Posts from @chris-uk

#BeerSaturday Having a couple beers at home

chris-uk — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 17:42:36 GMT

My first #beersaturday post. Exciting times.

I haven't managed to get out much this week. The earlier starts at work (4 am starts) have drastically changed my bedtime. The weather has got colder and colder, and over this weekend we are currently going through a storm. and I am saving some money for birthday and Christmas treats. That being said, I have still managed to enjoy some beer.

First up, I treated myself to a few bottles of Tomos Watkin IPA. They were on a reduced-to-clear deal at the supermarket, and me wanting to indulge myself in different beers and explore tastes, picking this up was a no-brainer, especially with inflation seemingly going up as of late; beer prices in the UK are getting crazy. As for taste, I enjoyed this one; it was slightly sweet but not aggressive. It could be considered bland, but it was very drinkable.

Next up is my favourite Beer around. It was one of the first pints I ordered in a pub when I turned of legal drinking age, and Heineken has always stuck with me. Seeing that non-alcoholic beers are on the upward trend as of late. I thought I would give their 0.0 a go. I was pleasantly surprised. I noticed A taste different from its original, but it keeps that strong malty flavour, and it didn't seem too flat compared to other non-alcoholic beers I have tried.

It also gave me a reason to get out my cool metal beer coaster. Oh, and my cool Hive one too.

I like to hope I can visit some pubs soon or get some more unfamiliar beers in soon. When I don't have such early starts and have more days off between shifts, the next week is looking quite busy, but I have a few days off the following week due to birthday celebrations.

This concludes my post. Thanks for reading.

Welcome to My Room

chris-uk — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 09:30:00 GMT

It has been a busy past couple of days. With some much-needed and well-earned days off from work, I moved around my Bookshelf and, along with that, my whole bedroom/study area.

So today I am sharing the changes I made. Of course, this is not the final result, as I am currently saving to invest in some better things. A computer desk, Wall shelves and clothing storage, but for now this allows me to have a base to work from.

The so-called desk has moved again. This time, from the left side of the room to the right. This way, I have opened up more space that the bookshelf now dominates, but still leaves some room for smaller things to be easily stored. Moving the desk here feels much better, although I still have the very dodgy cable management situation above. I have managed to use way fewer plug sockets than before and will soon invest in one big extension socket to hopefully clean up this electrical mess. in terms of the future and the length and size of my desk, I could even rotate it 90 degrees and put it against the wall to the right. For now, this so-called desk is too long to do that, coming in at 150cm.

Here is an angled shot where the wall ends to the right is where the wall actually end before it bends 90 degrees storing a small room for the water/heating boiler.

My favourite part about moving the desk back here is that I can once again see my Hard Rock Cafe collection and my magnet souvenirs from my Italian adventure. Both were covered up because the bookshelf was here.

I finally made use of a bare wall and the small collection of Football Scarves I have collected. I support Manchester United, so of course those two will be at the top, followed by Teams I have visited in their cities: Rome, Naples and Amsterdam.

Finally, I leave you with an ultra-wide lens shot giving you A full look of the room I do my sleeping and working in. I still have some tidying to do and even some decorating. With a stable job and income coming in, this is now more realistic for me to do compared to my traumatic time at my previous job. Wall shelves, a fresh coat of paint and being smarter with storage and decluttering with give the room a more fresh vibe, but for now this is it.

With that, it is time to get back to cleaning, and I conclude my post here. Thanks for reading.

Organising My Bookshelf

chris-uk — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMT

With the stress of what happened last week and a much-needed day off from work on Monday, my brain and body went into overdrive, from rebooting and setting up my computer to deep-cleaning my room to finally getting around to giving some love to my bookshelf.

Before I share the photo of my so-called bookshelf, I will confess it isn't a proper bookshelf, more a "cube storage" piece of furniture- but it actually makes for a nice bookshelf whilst in a small, compact room that is already crowded with a bed, a computer setup and other bedroom/study type things. Long-term plans: I hope to have a dedicated bookshelf or even wall shelves to make more floor room (AI seems to insist on moving things onto walls and off floors, giving off the illusion of more floor space.)

The "grand" bookshelf in full; at times it looks full; at times it screams OCD and inconsistency. I am still torn on what to do with the bottom 4 cubes, so I left that alone. They are filled with DVDs, empty boxes, puzzles and spare electricals.

