Solar battery storage without solar panels answers the question posted above. In short, we charge batteries during the off-peak tariff and discharge them during peak time, thus saving money. Off-Peak Tariff: 21:30 to 02:29...
This post is about setting up FoxESS (Inverter and solar batteries) in Home Assistant and the steps to get the integration to work, allowing real-time data to be viewed in a dashboard on a...
I watched a great video today by The Art of Improvement on Micro Habits. I’ll share the link to the video down below. Write down three things you’re grateful for. Being alive to experience...
We join the nation and the commonwealth countries in mourning & remembering Queen Elizabeth II. For the past twenty-two and a half years, we’ve had the privilege to experience the Queen and the Royal...
Yesterday I replaced my old 26 x 4.0 tyre with a new Fincci 26 x 4.0 Inch 100-559 fat tyre. While the tyre was off, I inspected the rim and noticed it was buckled...
There is currently a job vacancy at ALDI, which is very tempting for all beer drinkers. Sadly, it looks like the unpaid role is a bummer because, with my global knowledge of beer, it...
My bike was still unrideable due to the front wheel falling off the rim all the time, so I took Jo’s bike and rode a lovely route to Tandridge via Woldingham. I decided to...
After the shortish ride circular yesterday, Rob was keen to tackle a longer route. The man does ride a road bike in South Africa almost every day and rides distances of 25 to 45...
We rode the XF900 Cyrusher’s along a relatively short circular route that I am very familiar with as I’ve ridden it several times on my Brompton fold-up bike. Riding the Cyrusher is much more...
With my Mom in town alone and Jo working, we decided to visit a National Trust gem, Scotney Castle. This 14th-century moated castle also has a Victorian country mansion on the property. It was...
The Brooklands Museum is a must-see for lovers of classic cars, aviation and British war history. The day we went, it was the Brooklands Easter Classic Car show. Anyone could show off their car...
We did a lovely 20-mile e-bike ride to Banstead Heath via Merstham, Walton on the Hill, Reigate Gill, Gatton Park and back home to Bletchingley. There were quite a lot of bluebells flowering in...
Bowen loves biltong. Thankfully Bowen is not a vegan or vegetarian. Man, that would suck! For the non-educated folk, biltong is dried meat cured with a mix of spices, salt, pepper and vinegar. This...
Our Siamese kitten Finnegan has discovered the conservatory roof. After he discovered the shed roof with his pal Bailey, we thought that would be his favourite spot, but he loves walking along the fence...
I don’t know if EFT-MTB is a real acronym, but in this post, it stands for Electric Fat Tyre Mountain Bike. Last year, Jo and I bought the Cyrusher XF900 Electric Fat Bike. It...
Life is a struggle and the potential for failure is ever present, but those who live in fear of failure, or hardship, or embarrassment will never achieve their potential. Without pushing your limits, without...
2021 turned out to be another busy and fun year for Bowen despite lockdowns, silly Covid rules and no holidays abroad or family visiting us. However, the year certainly started off like no other...
We did a lovely bike ride to Farthing Downs, where I encountered a problem with my e-bike. The rear wheel was popping off the rim. Fortunately, I could ride it back home, but it...
We are Mike and Jo Bowen. Originally from South Africa, we now live & work in the United Kingdom. Mike is the blogger, beer drinker, gadget man, reviewer and Jo is the proofreader, wine drinker, cat lady, sanity checker and “don’t you dare put that on lookatbowen.com“. Together we travel the world and have fun wherever possible. If you are new to this website and want to know more about us, check out the the longer version.
