Finding the chase and cutting to it

When we got our last EPC done in April 2022, we were a little disappointed that there were no recommendations of what to do to reduce our carbon footprint. Which was the reason behind getting the assessment redone. As it is, we’ve made some positive steps, hopefully, in the right direction. The lattest one was […]

The intersection of my worlds (diabetes. cyber security, developing interesting tools, cyclist, motorcyclist, skier, driver, keen walker, sustainable living, and cooking) leads to some observations. Not least when it comes to this term: lived experience. When medical studies are conducted and are published to the masses, this is the caveat emptor, your experience may vary. […]

When my husband was made redundant in 2008, my wage was less than a third of what it is now and we had a mortgage. We had no gym membership, we had a relatively expensive house to run compared to our wages. But we adjusted and 9 weeks later, he had a job offer with […]

If you have been following my blog for a while, you’ll be familiar with my love of automation. It is not necessarily a passion my immediate family shares, but working with them, we have a situation we can all see the benefit of and all have equal control. (If you are in such a position, […]

The reaction to our heat pump has been interesting. Many questions have been about how much more it is costing us? It’s not, actually, we’re saving about £3 a day on heating our water compared to the gas boiled at today’s prices. It’s summer, and for the past eight days, for 7kWh of energy we’ve […]

And I am not talking about slaying a Scottish King to seize the throne! We have had our heat pump going for three days! So, everyone should be thanking us for the more than clement weather we’ve been having. Little note to the manufacturer: in normal operation, it is perfectly reasonable to prevent the heating […]

When you DIY a project, preparation is key. If someone is coming in for you, making sure the decks are clear saves valuable time. The heat pump is coming and the old boiler and water tank are disappearing. With luck, the old gas pipe too. How do we know which is the gas feed? Well, […]

I like to be busy. It drives my son up the wall: but if I am sitting down and see a task that needs doing, I am on my feet and looking for the means of getting it done. This has some issues – I love my job but, if I’m not careful my “overly […]

I swear, this April has been one of the coolest I can remember, not helped by the fact we currently have no central heating! The boiler, rest in peace from 28th March, has been switched off, with all our water heating happening via our Solar iBoost. We’re spending 130kWh on heating the water on a […]

Of course, that’s compared to three professionals living in a single house. We do our own cleaning, keep extravagances down to a minimum, and do most of our own cooking. If you weren’t already aware, and this has made several news channels, last year’s cocoa crop fell well short of expected quantities and quality. That […]