Onto the books themselves. I have been quite lucky with some book finds. I estimate 75% of the books I own have come from "charity shops", also known as (reuse/resale, thrift and Second-hand shops), with all looking in excellent condition. To my knowledge, the books I have bought from retailers like Waterstones or independent bookshops are the "Diddly Squat" series and one of the books by Lee Child. I also have some duplicate books on the second cube to the right next. This is because I always forget what I own, and because it's always a good price at these second-hand shops, it is always better to buy before it vanishes. Saving this photo will now prevent that. Having read a couple of paperbacks and Hardback books, I easily prefer the hardback: slightly bulky but more durable when taking on the go and a little easier to look after. Sadly, I have yet to start any of the Lee Child books, but I do have the first instalment on the Kindle, so that will possibly be my next read. I have made good progress with the Jeremy Clarkson books that feature his short pieces of work he has written throughout the years for "The Sunday Times and other popular UK newspapers. I have read all of the Diddly Squat series (at least what is on the shelf). As for his other works, I have only made progress on one of his books, and although outdated, as it talks about political, financial, and world topics from the 1990s- 2000s, it is still an interesting read, and some of what he says is still true today and still a UK issue. I have a couple of Amsterdam books and Language books I thought were worth grabbing for pennies, especially as I went to Amsterdam later that year and took an interest in learning languages.

Overall, I am happy with how the shelf has turned out. It will be nice to add some variety in there soon, and I do have A few books in mind that I am looking to grab. The Kindle also helps by allowing me to try unfamiliar books without paying a premium, and if I enjoy the book a lot, I have it in my head that I will go out and buy a physical copy. I have also been looking at picking up signed editions from my favourite authors, but unfortunately it looks like "scalpers" target those. I saw Alice Cooper released a new book (Devil on My Shoulder), and with him being one of my favourite musicians, picking up his book was a must. I saw a signed edition online at a respectable £35; sadly, it had already sold out and looking on eBay and various reselling sites, they are going for £150+. It seems "scalpers" target everything these days. A couple of other books I am eager to pick up are (Vagabond), a Tim Curry memoir. Having already read it on my Kindle, it is easily one of my favourite reads of the year, and with him passing away recently, I want to get a hardback copy. Another book I want to pick up is a special edition of (IT) by Stephen King. I have only got around 40% through the book, but it is one of my all-time favourite horror books, both the 1990 TV movie series and the modern takes from 2017 onwards. A couple of Hunger Games books, Stranger Things, and some surprises just to add a bit of variety to a very Lee Child and Jeremy Clarkson dominated bookshelf.

I picked up some bookmarks recently for my books, not that I have used any yet, but there is hope.

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Recovering My accounts and taking security seriously

chris-uk — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:18:51 GMT

Good morning happy Sunday.

This past week has been extremely stressful, uncomfortable and overall just strange. You may have seen from a post from me a few days ago stating I had been hacked and lost not only my hive account but various social media profiles.

I still don't quite know how the virus/hack actually happened but I have two strong theories. The first being via discord. I know full well not to click on suspicious links but one thing I didn't pay attention too was the sheer number of connections, plugins and trusted authorities I had on my discord that of course had continued to grow throughout the years when moderating and creating various discord servers for people. I read online that trusted plugins can easily be compromised and with it already being connected to your profile well you are just a sitting duck. My discord was the first thing targeted followed by my Microsoft account, X account, Instagram and Hive. I am leaning more towards discord being the blame but another theory I have been I may have downloaded something that contained a virus. I am not one to download much and why I don't fully take this theory compared to the discord one is because I had not downloaded anything to my computer in a few weeks and would only download "trusted" things but then again I read that viruses can just lay hidden in the shadows and pop up without being noticed.

Furthermore, I acted quite late to what was happening due to most of the attack happening when I was asleep and during my morning shift at work it was not until I checked discord on my phone at work when I noticed something bad was going on. I deleted the account on the spot it was just pumping out hundreds of links to people and joining various servers that it would be easier to just delete the account and its data. I eventually got home and decided to start the pc and then realised my X, Instagram and various social logins had been compromised, fearing the worst I disconnected the Wi-Fi and began factory resetting the computer installing windows completely fresh and having it reboot like a new computer. I reset my passwords for everything I could think of and also deleted some social media and platforms I no longer wished to use.

