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This includes everything  else I discuss on Pounds and Sense, including Health, Holidays, Relationships, and so on.

my coronavirus Crisis Experience - February 2021 Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: February 2021 Update

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Here is my latest Coronavirus Crisis Update. Regular readers will know I have been posting these since the first lockdown started in the spring of 2020 (you can read my January 2021 update here if you like).

I plan to continue these updates until we are clearly over the pandemic and something resembling normal life has resumed. Obviously, I very much hope that will be sooner rather than later.

As ever, I will begin by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to hear what is happening with this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my main portfolio has been through some ups and downs. It is currently valued at £19,008. Last month it stood at £18,886, so it is at least up a little (£122) overall.

Nutmeg main portfolio Feb 2021

As you may recall, two months ago I put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. The value of this pot rose as high as £1,037 in mid-January, though it currently stands at a more modest £1,010. Here is a screen capture showing performance to date, though obviously it is far too early to draw any conclusions from this.

Nutmeg Smart Alpha Feb 2021

You can see my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer at the end for PAS readers).

Incidentally, I was recently asked by Nutmeg to contribute an article about my ‘Investing Journey’ for their blog. This was published in early January and you can read it here if you like. In the original version I was more explicit about why I left the charity I used to work for (basically a personality clash with the new Director who saw me as a rival). Nutmeg presumably decided this might ruffle a few feathers – even 25 years on! – so they changed it to something blandly neutral. Anyway, I thought I should let you know, as the opening section reads a little oddly now 🙂

The Nutmeg article brought quite a few new subscribers to this blog – so if that includes you, welcome to Pounds and Sense! I do hope you find my posts interesting.

Moving on, I had an email this week from the peer-to-peer lending platform RateSetter saying that all their lending activity is being transferred to Metro Bank (which now owns RateSetter). All investor accounts are therefore closing at the start of April, with investors’ money being returned to them in full along with all interest due.

I know some RateSetter investors are unhappy about this, but personally in these turbulent times I’m just glad to be getting my money back with interest. I originally invested £1,000 in September 2018 with an eye to claiming the £100 new investor bonus. The latter was duly credited to my account a year later, so by April I expect there to be a total of around £1,180 in my account. That equates to an annual interest rate of around 7%, which I am perfectly happy with.

This last year has undoubtedly been tough for P2P lending companies, with rising default rates and withdrawal requests along with reduced demand for loans. This has caused some platforms to experience cashflow problems and bad publicity. The only other one I have any money left with is ZOPA, which has also had a challenging year. I have only a few hundred pounds left in ZOPA as I switched some time ago from reinvesting repayments to withdrawing them. I’m not sure I can see much of a future for P2P lending in the UK, but of course in these unique times anything is possible. I don’t foresee myself putting any more money into P2P lending for a while, though.

I also heard recently from Property Partner. As you may know, this is a property crowdfunding platform. A few years ago, when I was investing regularly in property crowdfunding, I put around £5,000 into twenty or so properties on this platform.

Anyway, the email revealed that the first property I bought shares in has now reached its fifth anniversary. All investors therefore have the opportunity to sell up at the current independent valuation or else continue for a further five years. I voted to sell my shares, since (as mentioned in this recent post) I am currently trying to reduce the total amount I have invested in property crowdfunding.

The way the five-year anniversary process works is that all shares owned by investors who want to sell are bundled together and put up for sale on the Property Partner site. Assuming they are all bought by other investors, everyone who voted to sell then gets their money back at the current valuation. If that doesn’t happen, Property Partner put the property concerned up for sale. But obviously that is likely to take months and there is no guarantee the valuation price will be achieved. So you might end up getting back less than anticipated (or perhaps more in a best-case scenario).

Obviously I’m hoping this process goes smoothly and I get my money back soon. I would comment, though, that many of the properties that are coming up to their five-year anniversary are on offer on the resale market at well under the current valuation price. So if you are of a speculative persuasion, there is an opportunity to buy shares now at a discount and maybe make a quick-ish profit through selling up via the five-year anniversary process. I must admit I am tempted to try this, but haven’t made a decision yet!

Moving on, my two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any fuss. As I am semi-retired but don’t yet qualify for the state pension, the £450 or so I receive from them every month represents a major part of my monthly income currently. I am also looking forward to receiving a substantial lump-sum payment in April when my first investment with them matures.

As I’ve said before, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. If you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years – and you like the idea of doing a bit of good with your money too – they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website. Note that you can’t invest with Buy2LetCars through an ISA, so the interest part of the final payment will have some tax deducted. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to reclaim this.

Finally, several more readers have now signed up with the low-key matched betting opportunity mentioned in some previous updates. New members are still being accepted, but the company has had to reduce their payouts slightly. New members now receive £50 a month for the first six months, reducing to £25 a month thereafter. Considering that this opportunity is cost-free, risk-free and hands-free, that’s still a pretty good deal, though 🙂

As I said above, this opportunity is based on matched betting, a sideline-earning opportunity I have been pursuing for several years myself. I was asked not to divulge too many details about it publicly, for good reasons I will explain privately to anyone who may be interested (and no, it’s not illegal!). As I said above, it doesn’t require any financial outlay, is entirely hands-off, and will provide a passive income of £50 a month for the first six months and £25 a month thereafter.

No knowledge of betting is required, and you don’t have to place any bets yourself (this is all done by the company’s clever software). You just have to set up a separate bank account for bets to go through, but running the account is entirely financed by the company. Please note that this opportunity is only open to honest, trustworthy people who haven’t done matched betting before and have no more than two accounts already with online bookmakers. For more info (and to receive a no-obligation invitation) drop me a line including your email address via my Contact Me page.

Personal

I don’t know about you, but January to me has felt a very long month. It’s been cold, damp and depressing, with the whole country stuck in what seems like a never-ending lockdown.

As you may know, I live on my own since my partner, Jayne, passed away a few years ago. I am lucky to live in a fairly large house with a good-sized garden, so being mostly confined to home hasn’t been as big a challenge for me as I’m sure it has for some. Also, I am well used to working from home, having done this for the last 30 years or so. Even so, being unable to see friends and family has been hard for me, as has the closure of my local swimming pool (which I used to visit twice a week). And I appreciate that in many ways I am one of the lucky ones. I don’t have any major financial worries, and I’m not trying to home-school any children!

I did have a ‘day out’ at the end of January when I had to go to the eye clinic at Burton Hospital for a follow-up appointment. As regular readers will know, in the autumn I was diagnosed with a perforated retina in the left eye. I had laser treatment for this, and my January appointment was to assess how successful it had been.

As it turned out, there was some good news and some bad. The consultant told me that the treatment had been three-quarters successful. In one area it hadn’t ‘taken’, meaning I needed top-up treatment. He administered this then and there. I guess he cranked up the laser a bit, as unlike my first treatment it was somewhat painful and I had a headache for a couple of days afterwards. I have to go back at the start of March for what I very much hope will be a final check-up. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Because they put drops in my eyes at these appointments, I can’t drive. I therefore took a taxi to the hospital and caught the train back. On previous occasions the trains have been very quiet, but there were noticeably more passengers this time. The roads too seemed pretty busy. I get the impression that people are (understandably) becoming fed up with lockdown now and the government’s Stay At Home message isn’t being as well complied with. Not a criticism, just an observation.

I am still aiming to go out for a walk once a day, though with some of the bad weather in January, I have missed a few. Here is a photo of my front garden about a fortnight ago 😮

snowy garden

On the plus side, I do enjoy watching the snow as long as I don’t have any essential trips to make. And I like to go for a walk in it once it has fallen. It was lovely to see (and hear) the local children getting out their sledges and enjoying some much-needed fun during these difficult times.

As far as evening entertainment is concerned, I finished my box-set of the tongue-in-cheek detective series Agatha Raisin and am happy to recommend that. On a similar note, I am enjoying the new (second) series of The Mallorca Files, which is currently on BBC iPlayer. It is just a shame that because of the pandemic they were only able to record six episodes.

Also, inspired by this post by my fellow blogger Caz, I have been investigating what is on offer on Amazon Prime Video. I have Amazon Prime mainly for the fast, free deliveries. But of course members do get access to a range of free films and TV series as well.

Anyway, I found a couple of series I really enjoyed. Being a Star Trek fan, I had to check out Lower Decks, a cartoon series focusing on the junior ranks on board one of the Federation’s least illustrious starships, the USS Cerritos. This has some great laugh-out-loud moments but some good stories as well. There are plenty of allusions to familiar Star Trek tropes that will keep any fan of the franchise amused. Watch out also for an appearance by an evil incarnation of Microsoft’s infamous ‘Office Assistant’ Clippy!

  • Of course, if you’re a Star Trek fan and haven’t yet seen Star Trek: Picard featuring the great Patrick Stewart as the eponymous hero, you should definitely watch this on Amazon Prime Video as well 🙂

The other series I enjoyed is Undone. Indeed, this is one of the best things I’ve seen on TV for quite a while. It’s almost impossible to describe, but it’s an animation that combines elements of mystery, comedy, romance, science fiction/fantasy, and more. And all with stunning, almost psychedelic, imagery, and strong acting and characterization. Here’s a screen capture that will give you some idea of the style. If you watch nothing else on Amazon Prime Video, give this a try..

Undone

Going back to the pandemic, there has at least been some good news this month. The vaccine roll-out has been going well – I’ve just heard that 10 million people have now had their first injection – and the number of new cases has been falling rapidly. As a 65-year-old I have not yet been called for vaccination but assume this is likely to happen fairly soon.

