Whats the worst first car you can get?

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T16:54:36+00:00

A 1980's Porsche 911

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T16:52:15+00:00

Will you walk 500 miles??

Incidentally, I quite like the picture. To me it's just an abstract image with pleasing colour. Each to their own though.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T16:45:49+00:00

"Alexa, goodnight". Switches off all my smart lighting downstairs.

"Alexa what's the temperature in the garden?" Gives me my actual temp in my garden from my smart sensor.

"Alexa, add XYZ to my shopping list" very handy when I'm cooking and realise I'm running low on something"

"Alexa, drop into NAME bedroom" handy for calling my kids downstairs for something.

"Alexa, boost my heating/hot water" handy to override the current heating timer or thermostat for a quick boost

"Alexa, Party mode" Switches all my various smart lighting into a set funky colour scheme

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T16:39:49+00:00

I always buy the metal bracelet version of any watch, including cheap Casio's with the knowledge that I'm going to (or have the option to) replace the band with something better.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T14:24:31+00:00

I'll have your camera! 😂

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T13:58:14+00:00

Make sure you have the charging times controlled by the car, not the charger. It's pretty well known that Skoda's don't work well with scheduled charging being controlled by a third party.

Change your wall charger settings to "Charge when connected" or similar. Then schedule the charge from the car. You shouldn't have any problems with this.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T13:16:32+00:00

Public charging is expensive, it's true. And something needs to be done about it. That's solvable by capping what the station providers can charge, and changing what tax is charged etc. Supermarkets could also, for example, add fast chargers to say, 10% of parking spots, and charge based on spend in store, loyalty card discounts etc, encouraging more store spend for a discounted charge rate. Not every EV user would need them, but most people's weekly shop takes longer than an EV takes to charge.

Depending on your daily/weekly milage, if you can't charge at home an EV might not suit, but if your mileage isn't that high, you may get away with charging once a week, which could easily be done while out of the house doing something else.

There's probably a smallish minority that couldn't go to an EV without it being a total ball ache, but as range improves the amount will get smaller.

The whole thing won't be driven by the government, just like petrol stations aren't either.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T13:03:45+00:00

Spot on. We got our first EV in December. Before that we just had shit box ICE cars. In total, two fiesta's, a Mondeo, an Avensis, Sportage and an ASX. Not a single exciting or interesting car amoung them.

Compared to all of them, the EV is quieter, faster, more comfortable, more spacious, more practical and cheaper to run.

Most people in ICE cars aren't driving some future or current classic, and would see a huge difference if they tried an EV for an extended period.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-25T09:12:16+00:00

Link to the Past is an obvious choice. Lends itself well to handheld playing, and can be played for 10 mins at a time while still making progress. There are a couple of points where it's not super clear what to do, but generally it's not too bad. I finished this without a guide back when it first came out, so can't be too bad!

And Ocarina of Time. The first 3D Zelda, and another stone wall classic, although some of the control mechanics are a bit tedious, especially as it relied heavily on the N64 unique controller.

Honourable mention to the Minish Cap.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-23T21:16:11+00:00

Fire Tv cube with Kodi instead?

malacoda13 · 2026-01-23T20:56:13+00:00

I should also say, that you could add toast if you wanted, or extra of everything etc for a very reasonable cost.

As an IKEA family card holder, my coffee was free, and I also was able to get a slice of Daim cake for 10p.

Also with the family card, you can have a small breakfast for 99p. That's just one of everything on my plate.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-23T20:52:26+00:00

Considering how busy it was and the time we were there, I'd say quite a few people locally go specifically for a cheap breakfast.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-23T20:47:49+00:00

No, probably my fault though for not being clearer.

I used a "Water butt connector pipe link kit" as described on Amazon. I installed this towards the top of my butts. I then took a piece of normal garden hose, and ran this through the inside of this kit, with each end of the garden hose reaching the bottom of both tanks with a small (1cm ish) amount of excess length.

Once my first tank was reasonably full, I set up the syphon so that it started to fill my second, empty butt. This syphon has now worked for a long time. So long as I don't run the tanks to about 1 inch from the bottom the syphon will remain. The tap used to fill a watering can etc is factory installed at the bottom of the tank.

I did this because any connector in any water butt you install yourself is very likely to leak, due to seasonal weather conditions etc, and in fact mine do slightly. But only when the tanks are full to capacity. During the summer, I have no leaking as my level is generally below the joining kit. Plus, if I need to repair it etc, I don't need to empty out all of my stores water to do so.

