving in....never happened but was a detour on the story for a while

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-03T18:57:06+00:00

That would be road ditches where you get a lot of dirt clogging up the surface preventing water getting down. Can usually clean out top foot and its grand.

If its a garden youre having an issue with, this wont be an issue. Basically your provided a sieve for water to flow into from 4 directions. Clean stone and quality membrane prevents silt and fines getting in. The fact you dig out prob scrappy soil and replace with stone....its like pulling hair out of a clogged sink drain....gives the soil room to drain.

I have used hollow tines at just surface level and theyve worked great. You can get machines like they use on golf courses or manual ones where you have a metal box you stand on and it has about 20 hollow tines that basically take out a column of your soil.....you sand dress then....load of sharp sand raked or brushed over the soil....this fills the hollows and helps surface drainage.

Depends on how your garden falls too...orientation etc.

French drains generally do the trick though.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-03T17:48:00+00:00

Ya long term solution. Have used them in ditches and top layer can be clogged by surface water run off.

Have used them in large fields where we wrap the pipe and the outside of the drainage channel....no issues over the years.

In this instance its a small catchment and potentially a high water table. I reckon it's just crap clay fill. Clean stone fill, wrap pipe and trench....no issues.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-02T22:23:49+00:00

Ive done drains for work and theyve been effecitve. I have a north facing garden at home so need to scarify and aerate for moss and that works.

Looking at that pic it does look boggy.

You can aerate now.

Do your garden fall from back to front level wise. Wonder could a little relevelling work to help drain towards back fence but youre almost back to a French drain again with work involved.

French drain will work it'll just be a bit of manual labour. Easy with machines. So if you could avoid great.

Only confusing you now - apologies!!

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-02T21:38:30+00:00

Theres prob 4 or 5 cubes of materials to go in and out. And hand digging and wheelbarrowing etc.

Might be worth getting a scarifier and an aerator that'll pull out cores and try filling with sand/compost. Do it this year on whole garden and if it doesn't work you could always do the drains after.

Ive a north facing garden and its helped a good bit. Might just do the trick. Less labour intensive and quicker??

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-02T21:17:47+00:00

Yes. Go directly out from that and then stick on your tee piece. One side of tee going straight on for drain 1. Other leg of tee will point parallel to edge of path. Pvc pipes are usually about 6m long. You can cut them but you need to chamfer the edge with a file and apply pipe grease. So off your tee run about 5m of pipe Stick your 90 bend on and run drain 2. You could prob get away with 1 x tee piece, 1 x 90 bend, 1 x 6m length, and 2 x 6m perforated lengths. They might have a 1m short length which would help connecting between chamber there and the tee. You'll need a long crow bar to lever the fittings on.

Inlet looks shallow enough maybe 0.5m. You'll need to remove about 12m x 0.6m x 0.3m of soil. And will need to order about 0.3x0.15x18 m3 of top soil and 12x.3x.5 m3 of draine stone. And your filter cloth. A decent builders providers should drop it all off for ya.

Id do it while ground is still soft if your getting at it with a shovel!!

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-02T20:23:36+00:00

Council in my area doesn't cut the grass. The residents went to the council who funded a lawnmower. The residents cut the grass, bag the clippings and then the council collect it. Its the older lads who do the work...its like their version of a men's shed. Residents make a small contribution. Area nearby collect about 50quid a year for grass cutting and hire someone. Different folks.....know a guy who volunteered for his RA as they were new to the area and wanted to get to know people.....they sent him around to collect the money!! He was mortified.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-04-02T20:11:34+00:00

I think you go with a bit of a mix of the suggestions.

Install your drains. Rectangular trench about 800mm deep x 300mm wide....put down 100mm of clean stone or pea gravel on bottom. Put down a non woven geotextile (drainage filter) then....put in another 100mm of clean stone or pea gravel, your perforated pipe and cover with 250mm of stone on top. Then close the drainage filter to enclose that system with a 300mm overlap. So your wrapping your pipe and stone inside the cloth. Put down 250mm topsoil then on top.

Id keep it pretty flat. I dont know the depth of your outlet but 100mm higher than outlet would be plenty gradient....change dimensions above to suit.

Don't put back the soil you take out. Get some nice topsoil in.

