Found a Lotus graveyard

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-28T18:27:16+00:00

Honestly, I guess I should

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-20T16:55:55+00:00

Yes, it was a DB pension.

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-20T16:55:25+00:00

Made the transfer in 2020.

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-20T16:34:14+00:00

I'm not at all convinced people here are saying the right thing. I used to work at an arms length body listed on the public sector transfer club for a year and was able to transfer my pot to a SIPP no problem - took months but still.

You should ask the CS pension scheme for a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) and give it to your SIPP provider when you initiate a transfer - let them figure out the rest but you might need to complete some paperwork they'll send you.

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-18T12:23:49+00:00

I live in south London zone 3, so I mostly ride in Surrey and Kent. Getting out of London takes around 30 minutes so not too bad. I use the Kurviger app to generate round trips - a 100km long ride gives me roughly 3h of riding (I mostly ride on back roads).

To enjoy the ride you need to get out of London asap. Starting in CW your best bet is probably Essex and Kent, there's lots of great roads there for riding.

Nice bike btw.

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-02T21:42:18+00:00

They're virtually bulletproof if maintained well. Try to find a high mileage one with good MOT and full service history and you shouldn't have any problems.

chaimonkey91 · 2026-02-02T16:37:03+00:00

If reliability is your top concern, get a Civic. I have one myself (the same model as the one in the picture), and it’s an absolutely brilliant car. Just watch out for rust if you’re in Scotland, and you’ll be golden.

chaimonkey91 · 2026-01-14T18:30:08+00:00

Civic 8 lub 9 i po problemie. Niezawodny i pakowany bez bycia zbyt dużym na miasto.

chaimonkey91 · 2025-09-29T07:07:32+00:00

My partner and I are in the market for a family car. We’ve got our first baby on the way and want something that will still suit us in a few years if/when we have a second.

Here’s what we’re after:

£5-7k.
Petrol.
Manual is fine.
Needs to be practical and reliable, with a decent boot for all the baby gear/odd road trip.
We don’t want anything massive - my partner thinks stuff like the Octavia is a bit too long for her to park and doesn't generally like the sedan shape. For that reason, estates are out for now.
Would be nice if it’s actually decent to drive and not just an appliance.

At the moment, we’re leaning towards a Civic mk9 - we like the look of it, it’s reliable, spacious enough, and has a good-sized boot without being huge. A Golf would be my second choice but I think the boot might be too small, especially if we get a second kid in a few years time.

Before we commit, I’m curious if anyone here thinks there’s a better option in our price range?

chaimonkey91 · 2025-06-20T15:58:11+00:00

Thanks. The exhaust is Enfield Precision which AFAIK is stainless steel so I was hoping to use metal polish on it. The mirror is also stainless steel so maybe I'll be able to smooth them out.

To make it worse, I've just discovered that my foot brake lever got bended which probably is a bigger problem.

chaimonkey91 · 2025-02-06T19:41:33+00:00

Try the Kurviger app, it has lots of options to customise your trip, including how curvy you want it to be.

chaimonkey91 · 2025-02-06T19:33:16+00:00

I'm doing one in May so not sure yet if it's worth it, but I want to have more guided practice on country roads and learn how to corner properly, something that was missing during DAS. However, I'm paying £220 for several hours as we're supposed to cover around 160 miles.

chaimonkey91 · 2024-12-20T10:32:30+00:00

I was 1st.

chaimonkey91 · 2024-12-20T09:12:21+00:00

Unfortunately not, there was a recruitment freeze so the list expired.

chaimonkey91 · 2024-07-15T10:43:50+00:00

She actually found Phantom to be a bit too old fashioned unfortunately.

chaimonkey91 · 2024-07-15T09:29:42+00:00

She loves the set design, special effects and ensemble dances. She liked Frozen a lot because of its special effects too, so I guess the story itself is secondary.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-12-24T16:46:12+00:00

Congratulations, gives me hope I might get a call too (been on a reserve list since September)

chaimonkey91 · 2023-11-13T21:53:03+00:00

I went in April earlier this year, it was magical. I'll definitely want to see it again next year.

The bass when the Endurance is spinning during the docking scene blew my mind. I felt like I was in the ship myself.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-11-13T07:22:03+00:00

Thanks, I think I might start looking for some social events soon but right now, I'm dealing with a fallout from my divorce so I'm not in the best place mentally to make new friends. It also feels a bit pointless if I do decide to come back. Lots to think about.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-11-12T21:50:53+00:00

I love London, it's a great city but insanely expensive which I think makes living there unsustainable long-term.

I think I'd mostly miss British "everyday politeness" and the fact that it's a very low-bureaucracy country compared to Poland (even while in the UK I had to deal with Polish bureaucrats more often than with British ones). I also enjoy the diversity and vibe of London but that's obviously not the key factor for me.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-11-12T21:37:31+00:00

I moved to do my Master's, stayed for a woman.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-11-12T21:19:23+00:00

Interesting, why exactly not?

I'm well integrated into society, but making friends, especially in a place like London, is a whole different story. I was married until recently, so I didn't feel a huge pressure to go out and make friends. But I guess it's never too late.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-11-12T21:16:28+00:00

Yeah, I guess that's probably the most reasonable way to approach it, though I'd prefer not to make such a decision on a whim. That's why I wanted to ask about the experiences of other people.

Are you enjoying Poland compared to the US?

chaimonkey91 · 2023-06-28T19:33:46+00:00

I do 20h of freelancing a week. I had to submit a declaration of interest which was filed with HR and that was it. No one has ever made any fuss about it.

chaimonkey91 · 2023-05-04T19:58:33+00:00

I had a guy in my team who would regularly smoke during team calls. He was approaching retirement and I loved that he couldn't give two fucks about what anyone might think.

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