A Simple Life of Luxury | Weblog

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Finding My Way in the Dark (Again)

I’ve been heading out on MTB night rides again lately. It’s something I used to do religiously every week, but it fell by the wayside while I was triathlon training and then dropped off the radar completely after my heart attack. Recently, though, I’ve decided it’s a good way to ease myself back into some...

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Seeking Clarity: My Contact Lens Journey Begins

Yes, I’m getting older, and I’ve been wearing glasses for a while now. I need varifocal lenses as I can’t be bothered to carry more than one pair around or keep swapping between them. My distance vision isn’t too bad but does need a little help, while my near vision needs quite a boost these...

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Because Why Wouldn’t You Add Off-Road Mods to a Robot Mower?

Our robot lawn mowers might be in winter hibernation mode, but the off-season is the perfect time for… upgrades. On a recent trip to Bristol, my Dad deployed his 3D printer (aka the family’s unofficial R&D department) to produce a pair of traction rings for the wheels on our Mammotion Yuka Mini. Now, the stock...

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Maximising Solar and Off-Peak Tariffs: More Storage, More Savings

Having had our solar panels and home battery storage system for four years now, we’ve grown used to its capabilities and the money it saves us. It’s also given us time to evaluate it and decide where best to upgrade next. The obvious choice was to add more battery capacity — so that’s exactly what...

The Lake 0

Bands, Fayres, and Festive Cheer

I think we’re beginning to slip properly into the Christmas spirit now. Anna probably has been for a while thanks to the various Christmas concerts and carolling she’s been doing with the band, but I joined her for the festive fun at the weekend too. After a gentle run around Borth on Sunday morning, we...

Xmas inflatables 1

An Early Start to Christmas

It’s December, just, but we kicked off the Christmas events slightly early this year with a pre-Christmas trip to family in Bristol. Logistics meant going a week or so earlier than usual, so we weren’t quite in full festive flow yet, but it turned out to be a good way to get things started. It...

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Old Men Windsurfing

With a decent forecast for wind, Steve and I planned a windsurf session on Sunday once again. I therefore didn’t go for my usual Sunday morning run — I didn’t think my joints were quite up to that before a windsurf session. I had at least managed a nice mountain bike ride on Saturday afternoon,...

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Robot Rest and Recuperation

With the temperatures dropping and the days shortening, I’m hoping the grass has finally stopped growing. Time, therefore, to give the robot mowers some well-deserved rest and recuperation and let them hibernate for the winter. That was my chore for Saturday morning. It was a grey, slightly damp, chilly day — but not too bad...

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Morgan’s Next Adventure: A Winter in Japan

I’m sure I must have mentioned it here at some point, but Morgan is currently in Japan. After spending the best part of a year in Canada — working in the kitchens at a ski resort in Banff and then heading out to Vancouver Island — he came home for a year, and has now...

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New Car Day

It’s been a week of new things — hot on the heels of a new bike comes a new car! Our previous car, a Hyundai Kona, was the first brand-new car we’d ever leased, and our first electric car too. To say we loved it would be an understatement. Obviously, the fact that it was...