I like audible too, good to stick your headphones in on the train if you can't be bothered to read yourself after a long day. And I like that if the book is rubbish you can swap it.
Between that and podcasts I never have to (/had to, working from home at the moment) listen to versions of 'train guy'.
My wife swears by hers but I still prefer to read from a proper book. I just like the feel and sometimes smell of holding a book. They do take up less room though.
My dry herb vape's pretty nifty. It doesn't reek and it's much better for my lungs than the combustion alternatives. A bit of a life saver during lock down.
Having Sonos all around the house, including garden and cabin.
How difficult is that to do mate and what sort of outlay?
We've got Sonos through the house, and it's super easy in terms of set up, just get the app on the phone and you set them up that way.
Outlay, they aren't cheap, we've got a mix of Sonos One's (£199) and the speakers they do with Ikea which range from £89. The sound quality, range of music and radio services is great, and they look good too
I've got the Sonos boost, so it's got its own network. A Sonos beam connected to my tv and had a couple of play one as surround sound, but Mrs GA didn't like the noise, so had to move them. Great when having a party and the same music all round. I did have all my music on a network drive, however nowadays I used Spotify to stream music.
10000% - I really don't get when people say it's much better reading a normal book. A kindle is infinitely more convient and easier. All your books on a device that fits in your pocket.
Anyone got a soup maker? Any good, and if so what brand etc?
Yes, my wife. She makes superb home made soup full of natural goodies, not overloaded with sugar & salt like the tins you buy in the shops. She makes a large batch and then we freeze it, lasts for ages.
I read a lot on my Kindle. As always there are pros and cons
Pros: Books are cheaper on the kindle, I read about 50 books a year and reckon I save a few hundred quid Kindle is very lighweight and easy to stick in your coat pocket Saves storage space
Cons: Maps are pretty rubbish on a kindle (at least on my paperwhite version). Not great if you like history books. Photos are black and white They aren't all that robust - you can expect to have to buy a new one every couple of years or so Because you don't see the cover every time you pick the book up you forget what you've read and who it's by.
Once finished I also move the book into a folder based on my rating out of 10. That way if I am at a loss for a new book, will go into say my 8/10 folder and look up other books by the authors in there.
Once finished I also move the book into a folder based on my rating out of 10. That way if I am at a loss for a new book, will go into say my 8/10 folder and look up other books by the authors in there.
The Chromecast was a good purchase, with the amount of streamed sport these days which I would otherwise have to watch on my pc or tablet
I quite like my gym walkman, a tiny MP3 player built into the earphones, great for exercise and waterproof too
I'm not a kitchen gadget person, but it baffles me why western TV chefs never have a rice cooker, when it makes cooking boiled rice a synch and saves cluttering up the hob with a saucepan just to cook rice. You can get a basic one for around £20 in Argos etc.
I used to use a kindle regularly, got through a couple over the last few years. But ive installed the (free) kindle app on my iPad and mobile so although I intended to buy another kindle I've found I don't need it anymore - I just use the app on the iPad at home (effectively replacing my kindle), and my mobile on the move (easier when commuting etc).
The app syncs your progress so can just pick up where I left off no matter which device I'm using.
The Chromecast was a good purchase, with the amount of streamed sport these days which I would otherwise have to watch on my pc or tablet
I quite like my gym walkman, a tiny MP3 player built into the earphones, great for exercise and waterproof too
I'm not a kitchen gadget person, but it baffles me why western TV chefs never have a rice cooker, when it makes cooking boiled rice a synch and saves cluttering up the hob with a saucepan just to cook rice. You can get a basic one for around £20 in Argos etc.
This is something every home in Hong Kong has. Cooking rice in a pan is a real kerfuffle.
On that subject, everybody also has one of these, a thermo pot electro pump kettle.
It boils water and then keeps it hot all day, so you just press the button and hot water comes out. Never have to wait for the kettle to boil. Just refill the tank every now and again. I couldn't live without one now.
Best gadget, that really came into its own even more during lockdown, is my Wahoo Kick'r smart bike trainer. It's turned my winter bike into an indoor exercise bike and, by linking up to various apps (FulGaz is my fave), I can cycle anywhere in the world, watching a 4k video via my ipad attached to my handlebars, with the resistance etc controlled by the smart trainer. Have been exploring California over last few weeks and then did a hill climb in Australia yesterday morning which flipping knackered me... Expensive bit of kit but been well worth it for me to help preserve some sanity over the last 6 months or so...
Does anyone have experience with a dry frier? I have a general disliking of fried food, it is greasy and super unhealthy. However, I've been informed a dry frier is much healthier and doesn't make your house smell like a Chinese takeaway.
Does anyone have experience with a dry frier? I have a general disliking of fried food, it is greasy and super unhealthy. However, I've been informed a dry frier is much healthier and doesn't make your house smell like a Chinese takeaway.