I do hope these developments will allow lockdown and other restrictions to be eased in the coming weeks, as in my view they are causing grave harm to people’s physical and mental well-being. In particular, I would like to see schools reopen, along with swimming pools and gyms. I would also like to see pubs, restaurants and hotels allowed to reopen before many have to close their doors for good. In the (slightly) longer term I would like to see all restrictions lifted so that normal life can resume. I am not a fan of mandatory masks and would like to see them made optional for those who believe they offer some useful protection from the virus (personally I have never been convinced of this).

As always, I hope you are staying safe and sane during these challenging times. If you have any comments or questions, please do post them below.

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Sod 60! Review

Review: Sod 60! The Guide to Living Well

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As I just hit 65, I thought now would be the perfect time to take a look at Sod 60! The Guide to Living Well.

As you may know, this is a best-selling book by Claire Parker and Sir Muir Gray, published by Bloomsbury. I bought a hardback copy from Amazon. A slightly cheaper ebook version for Kindle is also available.

  • Sir Muir Gray is also the author of Sod 70!, a similar healthy living guide aimed at the over-70s.

Review

Sod 60! is 232 pages long. The text – which is very readable – is broken up by lots of sub-headings, diagrams and cartoon-style illustrations (by David Mostyn). There are nine main chapters, each covering an aspect of how to live well in your sixties. The chapter titles are as follows:

  1. Getting Older Doesn’t Matter – Getting Active and Getting Attitude Does
  2. Keeping Active is Fitness Friendly
  3. Your Attitude and Its Soulmates: Mind and Mood
  4. Keeping Your Metabolism Healthy
  5. Take Care of Your…Bits
  6. Rhythm and Blues
  7. Stuff Happens
  8. Decisions, Decisions
  9. Health Care: Choosing and Using It Wisely

Some of those chapter titles are self-explanatory, others less so. For example, Chapter 5 ‘Take Care of Your…Bits’ isn’t about what you might think. It actually covers looking after different parts of your body, from your brain to your feet. Sexual health is then covered in Chapter 6, ‘Rhythm and Blues’. Those both seem pretty odd choices of chapter title to me, but I suppose the aim was to help give the book a ‘quirky’ personality.

That small criticism aside, the style of the book is friendly and relatable. It’s also down to earth and practical, and I like the way that the text is interspersed with exercises, resolutions, and so on. It is very much a hands-on, practical guide.

Sod 60! concerns the importance of looking after your body and mind as you grow older. The authors stress the need to stay as active as you can, both physically and mentally.

Chapter 2 includes a range of physical exercises to try, and also sets out some general principles for exercising healthily as you get older. I thought this was one of the most useful chapters in the book.

Chapter 3, which focuses on attitude, mind and mood, is also very good. It looks at the importance of keeping a positive attitude, and staying connected with friends and family, your neighbours, local community, and so on. It also discusses maintaining a good relationship with your partner (assuming you have one). Getting enough sleep and dealing with stress are covered as well, though not in great detail.

Chapter 4 ‘Keeping your Metabolism Healthy’ focuses on diet and weight. The authors advocate following a balanced and varied Mediterranean-style diet, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. That seems eminently sensible to me. I wouldn’t say there was much in this chapter I hadn’t heard before, and some of the advice such as avoiding sugary drinks struck me as stating the obvious. But this is of course very important to long-term health, so I guess it had to be said.

Chapter 5, as I’ve already mentioned, focuses on different organs/parts of the body. It discusses how to keep each one healthy, and warning signs to look out for as you get older. It also covers age-related changes and what you may be able to do to help prevent problems. Having a good diet, staying active, giving up smoking and reducing alcohol intake all crop up quite frequently. Again, there were no huge surprises for me here.

Chapter 6 is about sexual health and related matters such as bladder and (for men) prostate problems. On the sexual side, the advice could be broadly summed up in five words: Use it or lose it! The advice on matters such as urinary incontinence is – to be honest – a bit depressing, but nonetheless important to be aware of.

Chapter 7 ‘Stuff Happens’ is also a bit depressing, though again it covers some important topics. These include how to deal with the problems later life can throw at you, including depression, isolation, bereavement, serious illness, and so on. There is some excellent advice here, especially on the importance of cultivating and maintaining a support network of friends, relatives, health professionals, and so on.

Finally, Chapters 8 and 9 are both about healthcare and could easily have been combined in my opinion. They look at such matters as how to navigate healthcare decisions, self-care to prevent (or at least mitigate) serious health problems, drugs and vaccinations, and so forth.

In Conclusion

Overall I thought Sod 60! was a useful guide for sixty-somethings though maybe not an earth-shattering one. The book covers a range of issues that anyone in their sixties will need to think about and prepare for. It was first published in 2016, so there is no reference to the Coronavirus pandemic. The advice in the book still applies and in some ways is even more cogent now. With the UK still in lockdown at the time of writing, for example, we all need our support networks more than ever at the moment…

Sod 60! is really a ‘mind and body’ book. It doesn’t cover financial issues such as pensions and benefits (and indeed doesn’t claim to). And it doesn’t have much to say about the challenges and opportunities retirement can bring, or the pros and cons of carrying on working. For advice on these and similar matters, something like the annual Good Retirement Guide (which I hope to review soon) would be good. And keep on reading Pounds and Sense, of course!

If you want a readable and entertaining guide to making the most of your sixties and preserving your physical and mental health, though, Sod 60! would certainly fit the bill. It would also make a great (and relatively inexpensive) birthday or Christmas gift for anyone in this age category.

As ever, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: As with many posts on Pounds and Sense, this post includes affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a modest commission for introducing you. This will not affect in any way the price you pay or the product or service you receive.

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How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

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For many of us (including me) the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic is playing havoc with our sleep patterns. That’s bad news for a variety of reasons.

Scientifically it’s been proven we all need at least 6 to 9 hours sleep a night. The amount required varies between individuals. It also reduces a little as we get older (though not as much as some people would have you believe).

Getting enough good-quality sleep is essential for a number of reasons. For one thing, sleep is when our body repairs itself so it is ready to face another day. In addition, scientists now believe that sleep – REM sleep when we are dreaming especially – plays an important role in consolidating learning and memories from the day before.

Not getting enough sleep leaves us tired and irritable, more prone to anxiety and depression, less able to concentrate and be productive. It may also make us more likely to put on weight, weaken our immune system, and increase our risk of heart disease.

So today I thought I’d share some top tips for sleeping better at this stressful time. Some of these are from my own experience (and research) while others have been contributed by my fellow UK bloggers. I hope you will find some helpful ideas among them…

Top Tips for Sleeping Better

1. Try to Keep to a Regular Routine

Aim to go to sleep at the same time every day and at weekends. This well help set your body clock and ensure you are able to get to sleep quickly and wake up refreshed and ready to start the day.

2. Make Your Bedroom as Dark as Possible

Darkness signals to your body it is time to sleep and stimulates the production of our natural sleep hormone, melatonin. Avoid as much as possible light from electrical devices such as mobile phones and TVs on stand-by. Ideally such devices should be banished from the bedroom completely or at least covered up at night.

I also recommend having blackout curtains or blinds in the bedroom. These can cut out light from outside almost completely. Until I got blackout curtains I got woken up on various occasions by the security lights on the house opposite when (I assume) a fox or something passed by in the early hours.

3. Brighten Your Mornings, Dim Your Evenings

Try to get some natural light (ideally sunlight) as soon as possible after waking up. In the evening, though, dim the lights, especially in the hour or two before bedtime. This all helps strengthen your daily rhythm of sleep and wakefulness.

4. Exercise Daily, but not in the Evening

Getting enough exercise is crucial to sleeping well. But do it in the morning if possible. Exercising then will energise you for the rest of the day, and later ensure that you are physically tired enough to sleep well. By contrast, if you exercise in the evening, this will speed up your metabolism, raise your body temperature, and stimulate the production of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This is not a problem if you’re taking exercise in the morning or afternoon, but too close to bed and it can interfere with your sleep.

5. Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol at Night

I guess for many of you this is stating the obvious. Nonetheless, it’s worth pointing out that caffeine is a natural stimulant and can interfere with sleep if taken at night.

Coffee is the best known source of caffeine, but tea contains it as well (even green tea). People vary in their sensitivity to caffeine. Even so, for most folk a milky bedtime drink is likely to be a better choice. Or you could drink decaffeinated coffee. Personally, though, I find this generally tastes like dishwater, and prefer simply to avoid coffee from afternoon onward.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is a nervous system depressant. This means it can help you to sleep, but the quality of your sleep is likely to be impaired. For one thing, it can be dehydrating, meaning you wake up in the middle of the night needing water. You may also have to get up for additional bathroom visits. And drinking alcohol can make you more prone to snoring, which can affect your sleep quality (and that of your partner!).

6. Change Your Mattress

Many of us keep our mattresses for too long before changing them. Ideally you should get a new mattress every eight years or so. Old mattresses tend to lose their spring and become lumpy and uncomfortable. Even worse, detritus can build up in them including dead skin cells and dust mites. This can cause allergic reactions, affecting your sleep quality.

7. Get Comfortable Pillows

Like mattresses, many of us wait too long before changing our pillows, but for similar reasons they need to be changed regularly (as a rule of thumb every one to two years). A pillow of the right size and firmness will hold your head in a comfortable, ‘neutral’ position while you sleep, ensuring you don’t wake up with a stiff, aching neck in the morning.

The type of pillow you get is a matter of individual preference. Personally I like feather and down, but others may prefer memoryfoam or microfibre. In any event, it’s important to choose your pillows carefully, and don’t begrudge paying a bit more for quality – it will be an investment in your health.

