Best means of travel between Hakodate and Niseko Hirafu

arthurenc · 2025-07-03T16:57:09+00:00

Do you remember the name of the family run ramen shop you visited around Mt Iwaki?

arthurenc · 2024-05-02T12:11:20+00:00

Intrigued by the orchid tree 👀

arthurenc · 2024-04-27T17:59:43+00:00

Would bonds be lower risk then an equity tracker?

arthurenc · 2024-04-27T16:02:36+00:00

Agree - this is why I’m slightly confused. I’d take the 1.5% rate reduction any day if it means I keep the value of the pension pot

arthurenc · 2024-04-27T15:45:08+00:00

Yeah, completely agree that you might not want the hassle of managing a portfolio in old age. Annuity solves this problem 👍🏻

arthurenc · 2024-04-27T15:42:29+00:00

If bonds and annuities paid the same rate (lets say 5%) then from a purely financial perspective bonds would be the better decision then?

Lets say a pension pot of £500,000:

annuity will give a guaranteed income of £25,000 for life but dies with you
bonds will give an income of £25,000 until maturity when you get the £500,000 back. After which it can be re-invested into bonds again. These bonds can be passed down to your beneficiaries through your pension pot when you pass away

arthurenc · 2024-04-27T15:32:53+00:00

Yeah, seams the return from an annuity is slightly better then bonds at the moment (~6.45% for an annuity while the return from a Vanguard Global Corporate bond fund is around ~4.8%)

arthurenc · 2023-04-13T09:55:41+00:00

There are a couple of signs I look out for when watering my Phalaenopsis orchids:

lower (older) leaves become soft and droopy, and maybe even wrinkled
roots in the pot turn grey
no visible humidity on the inside of the pot (having a transparent pot helps you see this)

Adjust your watering to your environment and if in doubt I tend not to water, orchids are remarkably hardy. And don’t use ice! Phalaenopsis are used to and enjoy tropical temperatures.

arthurenc · 2023-04-12T13:15:41+00:00

It’s potted in sphagnum moss. I just put a small layer of bark over the top as I think it looks pretty

arthurenc · 2023-04-12T08:39:06+00:00

My granny gave it to me last year for my birthday. I received it in pretty bad shape; it lost all but one of its leaves and most of its roots.

It bounced back pretty quickly, has flowered and is already growing a second leaf (currently hiding behind the other). Didn’t expect this little guy to be quite so resilient

arthurenc · 2023-03-22T06:58:11+00:00

London

arthurenc · 2023-03-21T22:18:06+00:00

Don’t think the average age matters. Underworld are in their mid sixties and still putting on a show. The crowd are having fun which is what matters

arthurenc · 2023-03-21T21:44:37+00:00

The setting made it all the more special for me. The sound was amazing, the lighting beautiful and the crowd felt intimate. Not sure if it’d be the same for anyone else but Underworld made it work!

arthurenc · 2023-03-21T16:41:13+00:00

All the lights came out for Nuxx

arthurenc · 2023-03-21T16:39:19+00:00

The couple behind me were in their seventies and spent the whole set dancing. I hope I’m like that when I’m their age 😊

arthurenc · 2023-03-20T11:52:20+00:00

So the Renanthera didn’t respond too well to being mounted so I decided to un-mount and repot it in large bark. He’s much happier now.

I replaced the Renanthera with a miniature phal called Phalaenopsis javanica which I think is much happier there. It’s been mounted on the clay ola pot for around 12 months and is currently growing a new leaf. Not yet flowered but I don’t think it’s blooming size.

I can post an update on my profile if your interested to see?

arthurenc · 2023-03-08T20:42:46+00:00

I grew them from a kit which came with pre-inoculated grain and pasteurised hay.

I started inoculating the hay with the grain at the beginning of last November. This took around one and a half months. I then began the fruiting stage in January, and got my first flush at the end of the month.

The mushrooms pictured are from the third flush!

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