I've got one, it's great... Good for home made chips
The Chromecast was a good purchase, with the amount of streamed sport these days which I would otherwise have to watch on my pc or tablet
I quite like my gym walkman, a tiny MP3 player built into the earphones, great for exercise and waterproof too
I'm not a kitchen gadget person, but it baffles me why western TV chefs never have a rice cooker, when it makes cooking boiled rice a synch and saves cluttering up the hob with a saucepan just to cook rice. You can get a basic one for around £20 in Argos etc.
This is something every home in Hong Kong has. Cooking rice in a pan is a real kerfuffle.
On that subject, everybody also has one of these, a thermo pot electro pump kettle.
It boils water and then keeps it hot all day, so you just press the button and hot water comes out. Never have to wait for the kettle to boil. Just refill the tank every now and again. I couldn't live without one now.
Doesn't sound very eco or cost friendly. Is waiting for a kettle a real issue that people have?
Does anyone have experience with a dry frier? I have a general disliking of fried food, it is greasy and super unhealthy. However, I've been informed a dry frier is much healthier and doesn't make your house smell like a Chinese takeaway.
I've got one, it's great... Good for home made chips
How much oil do you use and does it make your house stink? Also, any recommendations?
Heated clothes airer, best item I've purchased in years. I was absolutely pissed off with every radiator in the house being draped with clothes all winter and the heating going on when it wasn't needed just to dry washing. We just flick it on, fill it up, zip the cover up and jobs a goodun. Only costs 0.04p per hour to run, has a timer and dries clothes in no time. Can't believe how sad my life has become when this item ends up my best gadget...
Anyone got a soup maker? Any good, and if so what brand etc?
Yes Morphy Richards Saute and Soup. Plus point is that you only have one thing to wash up and you don't worry about anything after it's switched on. It does the sweating of veg and you can choose a blended soup or chunky soup. Definitely saves time and effort and results perfect. Also you only make what you need. Don't know why, but before, my wife always ended up with a 2 gallon pot for two people.
The Chromecast was a good purchase, with the amount of streamed sport these days which I would otherwise have to watch on my pc or tablet
I quite like my gym walkman, a tiny MP3 player built into the earphones, great for exercise and waterproof too
I'm not a kitchen gadget person, but it baffles me why western TV chefs never have a rice cooker, when it makes cooking boiled rice a synch and saves cluttering up the hob with a saucepan just to cook rice. You can get a basic one for around £20 in Argos etc.
This is something every home in Hong Kong has. Cooking rice in a pan is a real kerfuffle.
On that subject, everybody also has one of these, a thermo pot electro pump kettle.
It boils water and then keeps it hot all day, so you just press the button and hot water comes out. Never have to wait for the kettle to boil. Just refill the tank every now and again. I couldn't live without one now.
Doesn't sound very eco or cost friendly. Is waiting for a kettle a real issue that people have?
When people drink water here it's usually hot. So boiling a kettle every time you want a cup of water is a pain. Eco wise, if you are using a kettle and only ever boiling the amount of water you need then the kettle is more efficient.
I like audible too, good to stick your headphones in on the train if you can't be bothered to read yourself after a long day. And I like that if the book is rubbish you can swap it.
Between that and podcasts I never have to (/had to, working from home at the moment) listen to versions of 'train guy'.
Can't be without Audible now. Easy to dip in and out of a book on the mobile/computer whether I'm at home, on the train or while in the car as it syncs with Car Play and Alexa. Sleep timer is handy for listening last thing at night.
Comments
Between that and podcasts I never have to (/had to, working from home at the moment) listen to versions of 'train guy'.
10000% - I really don't get when people say it's much better reading a normal book. A kindle is infinitely more convient and easier. All your books on a device that fits in your pocket.
Pros:
Books are cheaper on the kindle, I read about 50 books a year and reckon I save a few hundred quid
Kindle is very lighweight and easy to stick in your coat pocket
Saves storage space
Cons:
Maps are pretty rubbish on a kindle (at least on my paperwhite version). Not great if you like history books. Photos are black and white
They aren't all that robust - you can expect to have to buy a new one every couple of years or so
Because you don't see the cover every time you pick the book up you forget what you've read and who it's by.
As much as I would like to sack Amazon off they do insist on doing things that work really well like the Kindle and the privacy invading Alexa
I quite like my gym walkman, a tiny MP3 player built into the earphones, great for exercise and waterproof too
I'm not a kitchen gadget person, but it baffles me why western TV chefs never have a rice cooker, when it makes cooking boiled rice a synch and saves cluttering up the hob with a saucepan just to cook rice. You can get a basic one for around £20 in Argos etc.
The app syncs your progress so can just pick up where I left off no matter which device I'm using.
On that subject, everybody also has one of these, a thermo pot electro pump kettle.
It boils water and then keeps it hot all day, so you just press the button and hot water comes out. Never have to wait for the kettle to boil. Just refill the tank every now and again. I couldn't live without one now.
We just flick it on, fill it up, zip the cover up and jobs a goodun. Only costs 0.04p per hour to run, has a timer and dries clothes in no time. Can't believe how sad my life has become when this item ends up my best gadget...