8. Don’t Eat Late at Night

Eating late will raise your blood sugar level at a time when it should be falling and make it harder to get to sleep. It may also, of course, cause indigestion. If you want a late night snack, something light like cheese and biscuits, a piece of fruit, or a bowl of cereal may fit the bill. In any event, you should try to avoid eating anything from an hour before you go bed.

9. Keep Your Bedroom Cool and Quiet

The optimum temperature for sleeping is between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius. Obviously it can be difficult to ensure that your room stays at this temperature all night, especially in the depths of winter and the heights of summer. Do what you can to stay cool (though not cold) all night, though, and your sleep quality will improve as a result.

Noise can be another obstacle to sleeping. This will obviously depend a lot on where you live, how much traffic there is outside, and how quiet (or otherwise) your neighbours are. Even if noise is a problem, however, there are things you can do to improve matters. Earplugs are one solution, though they don’t suit everyone. And a fan or similar device can help drown out noises from outside (personally I have a dust extractor which whirs away quietly all night and clears the air as well as covering up other noises). Finally, there are lots of free smartphone apps that will generate relaxing background sounds to help you sleep, with rain and sea sounds especially popular.

10. Wind Down at Night

Try to spend the hour before going to bed doing a calming activity such as reading, listening to music or even meditating. Try to avoid touchy discussions, work-related worries and so on. All this will help put your mind and body into sleep mode. If possible avoid using electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones late at night, as the blue light they emanate can make it harder to fall asleep.

11. Bath Before Bedtime

This is something I swear by myself. A warm bath is a great of way of relaxing your body and easing the tensions of the day in preparation for sleep. Adding a few drops of lavender oil can assist in this. You can also add bath cream or bubble bath if that’s your thing.

12. Ask for Help

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask your GP if your sleep problems continue for more than a few weeks. She will be able to check to see if a health condition — such as acid reflux, arthritis, asthma, or depression — or a medicine you take may be part of the problem. She will also be able to talk you through any lifestyle changes or medications that might be helpful.

I haven’t mentioned sleeping pills until now. Personally I am dubious about taking these if I don’t have to, and concerned that I might become dependent on them. There are, though, various natural/herbal remedies you can try, including chamomile tea and St John’s Wort.

I have also had good results from a health supplement called 5-HTP, which is made from the African plant Griffonia. This boosts the production in the body of serotonin (the so-called happy hormone) and can therefore help with depression. But serotonin is also a precursor to melatonin, our body’s natural sleep hormone. I take one of these at night if I have had a stressful day and do find they seem to improve my quality of sleep. Below is a link to one such supplement on Amazon. Read the description and reviews and see what you think. But if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, I would strongly recommend speaking to your GP before you start supplementing with 5-HTP (or anything else).

Top Tips from UK Bloggers

As mentioned above, I also asked my UK blogging friends to let me know what worked well from them. Here are some of the answers they came up with…

Joanna from My Anxious Life says: ‘I like to play little games or make lists in my head. I often play “I Went To The Shop And I Bought…” or the Alphabet Game, for example listing all the foods beginning with C or all the girls names beginning with S. It helps to give me something simple and repetitive to concentrate on other than my constant stream of thoughts. It’s the adult’s version of counting sheep!’

Kier from Beyond the Blues says, ‘I always open my window about half an hour-ish before I’m going to go to bed so that it’s extra cold in my bedroom, and then I take my hot water bottle to bed when I’m ready to sleep. I don’t know what it is about sleeping in a cold bed with a hot water bottle but it just makes me feel so calm and cosy that I fall asleep pretty quick!’

Nikki from Best Brunch or Breakfast says, ‘When I want to go straight to sleep, I have a really hot bath. Not a relaxing soak – a REALLY hot bath (be sensible and don’t end up in A&E, obviously!). When I get out I get quickly dry and then I am that exhausted I fall straight asleep!’

Claire from Stapo’s Thrifty Life Hacks says, ‘I put my phone on charge away from the bed and get my Soothe Kit out, which has lots of comforting bits in it. Everyone’s Soothe Kit will be different, depending on what works for them, but mine contains herbal tea, a colouring book, some slime, a lavender body lotion and my favourite blanket. The items relax me and take my mind off the day’s worries.’

Emma from Bee Money Savvy says, ‘This may contradict a lot of advice about avoiding electronic devices before bed but right now I’m finding playing Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch really soothing before bed. My advice would be to find something that relaxes you; whether that’s a game, doing yoga, meditating or having a bath in the hours leading up to bedtime.’

Rebecca from Views From My Garden Bench says, ‘I was an insomniac for years until I worked out what helped me – calm spoken words or classical music. At the moment, I’m listening to Patrick Stewart reading a Shakespeare sonnet a day – his voice is so restful, and because it’s poetry there is a cadence to his words. Also I listen to modern classical music from Ludovico Einaudi [Italian pianist and composer].’

Chloe from Nyxie’s Nook recommends making your bedroom a ‘sleep-friendly haven’ and more in her blog post titled How to Get to Sleep for Night Owls.

Anna from Goodness Me Nutrition says, ‘I’m a nutritional therapist and write about gut health and sleep. Allowing three hours between your last meal of the day and sleep makes a big dfference. Eating in time with your circadian rhythms is a big factor.’

Joanna who blogs at Joanna Journals says, ‘For me, I find that the best way to sleep soundly is simply to have a routine. When I was at uni, I slept so badly because I just had no sleeping pattern, but in my final year, and now I’m working, I have a set bedtime and wake-up time, and I fall asleep so quickly and soundly. It really is amazing how our bodies work; once we’ve got used to our body clock, it works wonders!’

Victoria from Semi Charmed Life says, ‘White noise really helps me. I usually have a fan on when I sleep which does the trick (and keeps the air circulating, making me feel better).’

Georgia of Big Fashion Talk says, ‘I add on my pillow some drops of lavender essential oil and it has helped me tremendously!‘

Anne from The Platinum Line says, ‘I find I need to keep to a routine. I still get up and dressed at about 8 o’clock and try to stick to regular meal times. I find I am sleeping better as there is less traffic noise and our student neighbours are at home.’

Ren from Queer Little Family says, ‘I’m an insomniac and my general advice is if you can’t get to sleep don’t force it. Get up and start again. Go have a cup of tea, spend twenty minutes, half an hour away from your bed and from trying to sleep. Then go back to bed and try again. It doesn’t always work but it breaks it up.’

Marina from Marina Writes Life says, ‘Back in the day, I used to search up techniques on how to sleep better and ways to make you fall asleep as, quite frankly, I was really struggling due to the stresses of college, etc. I found a list of foods based on old wives’ tales that supposedly make you sleepy, two of which were chocolate and banana (there were others like turkey and sunflower seeds, but as a midnight snack – ew). Five years later, still to this day, I eat a chocolate and banana toastie at night when I can’t sleep and, honestly, it works a treat!’

Rob from The Sober Odyssey says, ‘I’ve taken CBD oil for the more than six months and found that has helped with much better sleep. Then giving up alcohol in January improved my sleep even more. I track my sleep with my Fitbit.’

Finally, Marie from Broke Girl in the City says, ‘Write a list of the important things you need to do in the evening to prevent yourself from worrying. Also, nice clean sheets work a treat!’ Marie also has a great blog post with tips for sleeping better from UK money bloggers. It was published specially for Mental Health Awareness Week, 18-24 May 2020. Here’s a link to her post.

  • Persistent ear infections such as Otitis Externa (Swimmer’s Ear) can also disrupt sleep as well as reducing quality of life generally. The specialist ear doctors at Auris Ear Care can diagnose and treat your condition in the comfort and safety of your own home using their fully mobile and CQC-regulated service.

Many thanks again to my UK blogging friends for their tips and ideas. Please do take a moment to check out their blogs!

Final Thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and it has given you some ideas to try if sleeping is a problem for you. I am definitely going to try out chocolate and banana toasties 😀

This is undoubtedly a difficult and stressful time, but hopefully there are at least a few signs of light at the end of the tunnel now. If you need advice and support, however, don’t be afraid to reach out to others, be they friends and family, counsellors and chaplains, financial advisers, healthcare professionals, and so on. And make time to contact people whom you know may be struggling right now or you simply haven’t heard from for a while. We really are all in this together, and by supporting one another we will make it through together to better times ahead.

Good luck, and sleep well!

  • As always, if you have any comments or questions about anything in this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: This post includes Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small fee from Amazon as a reward for introducing you. This will not affect the price you pay or the product or service you receive.

Note: This is an update of a post first published last year.

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My Coronavirus Crisis Experience January 2021 Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: January 2021 Update

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Happy New Year! Here’s hoping it’s a better one for all of us than the year just past 🙁

I shall be continuing my monthly coronavirus crisis updates in 2021, at least till we are clearly over the pandemic and something resembling normal life has resumed. Obviously I very much hope that will be sooner rather than later.

Regular readers will know I have been posting these updates since the first lockdown started in the spring of 2020 (you can read my December 2020 update here if you like).

As ever, I will begin by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to hear what is happening with this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my main portfolio has continued on a generally upward trajectory and is currently valued at £18,886. Last month it stood at £18,008, so it has gone up by over £800 in value since then. Considering national and world events at the moment, I am more than happy with this.

Nutmeg January 2021

As you may recall, about a month ago I put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. This pot has risen as high as £1,015 in value and currently stands at £1,007. Here is a screen capture showing performance to date, though obviously it is far too early to draw any conclusions from this.