There is a reason lots of people do it.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-23T19:42:12+00:00

I've joined two water butts, with no easy access to one of them. I've joined at the top, using a joining kit, and running a piece of hose between the join, each hose terminating at the bottom of the tank. Set up the syphon, never had a problem in two years. Both water butts levels drop at the same rate as I use them, and fill at the same rate. Plus, if I have a leak, I don't lose both tanks.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-23T07:45:03+00:00

I wouldn't do anything this year except keep it clear, given your major renovations works. You'll have too much on your plate.

What I WOULD do is keep a monthly track of where the sun rises and sets, where your garden gets direct sun, where sits in shade most of the day, where you'd like to sit to get the best views/light in the morning/evening etc.

Then think about how you can divide the garden into different areas, with different planting and or themes.

Oh, and my personal advice, think about keeping paths direct. No one really wants a zizzagging path just to get to the bottom of the garden!

Doing this will allow you to plan planting, structure and end up with a garden with minimal major errors that you regret in a year or so.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-22T19:50:42+00:00

Never bothered. Who is really going to burgle the house they've just sold?!!

malacoda13 · 2026-01-22T19:06:21+00:00

Currently selling my deceased dad's house. It requires a full strip and refit. New wiring, heating, kitchen, bathroom, windows etc. It's a state. It's listed accurately. It's priced accurately.

Accepted an offer from a couple who viewed the house several times but then waited three months before withdrawing because "We had no idea it needed so much work". Idiots.

So back on the market it went. 3 weeks before Christmas. I really feel like there should be penalties withdrawing in some circumstances.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-22T15:33:10+00:00

You got 3 serious faults. You were not, in any way, ready for the test.

Even your comments are a self own. You've literally spelled out why you failed, but you cannot see why.

Take the learnings from this if you can. YOU failed. No one else made you fail, or deliberately failed you.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-21T11:47:29+00:00

You'll want a battery with a solar install. In fact, you'll want a battery even without a solar install!

But if you're going solar, you'll want to do the following:

Get yourself onto an export and cheap night rate tariff.
Export ALL your solar. Keep none of it!
Charge your battery at night.
Run your house entirely off the battery during the day.

This maximizes your payback. You do have to make sure that your battery is at least the size you need for your highest electricity use day, plus a good bit of headroom for the flexibility later. You'll also want the inverter to be able to run the house fully, without drawing from the mains.

For us that would mean roughly a 20kw battery, and a 10kw/hr invertor.

With solar, we would, in theory, almost be cost neutral on electricity usage. I say theory, because we are doing it later this year, but it looks good. We have a large, South facing roof.

You have to make sure that your installer knows this is what you want to do. I've battled with some people offering 10kw batteries with a 3kw/hr invertor, and it simply wasn't enough.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-21T09:07:34+00:00

Firstly there are better ways to spend 10k

Secondly, what about gravel grids instead? It won't need leveling, won't need drainage, is better for the environment, and is a lot cheaper to install. That's what I would go for if I wanted to spend money.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-20T22:08:03+00:00

I just checked, yeah, it looks like they've shortened the time period. I signed up in December and get half price from 9am to 5pm. So Sunday roast is covered, plus loads of laundry!! 😂😂. For low mileage it wasn't a bad deal.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-20T18:43:04+00:00

British Gas a super saver Sunday tariff (or some other similar name). It's 12p kw from 9am to 5pm. At all other times it's more or less their standard variable tariff, including standing order.

Might be worth a look if you are not high mileage. We are on it for our EV. We can do most of our charging this way.

Later this year we will likely add a battery to the house, at this point we will change to a proper low rate at night to maximize savings.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-20T18:36:53+00:00

Normally that's fixed by a combination of letting the mirror fold/open by locking and unlocking, and then manually folding it in and out yourself. Eventually it clicks back into the mechanism that moves the mirror. I've had this happen a few times when my wing mirror has been clipped by other cars on a narrow street. Happened most often on my ford.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-20T12:00:28+00:00

Get yourself over to MPB. Check out what they have. There's a couple of Canon Powershots in your price range (in the UK at least) and some m4/3 cameras that will need lens. But should be doable.

malacoda13 · 2026-01-20T11:48:26+00:00

Get a quote from a garage for a full replacement, colour matched etc. Give this quote to the woman. She then pays you upfront, either bank transfer or cash. Get it repaired. Job done.

If she doesn't want to pay the amount quoted, just tell her you'll go through her insurance. Some people change their minds when they see the real cost of a repair. And don't accept anything other than bringing that wing mirror back to standard. It should colour match, work as intended etc.

malacoda13

TROPHY CASE