Homebrew and bathroom dalliance

Relaxing Saturday

Ah Saturday mornings, a time to rest those weary arteries after a week of hard slog at the office. 

As much as I would love to put my feet up work beckons me once more, back to the office? I don't think so, something a little more hands on for me.

After moving a few years ago our bathroom has been in slow decline and it has come upon me now to start the rather swift process of updating it. do I have any experience in changing a bathroom? No. Have I done a lot of manual labour in the past? Not a lot. Am I confident I can complete this job to a high calibre, hells to the yes!

Once you boil down something like changing a bathroom suite, it's nothing more than removing the old fixtures, getting new ones and reconnecting all the pipe work. After tinkering with the ceilign light the other day I also noticed what bad shape the ceiling is in, another thing for the to do list it seems.

Better get a plan ready!

Oh and the homebrew is coming along nicely :) Very please with the samples I have tasted and it is ready to bottle today. Another two weeks afterwards and I can sample my very own homebrew.

I do have one challenge for you, names. Any awesome names for my brew will be welcomed, I'm thinking something along the lines of inspiration or kingDOM Beer, although the first sounds like a perfume and the second is just my ego talking :)

Anyway whatever you're up to enjoy the day, rest recuperate and get stuck into something amazingly awesome!

Enjoy.

Dom

PS plans for Christmas lunch are under way  looks like we're hosting this year, bring on the pasting table!

Pic by: Hector Alejandro

The shopping hobby

What are your hobbies? Video games, scalextric, football, couch surfing?

I'm pretty happy to count some of these and more as hobbies I enjoy, along with some healthier ones!

One hobby I cannot abide though is shopping. Now I don't count shopping in general as abominable but shopping when there is no purpose.

I'm not exactly sure when shopping started becoming a hobby, it was probably something to do with the startling 1950's after the frugal war years, coupled with everyone being pushed to keep up with the Jones', it's just not needed - think back, can you even remember any good times you've had shopping. Even big purchases like houses and cars are plagued with feelings of buyers remorse as soon as the deal is done.

So I'm putting this forward, the shopping hobby must be bleached from our collective consciences, out with all the Next's and John Lewis', in with the local butchers and bakers somewhere where you can really buy something that has heart in it! (especially at the butchers, maybe some offal recipes soon?).

To make this clearer I'll break it down.

What is allowable:

Food shopping, essential toiletries, cleaning products, purchasing assets etc

What is not:

Shopping with no detailed list, window shopping, shopping on lunch breaks, shopping whilst hungry, buying stuff because you have money in your bank, buying crap you don't need anyway, shopping because it's the weekend!

Basically any kind of shopping where the item purchased is pretty much going to simply add to the abundance of crap you already have.

I'm saying this from deep personal experience. I have shopped for no reason, it leads to no good. Do something better. Leave your bank balance be, or use it in better ways that don't simply fill landfill and the pockets of sleazy chain stores.

So why don't you break your weekend routine of going to the nearest shopping centre / mall?

Instead go for an amazing nature walk, drag the kids along, or someone else kids, or both! They'll love it, you'll all make some memories that will last longer than the junk you would have bought anyway.

I'll even let you treat yourself to a Sunday roast at the local pub on your way home, it'll be bliss, pint of mild, turkey / veggie roast (delete as appropriate). Go on I dare you!

Got any better plans to escape the weekend shopping centre? Whack them in the comments section, I'm always looking for inspiration :):)

Pic by Charles J Sharp

Cycling for freedom

I have to say that moving house has been the biggest money saving idea I have ever done.

I used to travel for 45 mins to do 15 miles.
Now I travel 25 mins to do 3.5 miles.

Seems strange, but in the first I drove, in the second I cycle!

I do still drive, unfortunately I haven't been able to give it up completely quite yet, but it is definitely an ongoing process to reduce how much I drive. On the occasions I end up driving to work due to PURE LAZINESS, I do feel bad as I step out of the car.

And I feel it in my pocket too. Let's run the numbers:

A mile in my car which kicks out a pretty crappy 35mpg costs me 18pence with petrol at its current crazy price of £1.37/ litre

Therefore:
15 miles x 2 x 18p = ~£5.40 near enough

3.5 miles x 2 x 18p = ~£1.25 pretty much

So even if I drove everyday to work I would save (5.40-1.25 = 4.15)

£4.15 x 230 (working days)  = £954.50 PER YEAR!

That's with no cycling whatsoever, so everyday I get in that car I waste £1.25 or £287.50 a year.

Better get on me bike then!

And if you're not impressed by saving a grand a year, just think if I did this for the whole of my career, that's 40-45 years or £40-45 THOUSAND POUNDS.

Even only ten years is £10K, not too shabby I say!

PS: ordered my brewing kit today, will hopefully have my first ale in a few weeks :):)


Loving the cycling shorts! Pic By Nova