Nutmeg Smart Alpha

You can see my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer for PAS readers). As a matter of interest I was recently asked by Nutmeg to contribute an article about my investing journey for their blog. I will add a link to the article here once it is published.

I had some bad financial news last month from Crowdlords, one of the property crowdfunding platforms I invested with. Three years ago I put £3,000 into a development project to build what was originally described as six eco-homes (it has lately been known more prosaically as Kennington Road). An update on the Crowdlords website revealed that due to a ‘perfect storm’ of problems caused directly or indirectly by the pandemic, the development had made a loss and investors would receive no returns. At a stroke I lost £3,000, which was (as you may imagine) a bitter pill to swallow.

I plan to write a more in-depth post about this soon, including lessons learned from the experience. But i will say two things now. One is that property development projects are inherently very risky and you shouldn’t invest in them unless it really is money you can afford to lose in a worst-case scenario. And second, while I don’t blame Crowdlords themselves for the failure of this project, I do think their communications about it could have been a lot better. I also think it would be a nice gesture if they were to offer modest ex-gratia compensation payments from their own profits to investors who have been hit hard (I know some people lost a lot more than I did). Events such as this clearly damage the reputation of property crowdfunding and mean investors are less likely to risk their money this way in future. I know I shall certainly be a lot more cautious now!

  • In fairness to Crowdlords I should add that I have had other investments on their platform which did deliver the promised returns, However, with the loss described above I am certainly down overall with them.

On a brighter note, a couple of the loans I invested in with Kuflink were repaid (with interest) last month, and I duly reinvested the money in other loans.

Kuflink is primarily a platform for investing in bridging loans, and generally these are safer than development projects such as the one mentioned above. There is still a risk of loss, of course, but as your investment is secured by bricks and mortar, it is unlikely you would lose all your money (though delays in repaying loans can and do happen). I have a diversified portfolio of loans with them paying annual interest rates of 6 to 7.5 percent. These days I generally invest a few hundred pounds per loan at most (and quite often under £100). My days of putting four-figure sums into any single property investment are definitely behind me now!

As you may be aware, I recently updated my full Kuflink review. You can read it here if you like. They recently passed the milestone of £100 million loaned, and say that since their launch no investor has lost money on the platform. I’d particularly draw your attention to their revised and more generous cashback offer for new investors. They are now paying cashback on new investments from as little as £500 (it used to be £1,000). And if you are looking to invest larger amounts, you can earn up to a maximum of £4,000 in cashback. That is one of the best cashback offers I have seen anywhere (though admittedly you will need to invest £100,000 or more to receive that!).

Moving on, my two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any fuss. As I am semi-retired but don’t yet qualify for the state pension, the £450 or so I receive from them every month represents a major part of my monthly income currently.

As you may remember, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. If you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years – and you like the idea of doing a bit of good with your money too – they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website.

Finally, I am still getting a few queries about the low-key matched betting opportunity mentioned in some previous updates. I checked with my contact there and they are still accepting new members, but for reasons related to the pandemic have had to reduce their payouts slightly. New members now receive £50 a month for the first six months, reducing to £25 a month thereafter. Considering that this opportunity is cost-free, risk-free and hands-free, that’s still a pretty good deal, though 🙂

As I said above, this opportunity is based on matched betting, a sideline-earning opportunity I have been pursuing for several years myself. I was asked not to divulge too many details about it publicly, for good reasons I will explain privately to anyone who may be interested (and no, it’s not illegal!). As I said above, it doesn’t require any financial outlay, is entirely hands-off, and will provide a passive income of £50 a month for the first six months and £25 a month thereafter.

No knowledge of betting is required, and you won’t have to place any bets yourself (this is all done by the company’s clever software). You just have to set up a separate bank account for bets to go through, but running the account is entirely financed by the company. Please note though that this opportunity is only open to trustworthy people who haven’t done matched betting before and have no more than two accounts already with online bookmakers. For more info (and to receive a no-obligation invitation) drop me a line including your email address via my Contact Me page.

Personal

December was another strange month in a depressing year.

A week before Christmas I had my 65th birthday. Normally reaching that landmark would be cause for celebration, but inevitably in the circumstances it was low key. I did at least manage to meet up with a couple of old friends for a birthday tea (don’t tell Matt Hancock!). It was great to see them and they did their best to make the occasion feel special. We had some laughs and a very nice cake, but it still wasn’t anything like I might have imagined my 65th. I didn’t even have the small consolation of being able to start claiming my state pension, as I am in the cohort of people for whom the age has just been raised to 66.

Work-wise it has remained very quiet (as you probably know, I’m a semi-retired freelance writer/editor). I’ve had very little paid work since the pandemic started and was grateful to receive further financial support from the government’s SEISS scheme. This time round you had to state that your income had been directly affected by the pandemic. I did agonize a bit over this, as it begged the question of how much money I would have been earning if things were normal. I honestly don’t know the answer to that, but it seems to me that the pandemic and government counter-measures have stopped the economy in its tracks, meaning there is less work around generally. Anyway, I applied and was paid without quibble.

The main good news over the last few weeks has concerned the vaccines. Two are now approved, with the Pfizer vaccine being distributed since before Christmas and the Oxford-AZ version coming on stream this week. One benefit of turning 65 is that I have presumably moved up the pecking order to receive it.

The government appears to be pinning all its hopes on vaccines bringing this pandemic to an end by spring/summer. I hope they are right, as the next couple of months in particular look pretty grim. At the time of writing my area has just moved to Tier 4, which effectively means lockdown. So I will have little/no opportunity to see friends or relatives, no more swimming, no more trips away, and the prospect of sporting ‘lockdown hair’ again. But I am still lucky compared to many, I know.

In my blog post Surviving the Covid Winter I mentioned some plans I had for getting through the winter months. In December I started several of these. In particular, I began a couple of DIY jobs I had been putting off. One of these was redecorating the en suite. Initially I planned just to repaint one wall where the paintwork was fading. But the new paint colour didn’t match the old one, so I am now planning to repaint the rest of the room as well. As is so often the case with DIY, what appeared a small job at first has grown into a much bigger one!

I have also taken my first tentative steps in the world of video gaming (my experience prior to this had been limited to Space Invaders/Asteroids and the games bundled with MS Windows such as Solitaire). With some trepidation I signed up with the games platform Steam and downloaded Coffee Talk to my Windows laptop. This was a game I had read about some time ago and liked the sound of. Here’s a typical scene from it…

coffeetalk

Coffee Talk is actually more like an interactive movie or novel. You take the role of owner/barista at a late-night coffee shop in an alternative Seattle frequented by a mixture of human beings and mythological characters such as elves.

Mostly your customers chat with you and other customers about their lives and problems, while you prepare coffee and other drinks for them. This isn’t especially taxing, though I was quite pleased when one of the regulars, Freya, returned and asked for ‘the usual’ and I remembered what it was. It’s a pleasant enough way of spending a few hours, though I am thinking I might try something a little more ambitious next time 🙂

On the TV side, I finally finished the box-set of Deep Space Nine, which I very much enjoyed and recommend to any sci-fi fans among you. At the recommendation of my sister Annie (also a sci-fi aficionado) I have now purchased the box-set of Babylon Five. This is also set on a space station, though with quite a different vibe from DS9. With five (long) series, six full-length feature films, a spin-off series called Crusade, and various other extras, hopefully this will see me through to the end of the pandemic 😀

And for a change from sci-fi I also bought the box-set of Agatha Raisin, a tongue-in-cheek detective drama starring Ashley Jensen and set in the Cotswolds. I wasn’t sure about this at first, but after the first couple of episodes I thought it hit its stride, and I recommend it for a bit of amusing escapism with some gorgeous countryside settings. It’s only a shame that all three series are quite short.

Finally, as a Christmas present for myself I bought the DVD of Roger Waters’ Us + Them concert. This is an epic production, featuring a group of hugely talented musicians and some awesome visual effects (at one point a giant model of Battersea Power Station descends into the arena, accompanied – of course – by a flying pig).

Roger and his band play a selection of Pink Floyd classics alongside some of Roger’s solo compositions, all of which are excellent as well (The Last Refugee is particularly poignant). In the video below, though, they perform Time, one of my personal favourite Pink Floyd numbers. Check out Jess and Holly (aka Lucius) supplementing their backing vocal duties with some exuberant drumming!

So that’s it for now. I do hope you are staying safe and sane in these challenging times. Be kind to yourself and to others, and hopefully things will improve before too long. As ever, if you have any comments or questions, please do share them below.

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My Coronavirus Crisis Experience - December Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: December Update

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December is here, so it’s time for another of my monthly coronavirus crisis updates. Regular readers will know I have been posting these updates since the first lockdown started (you can read my November update here if you like).

As ever, I will start by discussing financial matters and then life more generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as I know many of you like to follow this.

As the screenshot below shows, since last month’s update my portfolio has been on a generally upward trajectory and is currently valued at £18,008. Last month it stood at £16,955, so it has gone up over £1,000 in value since then. Considering national and world events at the moment, I am more than happy with this.

As you may recall, I recently put £1,000 into a second Nutmeg pot to try out Nutmeg’s new Smart Alpha option. It is too early to comment on this yet, but I will include an update about it next time.

You can read my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer for PAS readers).

Nutmeg ISA Dec 2020

The news hasn’t been so good with my Bricklane Property ISA, which I talked about last time. As stated in in my blog review, Bricklane – not be confused with Brickowner – is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). Investors’ money is pooled to purchase properties. Rental income is then distributed to investors, who also stand to benefit if the value of the REIT goes up. Last month I was down by about £80 on my £5,000 investment, but this month – as you can see from the screen capture below – the figure is over £600.

