Before you buy it get yourself behind the wheel of an Ioniq Electric, a Kona or an e-Niro.

Mate has a Kona, loves it. Not really a fan of the Ioniq, ex boss had one and good car but just didn’t like the look. One thing that I like about the Leaf is the V2H option which may be useful for us.

Everyone gets sick, If I had an employee that’d never taken a day off in 5 years, it would ring alarm bells. Especially so if their role involved the company’s money. If they’re coming in when they shouldn’t be, then I’d also be having a quiet word.

“alarm bells”? As someone who has gone for several years without taking a day off (retired now) and managed very large budgets. What would that “quiet word” be??

Test driving a Leaf later. I had one years ago on a 7 day trial and I liked it then but range anxiety was a thing. Fully charged it was less than 100 miles on the dash and my wife drove it to work (winter) the next day, only a 40 odd mile round trip however it was a perfect storm, heavy rain, bitterly cold and a diversion on the way home… She arrived home with plenty in reserve but said she was getting nervous… it was the shorter range model.

Fast forward a few years and we have Solar, home battery and an ASHP but still an ICE vehicle. I am retired and Mrs Surfer only goes into the office 1 day every few weeks so our mileage is quite low. Also have a T6 which we will keep forever hopefully. Our circumstances seem perfect for an EV but our car is a C class estate which is ace and perfect for our 2 dogs. Mrs Surfer reluctant to change to a car that is not as plush inside or offers the practicality of an estate. I dont want an SUV and the MG estate is a nice drive but again cant compare to the C class interior so many of the options are a difficult sell. Hopefully the Leaf will be practical enough. We would buy second hand, maybe a couple of years old.

I remember when you started this thread @spekkie. Love it when updates appear :-)

Sadly no longer with us but Izzy our Lakeland terrier taking a break near the end of a long day.

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As above, they will sell you what they have in stock and even shops that appear to have a large stock often dont have that many in your size. Gait analysis is snake oil and even though there is science, you are not likely to get a good analysis from somebody on minimum wage who may work part time in a shop, no reflection on them its just not going to work. If you do have an analysis then as per point 1, they will often recommend what they happen to have in your size. Buying mail order is great but you have to know what you like/need and hope that they have not changed the “last” since the last season. Having a shoe that suits you is fine for a bit but again, they change and most manufacturers have periods where their shoes are less good. The original Nike Pegasus is very different than the latest version so at some point you will change models or manufacturers.

Media and the public have always railed against protest. Women have the vote and that was one of the most unpopular protests in history.

^ this. What purpose do they think this is going to possibly serve?

They are on every mainstream news channel. Maybe that.

Inkjets are. Pick up a smal laser printer and they will just keep working for years.

Had one I was gifted from a job years ago. Was reliable until it wasnt. Expensive to replace.

Sounds like the ones you have have stood you in good stead given your injury record. The only one I would suggest, well 2 I suppose, would be Saucony and Hoka. Hoka feel quite different than other shoes but many think in a good way. I run in Saucony and really rate them.  Always been a huge fan of Nike since I started running in the early 80’s and I think they make consistently the best quality shoes on the market although they dont suit everyone and can be a bit narrow.

I’ve managed to stay injury free so far given how little I stretch 🙂

Carry on not stretching thats the best approach.

I posted on this a while ago. As someone who only prints a handful of times a year, a home printer is too expensive and unreliable. I just go to the library. Obvs no good if you print a lot and need the convenience or to print sensitive stuff but for me it is so rare, that having to buy new cartridges every few months as they dry up through inactivity was a waste of money.

Pencil and ruler good but nice not to have to start again each time :-)

I dont have one (have a VW camper) but one advantage would be that your large tent is on the roof as oppose to taking up lots of space inside. My daughter goes camping with her boyfriend and their German Shepherd takes up most of the space in her Mini, although they do have a roof box. Should imagine if you need the car they can be folded quickly and stuff left out as I often do when camping on a site.

I’ll try Thunderbird, thanks.

@giant_scum Sent you a message in your profile.

Not a scientist but I did get gifted a Frank Shorter full Goretex rain suit in about 1989. Had lots of Goretex, Event and almost every other breathable fabric since for running/cycling/walking. They dont breath to any significant degree. I only wear them when I absolutely have to and accept that once on I am likely to be sweaty and wet inside it and avoid taking it off unless I know I will be comfortable with wet clothes next to my skin. If I know I will be wearing one I wear a little as possible underneath, maybe just a HH Lifa top (possibly the best item of clothing ever invented, truly light, warm and breathable). Most of my activities are “fast” moving so stay warm then undress when home, in the warm.

A real marketing gimmick IMO.

I find it hard to believe folk will give a deposit that size so don’t have too much sympathy

It wasn’t sympathy I was after it was some practical advice/experience but thanks anyway.

I think he has (or should have by now) given up on him doing the job so really its about getting his money back. My BIL (his uncle) is a barrister so hopefully we can get at least a good “letter before action” drafted and take it from there. He only has a small house their garden is important space for them and their 4 year old plus another on the way in September. Bloke is an absolute arse.

Thanks @multi21

Cash he has paid is around £3k (against my better judgement!) been going on for around 2 months.

With Smarty. Very pleased plus 12Gb data in Spain recently within £8 per month contract.

Does it look like it goes to where an old outside loo may have been.

…and I hope they are steel toecap crocs! 🤣

No I don’t think there was a loo there. Was in my post work, reflection phase when I put my Crocs on :-)

I bought a MacAlistair for a couple of jobs. Really pleased with it and how easy it is to get consistent results.