Likewise, I changed my banking details too, but the worst was yet to come. I lost access to my keys during the attack, which has made getting back into my account a real struggle. Anyone familiar with Hive knows just how important those keys are, and without them, regaining access isn't as simple as resetting a password like you would on a traditional social media platform. I checked out all the recovery options but annoyingly none of them worked for me and for half of the week my account was a lost cause, gone for good. Until . . . I found my old phone I realised that maybe just perhaps I am still logged in on that device. To my absolute delight I was, in fact, logged in on the hive blog browser and although stupid but also thankful I had logged in with my master key (do not do this) but for me although terrible it saved my account. Having already established a log in I was able to click reveal keys on all my keys and realised they had, in fact, been changed, and so I took the liberty of not only changing them all once but 5 different times just to make for certain.

Going forward it is clear I need to take cybersecurity and protecting things more seriously. And also be wary of downloads and discord.

I will wrap up this post here I am thrilled just to have my hive account back that was so stressful seeing that potentially disappear. as for my other social media platforms I am not too fussed if anything it gave me a reason to cut down on some and therefore allowing me to focus on important ones like Hive. Thanks for reading.

Possible hack

chris-uk — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 10:26:09 GMT

Just a super quick post I believe I may have been targeted in a hack my socials have been took over and my discord has been sending links. Please do not click any links and be cautious I'm currently racing against the clock changing passwords. Changing my hive keys and finding the root of wat caused this to happen.

Stay safe

September Reading Recap

chris-uk — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Image made using ChatGPT

September came and went in a flash, and with that, it's time for my monthly reading recap. After a not-so-active reading month last month, I'm pleased to be back on pace, even though I'm still a little behind on my yearly goal.

I managed to finish 3 books this month, and all from different Genres to keep my mind fresh.

It brings my total for 2026 to 21 books out of 30. I'm behind schedule, but it can easily be recovered if I manage 3 books for each month ahead. I'm fairly confident I'll hit this goal, as I have a couple of books already over the 50% mark, so the pressure isn't on just yet. Going forward into 2027, though, I probably won't set it to 30 and may bring it down a notch.

The first book I read this month was Carrie. It had been on my TBR list for a while, but with one of the Fable book clubs voting for it to be read in September, I thought, why not get it out of the way. I really enjoyed it. Having been a fan of both the films and slightly excited for the upcoming TV series, I found the book easy to slip into, and the story flowed well.

Secondly, I decided to read a book I first read many years ago at school: Animal Farm. I haven't read any other George Orwell books, but I really enjoyed the story when we studied it in History class while learning about the Russian Revolution. I was also lucky enough to watch the animated film that was released many years ago. After seeing that he has a few books considered controversial, I thought, why not give this one another go and see if I could pick up anything new. Overall, a great read.

Lastly, I finished off the month with the fourth Hunger Games book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. A prequel to the trilogy, it gives President Snow an origin story and shows how he became the man he did. I liked it. I wouldn't put it up there with the trilogy, but I'm glad I read it, and it's a great segue into the next book I started, Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping.

I have begun using a new book tracker alongside Goodreads and Fable called Hardcover, and after 2 months of use, I am enjoying it and will keep it going forward.

I find the stats quite interesting, and as you can see, I have inconsistent months. I put the summer months down to the heat that had a big impact on my reading. July saw a shift towards Audiobooks.

If you would like to follow my reading a little more closely, click any of the following Hardcover Fable Goodreads

Halloween month is here; there will certainly be some spooky reads in October. Thanks for reading.

Hive Power Up: Spooky Season

chris-uk — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:33:00 GMT

It is October already. Spooky month is upon us.

With it being the 1st, it's time to power up again, and with that, 130 Hive is powered up!

Price will do what price does, but I didn't come to Hive for a chart. I came for the community, the ownership, and a chain that has kept building. I have seen some wonderful projects take off recently, and I have been engaging more than ever before in recent months. You may have even noticed I celebrated my 7th anniversary on Hive last week.

As summer weather fades and the leaves start to turn, October arrives, and with it a fresh start. The final 3 months of 2026 are upon us.

7 Years on Hive

chris-uk — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:09:54 GMT

7 Years on HIVE.

It feels like only yesterday when I ventured into crypto and Web3. I remember panicking and storing my Hive keys in multiple places, both digitally and in Notepad. I remember writing up my first post, receiving my first upvote and eventually my first comment. All that, of course, happened on the old chain pre-Hive. Lots happened between then and now, and despite the good and bad, I always focused on the good and have always believed in Hive and being here for 7 years backs that up.