Bricklane Dec 2020

This is obviously disappointing, though not unexpected. As I said last time, the pandemic has hit property investors hard, especially investors in large commercial properties (as are most in the Bricklane portfolios). But, in addition, the current price factors in the liability of Bricklane and its investors to assess and where necessary replace exterior cladding in some buildings in light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. I understand that almost half of the properties in the Bricklane Regional Capitals fund (in which I invested) fall into this category.

About the only good thing to be said is that right now Bricklane’s price reflects its liabilities in the worst case scenario. In particular, it has been argued that lease-owners should not bear sole responsibility for paying for this work, as the rules were only changed after Grenfell and it isn’t the owners’ fault that some properties were built to different specifications which were regarded as perfectly safe (and legal) at the time. If the government accepts that argument, in whole or in part, then Bricklane will not have to set aside large sums of money for remedial work, and the share price will rise accordingly. I have written to my MP about this, of course 🙂

As I said last time, if I was braver and had a longer investment horizon, I might look at Bricklane as a value opportunity just now. As it is, I am leaving my money where it is but won’t be investing any more with them for the foreseeable future. I am not planning to sell up as I don’t currently need the money and that would only crystallize my losses. i just hope there will be some better news on this front soon.

I also wanted to say a word about Kuflink this month. This property loan investment platform is still performing well and returning the promised monthly dividends. A couple of loan terms have been extended due to the pandemic but interest continues to be paid and I am not unduly concerned about this. I also had a couple of investments repaid after the loans in question were paid off. So I decided to reinvest in a new six-month loan to help finance the construction of a children’s day nursery in Chorley. Some details of this project from my Kuflink dashboard are shown below…

Kuflink loan

As you can see, the interest rate being paid is 6.80%. When I invested yesterday the offer had only just launched, so it’s interesting to see it is already up to almost 42% funded now. Although the loan hasn’t gone live yet, as is Kuflink’s normal practice I will received cashback equivalent to the interest on offer until it does, so I am already making money from this loan 🙂

Incidentally, I am not saying this project has any special merit compared with others on the Kuflink platform. But I decided to invest on the basis that it looks reasonably secure with a loan-to-gross-development-value ratio of 36%. And from a more personal perspective, wherever possible I like to invest in projects that will have a socially beneficial outcome, and a new children’s day nursery certainly ticks that box.

i did want to mention as well that I recently updated my full Kuflink review. You can read it here if you like. I’d particularly like to draw your attention to their new and more generous cashback offer for new investors. They are now paying cashback on new investments from as little as £500 (it used to be £1,000). And if you are looking to invest larger amounts, you can actually earn up to a maximum of £4,000 in cashback. That is one of the best cashback offers I have seen anywhere (though admittedly you will need to invest £100,000 or more to receive this!).

My two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any issues. As you will remember, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. If you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years – and you like the idea of doing a bit of good with your money too – they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website.

Otherwise, there is nothing especially notable to report on the financial front this month, so let’s move on to the more personal stuff…

Personal

Since my last monthly update England has been mostly in lockdown, so I haven’t been doing anything especially exciting 🙁

I went for my latest checkup at the eye clinic at Burton Hospital in the first few days of the new lockdown. As you may remember, I was diagnosed with a perforated retina after a routine eye test at my optician’s.

I wasn’t allowed to drive, as they put drops in your eyes which blur your vision for a few hours. The trip to Burton involved a bus ride, two train journeys and a one-mile walk, so it took up a whole day. The train journeys in particular felt odd and at times almost post-apocalyptic. I was literally the only person on Lichfield Station waiting for a train to Birmingham, and had the whole carriage (and possibly train) to myself. The train to Burton was a little busier, but you do start to wonder how long the railway network can go on with such minuscule passenger numbers.

It was very quiet at the hospital too, so I was seen straight away. The doctor seemed happy with what he could see, though it’s not easy to tell when he – and everyone else – was wearing a mask. I was told I will have to go back again in January, and if everything is still okay then, they will discharge me. So I guess that’s good news, although they did say that last time as well…

During the lockdown month I aimed to go for a walk every day, and apart from a couple of days of foul weather I achieved that. I have been wearing my new music hat – described in this recent post and pictured below – and enjoying listening to my choice of music. My preferred genre is prog rock (classic and current) but I enjoy jazz and blues as well. I do just find I have to be a bit careful when walking on the narrow country lanes where I live, as with my music playing I don’t always hear cars coming up behind me. Still, I haven’t had any really close calls yet!

Music hat

I was pleased to be able to go for a swim again this week at my local David Lloyd leisure centre. It was very quiet, and all the staff, including those at reception, are now wearing masks. I suppose some people would find that reassuring. I just find it rather sad and dispiriting. Still, I really enjoyed my swim, and it was great to see a couple of members I know and exchange a few words with them. Even small social interactions like that offer a welcome morsel of normal life in these strange times.

Afterwards I ordered my usual hot drink from the centre’s coffee shop, but because I’m in a Tier 3 area I was told I couldn’t sit down to drink it. I was afraid I might be forced to take it to the freezing cold car park to consume, but was informed there was no objection to me drinking it while standing up in the centre, so long as I didn’t stay in one place for too long. You might think this is barking mad – I couldn’t possibly comment.

There has of course been some good news on the virus front in the last few weeks. As I said last time, new cases (in England anyway) are on a clear downward path. The government are of course trying to spin this as a success for lockdown, but I am sceptical about that. As I said in my November update, cases were already starting to decline pre-lockdown, so what we are seeing now is simply a continuation of that welcome trend.

It’s also interesting that the – admittedly shorter – Welsh lockdown appears to have failed totally, with cases there on the rise again. So they are now imposing even harsher restrictions, including a total ban on pubs and restaurants serving alcohol. I would therefore like to extend my sincere commiserations to Welsh readers (and especially those working in tourism or hospitality) at this time. It is a shame that the four nations of the UK couldn’t have come up with a more coherent, co-ordinated policy to combat the virus – although in my view lockdowns shouldn’t ever be a part of this due to all the collateral damage they cause.

There has been good news about vaccines this week, with the first one from Pfizer/BioNTech receiving regulatory approval in the UK and due to start rolling out next week. I am not an anti-vaxxer and will (probably) accept the vaccine when it is offered. There are, though, some reasons to be sceptical about some of the claims being made for vaccines, nicely summed up in this cautionary blog post by my old friend John ‘Platinum’ Goss. In particular, we still don’t know about any possible long-term side-effects of the vaccines. And with case numbers dropping dramatically in England, you have to wonder how much Covid will still be around in a few months’ time anyway…

In my view, this pandemic will only end when some sort of herd immunity has been achieved. That will be partly through growing numbers of people achieving immunity through contracting the virus, and in addition (hopefully) people acquiring immunity through vaccination. If that is the case, the virus will have nobody left to infect and will ultimately die out (though maybe returning occasionally in milder variants, as happens with other cold and flu viruses). That’s the best-case scenario, anyhow, and I hope it plays out that way.

  • Before leaving this topic, I would just like to include a quick shout-out for the excellent Lockdown Sceptics website. This site is updated daily and is the first thing I look at when I switch on my computer in the morning. It includes articles from a wide range of academics and other commentators, and offers a sceptical slant on official policies and announcements that is often missing in the mainstream media. Even if you don’t agree with all the views expressed, it’s well worth a read.

As for Christmas, I am expecting to have an even quieter one than usual. I don’t normally socialize a lot at this time anyway. My only remaining close family consists of my three sisters, but they are all in different parts of the country and have their own families and social circles. I have put up my lights and decorations, though, and am looking forward to receiving plenty of cards and letters. I shall also ensure I have a good stock of box-sets to watch!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I do hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well and looking forward to the festive season. As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

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UK Bloggers Christmas Giveaway 2020

Win a Samsung 50-Inch Smart UHD TV in This UK Bloggers Christmas Giveaway!

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2020 has been a stressful and difficult year, but here’s a chance to end it on a positive note. I’ve joined forces with some of my fellow UK bloggers to put together a giveaway with a Samsung 50-Inch Smart UHD TV for the lucky winner.

Read on to find out how you could win this amazing prize in time for Christmas. And please do check out the other talented bloggers who have collaborated on this giveaway.

Bloggers Taking Part

Reinventing Neesha | The Parent Game | Kayleigh Zara | Mind Over Meds | Lottie Lately | Jodetopia | Lindy Loves | Melanie’s Fab Finds | The Little Landeg | Lipgloss and Curves | Boring Mother | The Rare Welsh Bit | Wanderlust Weddings | Travel Bugs | Discover Kent | Miss L J Beauty | Pounds and Sense | Real Girls Wobble | Pretty Core | Testing Time Blog | Chilling with Lucas | Our Transitional Life | Pretty Big Butterflies | Probably Busy | Monethalia | Emily May | Skinny Spending | Lisa’s Notebook | Nishi V | The Life of Dee | Funding Her Freedom | Reality in Reverie | Afshanesque | Wotawoman Diary | The Secret Life of Me | Stapo’s Thrifty Life Hacks | Bulk Cook on a Budget | Codiekinz

The Prize

One lucky winner will win themselves a Samsung 50 Inch UE50TU7100 Smart Ultra HD TV worth a whopping £400! This smart TV is compatible with the following smart apps: Now TV, Disney+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime and YouTube. It also has its own built-in Internet browser. To quote from the sales page:

Experience crystal clear colour HDR powered by HDR10+ as the film-makers intended. Crystal Processor adapts to provide the very best 4K picture and targeted sound based on what you are watching. Works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Slim design with very narrow bezel.