@giant scum if you want an iBoost let me know. I am having an ASHP fitted as we speak and the iBoost will be surplus to requirements by the end of the week.

@IHN @lunge subscribed to 13 minutes to the moon, cheers

Thanks @lunge

Running wise, the only pod I’ve stuck with in that arena is Running Commentary

Ill have a listen but maybe its because I am close to it I haven’t heard one (yet) that I like :-)

Thanks @Chrishc777 I’ve just subscribed to that and downloaded an episode for my run.

Thanks all, some great stuff there!

It’s a Fair Cop (Comedy policeman tales)

This is brilliant me and Mrs Surfer listen to this (7 series) on our last 2 camper van weekends away, hilarious.

Guitarist magazine.

Occasionally Private Eye. Read the Guardian/Independent occasionally online through my library app, Borrowbox.

I have an 8.7kW modular Foxess battery. Prices have come down significantly so I may buy another module. 5 is a bit on the small side I would go closer to 10 or so but depends on a number of factors. Going bigger is more expensive and if (like me) you can feed excess into water heating, car charging or back into the grid then storage is really only required to ensure you are not paying too much per kW in the winter. This time of year I dont even need to charge my battery on the low tarif overnight with an 8.7kW battery. Any feedin is at more than I paid overnight. Getting an ASHP next month so think the extra kW will be useful for that.

It seems like ‘If you do, why?’ is the more pertinent question.

Maybe, see above. Interested in those who feel they are indispensable.

You make it sound like using a VPN is the normal thing..?

Not really (I dont use one) I worked in IT for years and had responsibility for data and system security. I still dont have a VPN on my home devices (I am retired now btw) but as I spend more time managing my finances (as small as they are) from home and occasionally on *free WIFI then I am rethinking it.

As with many things you take a look and feel that you are the only one not using one.

@alex sorry only just seen this. I find them true to size.

Agree with @lunge but if you are running on paths then i would recommend the Saucony Endorphin trail. I had the Endorphin and they were good, better the more expensive Triumph in my view but they are all expensive full price, however Sportssfitness have the trail version at about £70 which is a bargain. I have been running in them for a couple of months and actually bought a second pair which i have stashed away…

Ours is up for renewal. Been with Adrian Flux last year. This year they increased the price by about 30%! phoned around and got a better deal then went back to AF to see if they could beat it. They did and we are paying around £20 more than last year so result.

Mine is a self converted T6 and I reckon worth around £25 to £30k. The base van would only be worth about £17k so be sure you insurer is insuring it as a camper and will replace like for like.

It was a couple of years a go now but I still like to recall it:

I was reccying part of the Joss Naylor challenge from Pooley Bridge and arranged to meet Mrs Surfer several hours later. I had my phone and a bum bag and was pretty prepared. As with most routes its the first 1/2 mile that needs attention and once you are on the fell proper everything falls into place. I pulled my phone out (which was in a waterproof bag) and studied it whilst jogging from the village along the path. Shoved it back into my jacket so it fell down to where my bum bag strap would stop it falling further, and was going to stash it in my bag a bit later. Jumped over a couple of stiles and was enjoying the climb. A mile later I realised I had lost it. Had to search and after an hour or so had to give up. Went back and found Mrs Surfer and eventually left for home. Fast forward a couple fo weeks and had to purchase a new phone. Few weeks further on and Mrs Surfer gets call from someone who found phone, charged it and was calling the number on the screen (we were calling it as we searched) I proved it was mine and he posted it to me and wouldn’t even accept even the postage charge. Turns out he was a cyclist :-) I know I would do exactly the same thing but really appreciated it.

Update in case anyone else finds this useful:

Decided to follow the installers guidance (they provide a minimum heating guarantee) and go for the 8kW unit. I used the Heatpunks website and that appeared to show 8kW was underpowered but I wasn’t able to populate it fully with things like our specific cavity wall insulation type, DG type etc and I suspect it was over estimating our heat loss as a result. Other less sophisticated models were indicating a heat pump size of around 5kW would suffice. Had a long conversation with the planner yesterday and he came across as extremely knowledgable and answered every question first time. He explained that the heat loss calcs after their detailed survey show the 8 is appropriate, after we increase our loft insulation as per their recommendation.  I asked to see the loss calcs and unsurprisingly he said he would send them over once we had signed the order. Made a number of mods to radiators types and sizes all of which they were happy to do at material cost. Just need to set an install date and have the house ripped apart for a week!!

Also will it be worthwhile to fit an iBoost (or similar) to control the immersion heater?

We got one free with our installation. I like it and it works fine but not sure if I would have bought one. What we dont use we feed back in so whether the numbers add up is not clear.

Using the 2900 rule my 1930’s externally insulated 3 bed semi, 110m square needed 5.5kW.

Using Heatpunk I am finding that the recommended unit size is >8kW and an 8kW unit does not provide enough heat for my house. I need to spend more time playing with it and making sure my numbers are right although at the moment it seems to bear out my concern, that it is near the limit.

Interestingly I was running with a group yesterday and one of the guys is senior in grid renewables and lives near me (his house isn’t comparable, a large Victorian with high ceilings and large rooms) and he went for a 16kW ASHP and is very pleased with the performance.

You’d think seb coe would have had a good chance of beating that if he’d wanted.

Not a sitting MP I think the time needs to be done when you are sitting. 2:30 is pretty good and takes some serious training.

I think if the pump is too large it constantly “cycles” (turns itself off and on as oppose to running near constantly) which may cause premature wear to components.