Hive has helped me in many ways throughout my life. As a late teenager navigating the job market and exploring what I liked to do, Hive helped me feel confident in my hobbies, meet people online, and put effort into something meaningful and worthwhile. A few years ago, Hive also helped me buy what was, at the time, a very good gaming PC—I sold off a bunch of Splinterlands cards, withdrew the Hive I earned from card sales, and used it to fund the purchase. That pc is still being used today, not just for gaming but for all my creative endeavours and engagement on Hive.

I also managed to attend one Hive meetup. I know that number should be higher; going forward, that will happen, I'm sure. This community is passionate and strong, after all.

It fills me with joy to see that I have been here for 7 years, and long may it continue. I conclude my post here for today; thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: All photos are my own unless sourced/stated otherwise.

The Love Of Beer

chris-uk — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:37:03 GMT

For the love of beer

There's something almost like falling in love about a good beer. That first pour, the head settling, the way it looks once settled. Then the romance goes on. That first sip, cold, familiar, and somehow still surprising. Then it finds its home: the pub. The smell of hops and old wood fills the air, the sound of clinking glasses and quiet chatter surrounds you. Nothing complicated, just something worth coming back to.

I've travelled to a few places around Europe, and I've been lucky enough to visit a fair share of bars, try the local beers, and pick up a bit of culture along the way.

The Netherlands

I loved my visit to the Netherlands. I'd already loved Heineken long before the trip, so drinking it in its home city felt like a given. I stayed in Amsterdam and loved the city as for beer The real highlight was outside the city, in Zaandam and Zaanse Schans, near where I was staying. The bars there were quieter, more local, less built for tourists. I ended up chatting with a few locals over a pint, and it gave me a totally different side of Dutch culture. I am really excited to visit the Netherlands again, especially areas like Rotterdam and Utrecht.

Italy

Menabrea, Peroni, Birra Moretti, to name a few of the drinks I tasted while exploring Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast. In my first year visiting Italy, I stayed in Rome; it had everything that made me fall in love with Italy. The second year, I stayed in Pompeii, and my love for Italy grew, and I always want to go back. A big highlight for me on my trip was in Pompeii. During the day, it had tourists and life, but in the evenings, because the area is relatively small and has a bigger, more lively city nearby, Naples. Most tourists leave, and the local Bars attract the locals. The B&B I stayed in had a lovely owner with a friend the owned a local bar, so I visited there often in the later evenings and enjoyed it.

Spain

Barcelona, Huge football presence, Tapas capital and great beer. Estrella Damm, Estrella Galicia, San Miguel. I found myself visiting many bars in the evenings during my exploration of the huge city of Barcelona. A beer highlight on my Barcelona trip was visiting A small restaurant run by an old couple who seemed extremely pleased that a tourist chose to eat at their restaurant, and after a generous tip, I received a Catalan flag with a bottle of San Miguel as a thank you. I tried turning it down, but they were persistent.

The United Kingdom.

My home. Pubs on almost every street corner. Cheap beer and annual beer festivals all over the country. Sadly, that statement is only half true. Pubs are shutting down at a rapid rate, beer prices continue to climb, and many annual beer festivals, including one in my city, got cancelled. Outside of the negativity, the UK is great for beer. I am lucky enough to live somewhat near two local breweries, and many towns actually have breweries, so trying something new is relatively easy. I remember back a few months, at my first Hive meetup, I had A nice pint with lunch with some great Hive users. I also think back to my London trips and visiting some historic London bars.

The love story goes on.

I can't wait to visit new places and try more local beers and enrich myself with culture. Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, etc. I also want to dive into craft beers and find more obscure local breweries in the UK.

I will wrap up my post here. Thanks for reading, and if you have any beer recommendations, do get in touch.

Disclaimer: All photos are my own unless source/stated othewise.

I am a couple of days in using this new Lumen platform on...

chris-uk — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:39:30 GMT

I am a couple of days in using this new Lumen platform on HIVE. As I said previously, I am loving this interface it does not feel cluttered, yet I can still easily see and find what I am after. I am getting the thread-style post feature is for sharing things a little bigger than, say, a "thread", which I think is cool and will be utilised a lot, I'm sure. I am also personally glad to be using something other than PeakD. (Nothing wrong with PeakD, it is just refreshing to use another Hive platform, and more importantly, it is great to still see builders building on Hive in 2026!) Looking forward to the future as always.

Posted via Lumen