How to Enter

To enter simply complete all or any of the Rafflecopter entry options below. The more you complete the more chances you have of winning.

The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 13th December and a winner will be drawn on Monday 14th December. If for any reason the chosen prize is out of stock at the time of the draw, the winner will be able to select an alternative prize up to the same value.

For full entry terms and conditions please see the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One final small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, the organizers will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.

Good luck, and here’s hoping we can all look forward to a happier Christmas!

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My Coronavirus Crisis Experience - November Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: November Update

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Another month, another coronavirus crisis update. Regular readers will know I have been posting these updates since the first lockdown started (you can read my October update here if you like).

As always, I will discuss what has been happening with my finances and my life generally over the last few weeks.

Financial

I’ll begin as usual with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA, as from feedback received I know many of you like to follow this.

As the screenshot below shows, my portfolio has been on a roller-coaster ride over the last few weeks but is currently valued at £16,955, about £500 up on last month. Considering national and world events at the moment I am very happy with this. You can read my in-depth Nutmeg review here (including a special offer for PAS readers).

Nutmeg chart Nov 2020

 

I haven’t mentioned my Bricklane Property ISA for a while, so I thought I should rectify that this month. As discussed in my blog review, Bricklane – not be confused with Brickowner – is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). Investors’ money is pooled to purchase properties. Rental income is then distributed to investors, who also stand to benefit if the value of the REIT goes up. As you can see from the chart, though, this year the trajectory has been largely downward.

Bricklane Nov 2020 chart.

At first glance this looks alarming, but of course it’s important to note that the vertical axis of the graph goes from minus £200 to plus £200, so in reality the losses aren’t as bad as that scary-looking precipice might suggest. Allowing for the fact that I received a £100 welcome bonus when I signed up with Bricklane, overall I am about £80 down on my £5,000 investment. Of course, that’s not what you would hope for, but this has been a particularly tough year for anyone investing in property. Among other things, rising unemployment, company failures, more people working from home, and rising defaults on loans and mortgages (along with mandatory payment holidays) have all affected demand and reduced rental returns and property values.

A recent email from Bricklane gave further insight into the problems they are facing. It turns out that the Regional Capitals fund (in which I am invested) includes a number of properties that may need extensive refurbishment in light of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. As I understand it, they have cladding which needs assessing by specialists and may have to be removed and replaced. This is a time-consuming and costly business. Of course, the owners (who include me as an investor) have no option but to undertake this, and inevitably this is having an impact on the value of the fund.

This does of course illustrate that any investment in a single asset class such as property carries additional sector-specific risks compared with broader-based investments, and you may see greater volatility as a result. On the plus side, when investing in property your money is secured by bricks and mortar, so it’s very unlikely you will lose your shirt.

I guess if I was braver and had a longer time horizon, I might look at Bricklane as a value-investing opportunity just now. As it is, I am leaving my money where it is but won’t be investing any more with them for the foreseeable future. I am not planning to sell up as I don’t currently need the money and that would only crystallize my losses.

Otherwise there is nothing dramatic to report on the financial front. My two Buy2LetCars investments are still delivering the promised monthly returns without any hassle. To recap, investors with Buy2LetCars put up the money to finance a car for a key worker such as a nurse or police officer. They then receive 36 monthly capital repayments followed by a final balancing payment of interest and capital. I heard from the company today that they are allowed to continue trading in England’s second lockdown and are already experiencing an upsurge of enquiries from key workers needing transport. So if you are looking for an income-producing investment with a substantial lump sum payment after three years, they are well worth checking out (and likewise if you’re a key worker looking for a lease car yourself). If you’d like to learn more, you can read my review of Buy2LetCars here and my more recent article about the company here. And here is a link to Wheels4Sure, their car-leasing website.

My Property Partner and Kuflink investments are still both ticking along satisfactorily. Unsurprisingly there have been delays in repaying some of my Kuflink loans, but I continue to receive monthly interest payments on them and am not unduly concerned. As regards The House Crowd, I assume that the sales of the two properties in which I hold £1,000 shares are progressing, but can understand that it is a slow process. As with Kuflink, rental payments are still accruing, which should help to defray some of the selling costs.

There has been no further word either regarding my investments with Crowdlords. As I said last month, I have two remaining investments with them, Kennington Road eco-houses and Trent House. I was told they hope to have exit options for these properties by the end of the year, but I’m not holding my breath. On the plus side, they are paying 6 percent interest on my Trent House investment, which is quite generous in these days of ultra-low interest rates.

Personal

Thankfully this month has been less eventful for me than the previous one. Touch wood my left eye is recovering well after the laser treatment (thank you to those who have asked and/or sent me good wishes about this). I am going back to Burton Hospital in a week’s time for what I hope will be a final check-up.

I still have floaters in both eyes – worse in the left – but that is not unusual for people of my age. It’s annoying but not dangerous in itself, and there isn’t really any treatment (I understand lasers can be used in extreme cases to ‘blast’ them, but it’s rare to do this as it risks causing other damage). I did read online about a Chinese study which found that eating pineapple can help reduce floaters, so I was happy to have an excuse to eat more of this delicious fruit!

As I write this, England is going into its second lockdown. I am dubious about the wisdom of this and worried for people whose physical and mental health is likely to suffer, especially as it appears the second wave has already peaked and new case numbers are starting to fall.

I am at least thankful that the schools have been exempted this time. I live quite near a secondary school, and it lifts my spirit when I see the young people bursting out of the school gates at the end of the day. chatting to their friends, larking around, and generally doing all the things young people do. And not a mask in sight!

Today I am off to see my accountant to discuss my annual accounts. He works from home and neither of us was sure what rules applied in this situation, so in the end we agreed to meet outside on his front drive. At least this will help to ensure that the meeting doesn’t go on a minute longer than it needs to 🙂

I had a winter flu jab last month (the first time I’ve qualified for a free one as I reach 65 later this year). It seemed a sensible thing to do, especially as it may give some protection from Covid too. I did have a reaction to it, though. I woke up at around 2 am shivering violently, and then I started to get nausea as well. By morning I was feeling a lot better, apart from having had almost no sleep. Apparently these are quite common side effects of the vaccine, though two friends (both older than me) didn’t get any effects at all.

I went for my last pre-lockdown swim on Tuesday. The centre was busier than usual, so I guess I wasn’t the only one who decided to take the opportunity while it was still available. I am very disappointed that pools have been made to close again as there is no evidence the virus is spreading this way and many people (me included) depend on swimming for our physical and mental health. I just hope they reopen at the start of December and the lockdown isn’t extended. Personally I expect the numbers of new cases to continue falling over the next few weeks, not due to the lockdown but simply because that is the trend now. If that is the case, there will be no excuse for prolonging the lockdown. But I guess by the time of my December update we will know one way or the other!

Finally I am still dutifully completing the UCL Virus Watch weekly questionnaire saying whether I have any possible Covid symptoms (none so far). And I am still waiting to hear when I will be able to take the blood test to see if I have any antibodies or other natural resistance to the virus. But I gather they wouldn’t be able to do that until a few weeks have elapsed after the flu jab anyhow, so it may be just as well I’ve heard nothing yet.

So that’s it for this month really. I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well. As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

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Protect Your Loved Ones With Bespoke Life Insurance

Protect Your Loved Ones with Bespoke Life Insurance

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Life insurance isn’t the most exciting of subjects, but in these uncertain times it’s something we all need to think about.

Not everyone requires life insurance. If you are single with no dependants and/or on a very low income, it may not be necessary or appropriate for you. But if you have a partner, children or other relatives who depend on your income, you probably should have life insurance to help provide for them in the event of your death.

What Is Life Insurance?

Life insurance is a type of insurance policy that protects your loved ones financially if you die. It can help minimize the financial impact that your death could have on your family and provide peace of mind for you and them.

Most life insurance policies are designed to pay a cash sum to your loved ones if you die while covered by the policy. This can help them cope with everyday money worries such as mortgage payments, household bills and childcare costs. It may also cover funeral costs. You can take out life insurance under joint or single names, and you can pay your premiums monthly or annually.

There are two main types of life insurance: term life insurance and whole of life insurance.

Term life insurance policies run for a fixed period such as 10, 20 or 25 years. These types of policy only pay out if you die during the term of the policy. A whole-of-life policy, on the other hand, pays out no matter when you die (as long as you keep up with your premium payments, of course).

There are three different types of term life insurance. With decreasing term insurance, the amount payable on death reduces over time. This type of policy is often taken out in conjunction with a mortgage as the payout reduces over time in line with the amount needed to clear the outstanding debt.

You can also get increasing term insurance, where the payout rises each year (typically to take account of inflation) and level term insurance, where it remains the same throughout. Not surprisingly, level term and (especially) increasing term policies are more expensive than decreasing term.

What Doesn’t It Cover?

Life insurance normally pays out only on death. If you become unable to work due to an accident or illness, you won’t generally be covered.

Some life insurance policies will pay out if you receive a terminal diagnosis. This is by no means always the case, though, so it’s important to check the wording of your policy carefully.

Most life insurance policies also have some exclusions, e.g. they might not pay out if you die from alcohol or drug abuse. In addition, if you take part in risky sports, you may have to pay a higher premium. If you have a serious health problem when you take out a policy, any cause of death related to that illness may be excluded.

