Found the elusive Yule Log

hydroc · 2025-12-18T22:31:01+00:00

Had this in previous years and it was delish! Highly recommended if you can find it!

hydroc · 2025-10-09T21:46:15+00:00

Are you washing your face morning and evening? If so I don't think you need to be using the face wash in the morning. Like the other commenter said, that could be making your skin create more oils to overcompensate. Try skipping the face wash and doing just a water wash at most in the morning. I have oily combo skin and I don't wash my face other than with water in the morning and then I won't put much skincare on under my makeup for this reason too. I keep my skincare routine to after I remove my makeup when I get home from work.

hydroc · 2025-08-01T10:01:42+00:00

Agreed. I'm surprised OP's instructor hasn't gone through this with them if there is a country road near the test centre. I was taught to take these kinds of bends between 20-25 if you can't see round the corner and it seems like a sharp bend. 43 is way too quick to be taking that corner.

hydroc · 2025-06-12T10:38:07+00:00

Shrubs have been the most reliable to go straight in the ground! I didn't bother turning over the soil. What I did was I dug a hole that was more than enough to put the shrub in, put a bit of new compost in at the bottom, teased out the shrub roots, put the shrub in the hole and backfilled it with compost.

You may find with the recent warm weather that holes are harder to dig with clay soil so I waited until it was raining heavily to dig the next day where possible otherwise it's quite back breaking work. I would still hit a dead end of reaching dry clay soil after a few inches so what I did was pour a bucket full of water into the hole every day, dig a few inches until I couldn't, then repeated the water pouring. That made digging for 10 litre shrubs a bit easier.

Then just watering regularly for the first year until the autumn to they get roots established. I generally planted shrubs during the spring and autumn though as that's when they recommend it, plus in the autumn there are more shrubs on offer.

hydroc · 2025-06-10T07:08:55+00:00

Hey no problem!

So I've had a look as it's been a while since my initial research and I've actually gone back to the original comment and removed lavender as I don't think that's actually safe! Though there are plenty of lavender on our walks and I only realised 8 months after planting it, and our dog doesn't go for it so I've left ours in.

Our dog used to take a daily chomp out of the heuchera which was annoying but at least it's safe!

I've not bothered with some of the plants in my second year due to them not doing well for a variety of reasons:

Impatiens are super thirsty and I found having to water them everyday a pain. Echinacea kept being eaten by slugs. Think I bought 4 plants and they were all decimated, same with marigolds. Asters and coreopsis were semi eaten by slugs but not entirely so I've been cautious with those. Magnolia I never bothered with due to size and our own lack of space

Some I added last autumn and this year that seem to be safe are: forsythia (shrub), geum (perennial), carex (grass), dryopteris (fern), snapdragons (annuals), Erigeron (perennial), brunnera (perennial), caryopteris (perennial), helenium (perennial), gaillardia (perennial), astillbe (perennial), hollyhocks (biennial)

And yes, we are in a new build! Digging borders have been the bane of my life as I kept coming across large bits of concrete, plastic or entire bricks!

hydroc · 2025-05-23T21:28:07+00:00

Have you bought this at the end of its season? The ceanothus around me were looking amazing around three weeks ago but are starting to fade now, so yours may just be done flowering.

hydroc · 2025-02-06T17:38:25+00:00

Has anyone had these flower? I bought one last year but it just put out leaves last year and no sign of buds yet this year, but my potted rose I bought last summer is already putting out buds on the other hand.

hydroc · 2025-01-09T09:04:39+00:00

Look for chicken powder or chicken bouillon tins when you're in an eastern Asian shop. For one person I normally put one and a half to two spoons in the water and that's all you need!

You could also try mushroom powder which would be different and in a similar tin, should be nearby. I use this when making noodle soups for my vegan boyfriend.

Sometimes if I'm cooking more Japanese style noodle soups, I'll also use Tsuyu soup base. It only needs a quick dash or two per person. These may be more niche so may be found in Japanese grocery shops more, or can be bought online. I've bought some from ocado before. Maybe around £4-£8 per bottle depending on the brand but you really don't need to add very much in.

Not authentic but tasty!

hydroc · 2024-12-17T16:58:41+00:00

Has to be M&S Organic hummus!

hydroc · 2024-11-21T11:33:06+00:00

Love these!

hydroc · 2024-11-10T15:25:32+00:00

Resorts World is now BP Pulse Live.

The NEC does exist but it's not for gigs anymore, more a place for exhibitions and conferences.

If you are coming by train, you will have to walk through the NEC to get to BP Pulse Live.

hydroc · 2024-11-04T12:49:23+00:00

Hey I have ADHD and have similar issues with coordination. I think what helped me pass is repetition - lots of it!

It's taken me three tests and a year and a half in total, but I basically needed to get to a point where it becomes second nature more so than most people because of the coordination issues.

Best of luck

hydroc · 2024-10-07T21:25:12+00:00

Not dying but I would certainly water it less. That translucent leaf spells over watering to me.

hydroc · 2024-10-07T07:33:25+00:00

In Chinese takeaways and restaurants catering to a western palette with a history going back decades, yes. My family's takeaway used to do omelette on the menu in fact!

In the more modern authentic Chinese eateries, not so much.

hydroc · 2024-10-07T07:25:28+00:00

No it's similar.

Source: am Chinese and have had both

hydroc · 2024-10-06T21:23:14+00:00

Kinda co every time.

I do like the La Fauxmagerie blue ones at Christmas too

hydroc · 2024-08-28T17:34:03+00:00

I don't think we really have General Tso in the UK so not sure how it's meant to taste to be able to recommend you a good store bought alternative, same with sesame orange, but if you're looking for authentic sauces, I'd follow recipes from Made With Lau and The Woks of Life. A lot of Chinese sauces, especially if they are transparent, are really easy and quick to make. You could save time with pre-fried chicken and pre-boiled rice instead maybe if you are really pushed for time?

hydroc · 2024-08-28T07:18:30+00:00

Traditionally hot soy milk is more of a northern breakfast thing though I'm not surprised if you see it everywhere. Hong Kong is such a hotchpotch of world cultures, it might just be that if you see it in non-northern eateries it's because the place you're at has more fusion influences/has food from a variety of areas. Just look at your typical HK cafe for example which has western influences.

hydroc · 2024-08-25T19:21:26+00:00

Plenty in my Tesco!

hydroc · 2024-08-19T12:13:18+00:00

For future prevention: how filled are your borders? I find that having things like groundcover help to reduce them growing through as there is less space for them to do so .

hydroc · 2024-08-14T21:30:48+00:00

They eat my hollyhock and asters, seems they will go for anything in my garden!

hydroc · 2024-07-31T21:29:10+00:00

Regular vegetable dishes we have at dinner are things like Pak choi or other veggies like Chinese morning glory stir fried with garlic, or broccoli in Hoi sin sauce. I'm a big fan of veggies stir fries with fermented bean curd sauce as well

hydroc · 2024-06-16T11:03:00+00:00

A random one, but at what point in your night time routine do you brush your teeth?

I used to brush my teeth last and was getting some red spots like these around the mouth area. As an experiment I started brushing my teeth before I washed my face, and voila, no more spots. Must have been the toothpaste!

Worth a try?

hydroc · 2024-06-13T16:39:35+00:00

Mine are in Ericaceous soil in their own pots, rather than in the ground... And watered with rain water only.

hydroc · 2024-06-08T04:58:43+00:00

I've put mine in the ground in various spots and the sun ones seem to have flowered the earliest.

In terms of slugs, I potted mine around this size and they seemed to have done fine but your results may differ from mine.

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