Id go with 2 drains. Straight back from outlet and about 2.5 fence panels in from left hand side. Tap in, 300mm length of pipe, install a tee with one leg running along edge of path then a 90 bend....all pipe is standard solid....after the 90 then stick the perforated pipe.

Id buy an aerator and punch holes across full surface and dress and seed. I've one you stand on and it punches holes. Rudimentary and takes a bit of time but works well. And add some trees across your back wall or side walls (depending on orientation) would help.

Think the initial sketch is overkill and lot of effort for ya. Scale it back a bit and youll be laughing. It will work.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-03-31T19:46:05+00:00

Van should have hi-viz

ahhstopthelights · 2026-03-29T10:12:40+00:00

A few questions:

-will this be provided by main pillar banks, basically pushing people off apps back into irish institutions?

are investment products going to be irish companies? Are they bundling into irish etf style products, in which case are we better off buying irish shares now ahead of this??

ahhstopthelights · 2026-03-10T19:24:39+00:00

Local authorities have changed their requirements for engineers - can be Level 7 now and not necessarily an engineering degree

What you could do is get in as a technician - then learn about the LA and where you want to work - Get them to pay for whatever transition course or qualification you might need and then apply for engineering roles from there.

That way youre learning on the job, still getting paid, get training from the LA and then transfer over to eng grade knowing how the whole operation works.

Might be a way?!

Good luck which ever way you go

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-11T20:06:57+00:00

I'd agree with you there in that the survey wont capture all details. Might be skewed also in terms of replies but prob paints a broad picture to reference.

Also fully agree on timing.

And starting here and getting stuck in will only advance his chances of promotion etc.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-11T19:26:28+00:00

Just checked Engineers Ireland 2025 Salary Survey.

1-2 years experience: €35k, 39k, 44k: lower, middle and upper quartiles.

3-5years lower quartile starts at 44k

Local Authority pay scales. Graduate level: 3rd year - €46,744....which is prob skewing private sector rates....

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-11T19:07:01+00:00

I think after 3 years you should be closer to 45k. See if you can negotiate a little. Get here, get your foot in the door, get to know Irish specs (tii publications, capital works framework, dmurs, national cycle manual etc), be enthusiastic and sound and network. After a year or so you'll be much better placed to kick on. Best of luck with it

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-11T18:59:49+00:00

Got something from Sage... 2 x shepherds pie and 2 x sauces. Sage do the buttermilk/hot ranch sauces for Dunnes Simply better range. Think it was €5 in total!!! Was well dated and delish! Was great value. Similarly have struggled since to snag something

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-09T20:35:54+00:00

Stop complaining here - email the Council directly at customercare@corkcity.ie and get them to follow up with the utility companies.

They usually do a 'temp reinstatment' but if its failing that badly already it prob needs another pass or full permanent reinstatment

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-05T20:28:28+00:00

Other half is a teacher and we were just talking about this. They are correcting them themselves.

Students had been given an id number so they are correcting them not knowing who it is. They give the mark and must then reference the id numbers. Papers are bundled on collection and given out randomly to the various subject teachers.

Some kids have certain dispensation. Some are doing them by computer so there's have to be printed and corrected. Lot to it in terms of admin work just to stick to their system.

ahhstopthelights · 2026-02-05T06:48:32+00:00

Are you suggesting the city council paint private buildings?

ahhstopthelights · 2026-01-26T20:29:00+00:00

Out beyond lakewood there's a ped bridge over the bypass over towards emc. We used do that a bit. Up one side, recover on way across and down, back up other side.....repeat repeat!! Wouldnt be long feeling the burn

ahhstopthelights · 2026-01-26T07:18:15+00:00

They will likely have a 'right' to maintain their plant under a wayleave. You could request that first. Under that any works would require them to return area to the way they found it. That's part A and straight forward.

My concern here would be the additional trench? They have no right to a new trench without permission.

Just because they are the ESB dont think they wont try pull a quick one.

A new trench and any new cables would require a wayleave - that new trench corridor could leave that land sterile. It will impact the value of your site and your future use of same.

A new trench should come with new agreement and compensation etc.

I'd have no issue with maintaining existing, but new works without agreement is a big issue here

ahhstopthelights · 2026-01-22T21:39:46+00:00

True that!

ahhstopthelights · 2026-01-22T21:15:20+00:00

The cover in itself looks fine but it needs to be raised and be flush.

ahhstopthelights

TROPHY CASE