For the above reasons, you may also want to consider taking out critical illness cover. This covers you if you get one of the medical conditions or injuries specified in the policy. Some examples of critical illnesses that might be covered include heart attack, stroke, cancer, and chronic, life-limiting conditions such as multiple sclerosis and MND. Most policies will also consider permanent disabilities as a result of injury or illness. These policies only pay out once and then the policy ends. Some policies will make a smaller payment for less severe conditions, or if one of your children contracts one of the specified conditions. Health conditions you knew you had before you took out the insurance won’t generally be covered.

What Does It Cost?

Life insurance can be surprisingly good value. Premiums start at just a few pounds a month. Prices vary a lot, however, so it’s important to shop around and take advice as appropriate.

A variety of factors may affect the price you are quoted. They include the following:

  • your age
  • your health
  • your weight
  • your occupation
  • your lifestyle
  • whether you smoke
  • your medical history
  • your family’s medical history
  • the length of the policy
  • the amount of money you want to cover
  • whether you want decreasing, level or increasing term cover

Other things being equal, the younger and healthier you are, the cheaper your policy is likely to be. But as the list above indicates, many other factors can affect the price you are quoted. In addition, women are typically charged a little less than men, as on average they live a few years longer.

The Bespoke Option

As you can see, while life insurance is a simple concept, in practice there are many variations. It is therefore important to establish what is the most appropriate option for you and your family, and shop around to get the best price for this.

A company that can help with both these things is Bespoke Financial. They are independent insurance and mortgage brokers, and will take the time to establish your exact requirements and design a ‘bespoke’ package to suit you and your family’s needs. Their trained advisers will visit you in your home (with all necessary Covid precautions) or you can speak on the phone to them. They can arrange all types of life insurance, critical illness cover, cover for long-term illness or disability, and so on.

To get an initial personalized quote, click through to the Life Insurance page of their website and answer six quick questions. You can then discuss this with an adviser to ensure you will be getting exactly the right type and level of cover for your needs.

  • And as an added bonus for readers of my blog, you can get a free will just by asking for a quotation. You can’t say fairer than that, now can you?

As always, if you have any comments or questions on this post, please do leave them below.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Bespoke Financial. If you click through one of the links and end up making a purchase, i will receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect in any way the product or service you receive.

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Surviving Covid

Surviving The Covid Winter

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2020 has been a year like no other. And while the first vaccine has just been approved, for many of us this winter still looks like being a long, hard and stressful one.

There is no doubt many people’s mental health has been impacted both by the threat of the virus and the measures taken by government to try to control it. Add to that, many people have seen their income reduced or lost their jobs altogether, causing financial hardship as well.

Clearly we all need to find methods for getting through this difficult time. So I asked some of my fellow bloggers to share any tips they might have, including things they are doing to help them (and their families) cope. I have listed their answers below, with my own reactions in italics afterwards where relevant. I will then say a bit about how I am planning to get through the Covid winter myself.

Bloggers’ Tips

Jo Jackson who blogs at Tea and Cake for the Soul says, ‘List your outgoing payments and see what can be got rid of or reduced. List all of your utility accounts, insurances and entertainment packages then look at comparison sites to see if you can get better deals elsewhere.’

Always a good idea and can save you a lot of money. Check out cashback websites as well, as they may offer cashback if you switch to a new supplier.

Sally Allsop of Life Loving says, ‘Buy yourself a big thermos or two and fill them with hot drinks and homemade soup. Then you can still go for days out without having to worry about mingling and queuing at eateries/cafes. You’ll also be able to keep yourself warm on theoretically safer outside winter activities.’

Hayley Muncey, who blogs as Miss Manypennies, says, ‘I’ve applied for the 30 hours’ free childcare funding for my 3-year-old. Normally I love taking her out and about to playgroups, the library and meeting to play with her little friends, but since everything is cancelled, closed and we’re not allowed to meet anyone (local lockdown), preschool is basically the only social activity she’ll have, so I’m going to up her hours. I think she’ll have more fun there than stuck at home! Plus it gives me more time to concentrate on working from home, so hopefully I can bring in a bit more money.’

I didn’t know anything about this scheme, but there are more details on this government website if you may be eligible. In England you need to have a child who is 3-4 years old. Other schemes apply in different parts of the UK.

Jennifer Graudenz of Monethalia says, ‘Sign up at your local library. Many libraries let you take out eBooks, so you will always have something to read, no matter how many lockdowns we have.’

Good idea. You can still borrow ordinary print books as well but special Covid precautions are likely to apply. Ask at your library for more info.

Ryan Maley who blogs at A SIngle Step says, ‘Try to keep some sort of routine, even if you are stuck in the house all day. If you’re working from home, make sure you stick to set hours with a lunch break, and have a separate space in which to work. Organise calls, video calls, quizzes and virtual catch-ups with friends and family. Try to get fresh air or exercise whilst following the rules. A run after work or exploring some local countryside can do wonders. Or even dancing along to a YouTube video in your bedroom. Most of all, if you are struggling, make sure you speak to friends or family. A problem shared really is a problem halved.’

Some great tips there from Ryan. And yes, if you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. See also my blog post titled Looking After Your Mental Health in the Coronavirus Crisis.

Claire of Stapo’s Thrifty Life Hacks writes, ‘We are a family of three and a few weeks ago we invested in waterproofs for the whole family. We started walking a lot at the start of lockdown and as things ramp up again, we know that we will want to get out and explore where we can. As we now have all the right gear, we are hopeful that the rain and wind won’t put us off getting out there as autumn turns into winter.’

Fiona Hawkes who blogs at Savvy in Somerset says, ‘We’ve started planning at-home Christmas activities, as trips to visit Father Christmas and big family gatherings won’t be happening this year. I’m making my daughter an activity advent calendar for us to enjoy during December which includes things like Christmas story books, festive cake making, writing letters and cards to family we won’t see and making lovely decorations for our home.’

Human Carley, who blogs at the wonderfully named Unicorn Puffs and Rainbows, says, ‘Make your house as cosy as you can. Clear out anything you can now whist charity shops and recycling centres are open. Having as much usable space as possible will be important, as we will have much less time outside.’

You could sell anything you no longer need on eBay or similar sites to boost your income as well. There are some great tips about selling on eBay in this guest post by Lucy Olivia.

Anisa Alhilali who blogs at Two Traveling Texans says, ‘Feed your travel wanderlust. Even if you can’t travel there are ways to have “travel-like experiences” from home. You can take a virtual tour, have a travel-themed night, read a travel book, and more.’

Love this idea. You could start planning for future post-Covid adventures.

And Anisa also has a blog called Origami Expressions. She writes: ‘Take advantage of the time at home and learn origami. It is great for mindfulness and you will be amazed at all the things that you can make with just a sheet of paper!’

And it costs almost nothing as well. I may just try this myself!

Victoria Sully who blogs at Healthy Vix says, ‘Make sure you have ways to relax and chill at home to reduce the stress. This year I have just invested in a bath pillow, fluffy bath mat, candles and some soothing bath foam to indulge in some some luxurious baths this winter to take the stress away! Even something as simple as lighting candles in the evening can be calming and help to reduce stress.’

Anne Fraser who blogs at The Platinum Line says, ‘My lifesaver at the moment is our local leisure centre. Although a lot of classes have been cancelled they are still hosting an over 60s lane swim twice a week. I think it is important to find an indoor activity you enjoy and if it makes you healthier so much the better.’

Absolutely. I love swimming and was so relieved when my local leisure centre and pool reopened.

Vicky Smith of More Than A Mummy says, ‘For Christmas we will only buy gifts for the kids in the family. Will save valuable cash at a time when our business has been hit hard by the pandemic. We actually started doing this last year and it saved me hundreds as our family is huge!’

Jenny Tate of The Life Stuff says, ‘Check with your current suppliers to see if you can make any savings i.e. gas, electric, TV, internet providers. My internet bill was put up last week to £54/month so I called up the provider and got the exact same package for £26!’

There is often scope for renegotiating your broadband bill. See my blog post How I Saved £252.72 on my Virgin Media Broadband Bill.

Shelley Whitaker who blogs at Wander & Luxe says, ‘We are preparing at home by making sure we have plenty of things to entertain ourselves and our toddler. For example, crafts, puzzles, things to cook and DIY bits for around the house. We are also purposely not watching too many movies or TV shows so we have things we want to watch if needed. For now I am trying to get out each day and do normal things that I am able to (restrictions permitting), and basically just take each day as it comes.’

Sarah Bailey of Life in a Breakdown says, ‘Think about making some family time using a video calling service. Some of them cost after so long but some don’t, so shop around and don’t just use the one most spoken about. It will allow you to keep in touch with family during this time should the worst happen!’

Great advice. See also my blog post, What Are the Best Video Calling Tools for Older People?

Emma Reid who blogs at Emmareid.net says, ‘Just because it’s chilly doesn’t mean you can’t still go exploring and get outdoors. We are doing 1000 hours outside challenge and we still have a bit of a way to go to hit it so I am making the most of the days we have left to get outside whatever the weather. As long as you have the right gear, you can still have fun.’

Finally, Emily Jane of Emily Underworld says, ‘While winter means Christmas and the season of giving, don’t forget to practise self-care. This can be anything from rest to time alone for meditation. As my budget for Christmas this year is low, I’ll be supporting small UK businesses, as well as making some gifts myself. Getting creative is great for self-care, and it’s also great for my bank balance.’

Yes, as well as being kind to others we also need to be kind to ourselves at this difficult time. And I do agree as well with supporting local businesses, many of whom are having a very tough time of it.

My Own Thoughts

I have also been thinking a lot about how to stay sane and well over the coming months.

As you probably know, I’m semi-retired and live alone. Nowadays blogging is my main source of earned income. It doesn’t make me a fortune – far from it – but I’m lucky enough to have savings and investments and a small personal pension as well to keep my finances ticking over.

As well as being a source of income, working on the blog gives my days a bit of structure, which we all need at the moment. I typically spend a few hours each morning on it, then do other things (e.g. going for a swim or a walk) later. I feel as though once I have got my ‘work’ out of the way I have earned the right to do other things I enjoy. Though I do enjoy writing and blogging as well, of course!

I am planning other activities as well. Some friends told me recently that over the winter they intend to get on with some decorating projects. While that doesn’t appeal so much to me, there are a number of jobs around the house and garden that I really do need to tackle. I plan to make a list of them and see how many I can tick off before the spring!

I am also considering getting into video gaming – though as I spend a lot of time anyway at a computer or watching TV, I am not entirely sure I should be lining myself up for more hours staring into a screen.

I’m also thinking of teaching myself a musical instrument – possibly tenor ukulele, as I have heard they are among the easiest instruments to learn, although I am open to other suggestions 😀

I am also trying my best to keep some sort of social life going, even in the face of mounting restrictions. I don’t live in an area under lockdown (yet) so am hoping and planning to go on meeting friends for pub lunches. I am also keeping in touch with friends/relatives as much as possible using video calling and traditional phone calls. It has been particularly good to be in more regular touch with my sister Annie, who also lives alone. We speak on the phone most weekends now, and it’s been great to hear what’s been going on in her life and her job (she works as a librarian).

I agree with my fellow bloggers who pointed out the importance of staying active even in the cold winter months. I aim to go swimming at least once a week and really enjoy this, not least because it’s something normal I can still do at a time when our freedom of action is increasingly limited. I also try to go for a walk every day, though as the weather worsens I suspect I won’t be doing this quite as often.

Finally, although I did say I’m wary of spending any more time than I do already staring at a screen, I’m considering taking out a Britbox subscription for the long winter nights. They have a lot of classic BBC and ITV series that I would enjoy watching (or re-watching). And I must admit I wouldn’t mind giving the new Spitting Image a try as well!

I’d like to close this post by thanking my fellow bloggers for their varied and thought-provoking suggestions for surviving this Covid winter. I hope you may want to check out at least some of their blogs.

And, of course, if you have any comments or questions about this post, or any other suggestions for coping over the coming months, I’d love to hear them. Please leave a comment below as usual.

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October Update

My Coronavirus Crisis Experience: October Update

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Regular readers will know that I have been posting about my personal experience of the coronavirus crisis since the original lockdown started (you can read my September update here if you like).

As previously I will discuss what has been happening with my finances and my life generally over the last few weeks, while trying to avoid being too repetitive!

As always, I will start with the money side of things.

Financial

As I’ve done before, I’ll begin with my Nutmeg stocks and shares ISA. This has gone up and down over the last few weeks, but currently stands at £16,578. That is over £500 up on last month, so I’m happy with that! Here is a screen capture covering the last three months…

Nutmeg account October

You can read my in-depth Nutmeg review here if you like.

My Property Partner and Kuflink investments are still both ticking along satisfactorily. Property Partner has resumed paying dividends on some properties, which is appreciated. The five-year sales process has also resumed. There is a backlog, though, so it will probably be longer than five years till the properties I hold shares in can be sold at the current, independently-assessed market price (or retained, of course).

There is nothing really to report about The House Crowd. I assume that the sales of the two properties in which I hold £1,000 shares are progressing, but can understand that it is a slow process at present. At least rental payments are still accruing, which should help to defray some of the selling costs.

There has been no further word either regarding my investments with Crowdlords. As I said last month, I have two remaining investments with them, Kennington Road eco-houses and Trent House. I was told they hope to have exit options for these properties by the end of the year, but I’m not holding my breath. On the plus side, they are paying 6 percent interest on my Trent House investment, which is quite generous in these days of ultra-low interest rates.

Personal

It’s been an eventful few weeks one way and the other.

As mentioned previously, I had booked a short break in Llandudno (see cover image) near the end of September. Thankfully I was able to go. If I had left it just a few days later I would have had to cancel, as the Welsh Assembly has decided to lock down the whole of the Llandudno and Conwy area due to rising infection rates. That means no-one can currently go in or out of the area without a compelling reason (and having a holiday booked there doesn’t count).

Anyway, I enjoyed my visit. I stayed in a self-catering apartment, which turned out to be a good choice in most respects. It was on two floors, with a lounge and well-equipped kitchen on the lower floor and a double bedroom and bathroom on the upper. The location was central but quiet, yet just five months’ walk from the sea. The only drawback was that parking was on the street and finding a spot was a bit of a lottery. I was lucky to get somewhere close when I arrived, but later in the holiday had to park on another road half a mile away, which was a bit of a pain. I paid £255 for my three-night stay via Booking.com, which I thought was reasonable. By comparison, the seafront hotels I checked out were charging over £600 for three nights’ bed and breakfast.

Not surprisingly Llandudno was quieter than usual for the time of year, but there were still plenty of visitors, and many of the small hotels and boarding houses had ‘No Vacancies’ signs in their windows. While some places and amenities were closed, many others were open, and I was pleased to find that the pier was fully operational (see photo below). Professor Codman’s famous Punch and Judy show on the promenade wasn’t running, though – a shame, as there were lots of young children who might have enjoyed it.

Llandudno

On my first day I left my car at the apartment and took a couple of bus tours. The first was the open-top bus that takes a circular route between Llandudno and Conwy and includes a running commentary. I have done this trip before and noticed that the recorded commentary hasn’t changed this year. Mind you, that may be just as well, as a post-Covid commentary would have had to include details about all the hotels and other places that have closed due to the virus, the seafront theatre that became a Covid field hospital, and so forth…

The other trip was on a vintage bus (see photo) around the Great Orme, one of the two promontories at either end of Llandudno’s seafront. This had a knowledgeable driver/guide, who provided an interesting – and up-to date – commentary. I must admit I particularly enjoyed seeing ‘Millionaire’s Row’ at the far side of the Orme. There are some amazing houses here, owned by people who like to preserve their privacy. Obviously the coach passes from a distance, but it was still a good opportunity to gawp at how the super-rich live. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the house that has its own private lift down to the beach!

On the second day of my visit I drove to the medieval walled town of Conwy, which is about three miles away. I booked a ticket online to see Plas Mawr, a restored Elizabethan town house (photo below). It was fascinating, and I was glad I took the option of borrowing one of the free electronic guides. You use these to scan a QR code in each room and it provides a commentary on the room itself and various interesting historical tidbits associated with it.

Plas mawr

As with my visit to Dunster Castle near Minehead earlier in September, all the usual anti-virus measures were in place. I had to wear a face covering throughout, and staff ensured that there were no more than two households in a room at any one time. It worked pretty smoothly, although you had to follow a set route and there was no possibility of returning to a room once you had left it.

  • In case you’re wondering, the photo in my cover image shows the Haulfre Gardens Tearoom on the lower slopes of the Great Orme. It’s one of my favourite places in Llandudno, and I was pleased to find it was still open. I enjoyed afternoon tea in their lovely garden on both days of my visit. As you can see, I was pretty lucky with the weather!

As mentioned above, I was very glad to be able to make my trip before the current lockdown would have made it impossible. I feel very sorry for people who booked after me and were unable to go, especially as I have heard that some are now having problems getting their money back. But I am sorry also for the hotels and other businesses who have been left high and dry by the lockdown. I really hope for their sake it doesn’t go on too long 🙁

Moving on, I had an experience I would rather not have had in the last few weeks too. At a routine eye examination my optician saw something she didn’t like the look of in the retina of my left eye. So she packed me off to the eye clinic at Queens Hospital, Burton. The doctor there told me I had a perforation of the retina, and gave me laser treatment then and there. It wasn’t painful but it was obviously nerve-racking. The doctor did say it was a good thing my optician had spotted the problem, as it could have led to a detached retina if left untreated, which is clearly more serious. I have to go for a follow-up check this weekend, but touch wood the problem has been repaired. I guess if nothing else this does show why it’s so important to have your eyes checked regularly even if you don’t think there is anything wrong with them. That applies doubly to older people and those who (Iike me) are very short-sighted, as we are especially susceptible to this sort of thing.

On the Covid front, clearly most of the news hasn’t been good recently. Mind you, in most parts of the UK hospital admissions and deaths remain a lot lower than at the peak of the pandemic in the spring. I have seen the current situation described as a ‘casedemic’, which seems a pretty apt description. Clearly it’s important to protect the elderly and vulnerable at this time. Young people don’t typically suffer severe reactions to the virus, however, so I do wonder if some of the more extreme measures aimed at them are fair or necessary. Personally I am taking what I consider reasonable precautions but still trying to live my life as normally as possible. I volunteered for the UCL Virus Watch panel a few weeks ago and fill in a weekly questionnaire saying whether I have any possible Covid symptoms (none so far). They have also just asked me to take a blood test to see if I have any antibodies or other natural resistance to the virus. I’ll be interested to see the results of that!

As regards masks and such matters, I have been wearing a half-face shield in supermarkets (as a mask sceptic I’m not going to other shops till masks are voluntary again, though I might make an exception if the shop clearly states that they welcome non-mask-wearers). I find this better than the full face shield I was wearing before, as it doesn’t interfere with my vision. Shields are also much easier to breathe through than cloth masks, and I haven’t yet been challenged by any staff members or self-appointed mask police. In case you are interested, here’s an Amazon ad (affiliate) for some half-face shields similar to the type I am now using.

Well, I guess that’s enough for now. I do hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well. As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.

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