Wish List
A running list of things on our radar. In recent years we’ve been careful not to buy things on a whim, but to plan for them and make sure we balance across what else we’d like. We generally try and ‘buy for life’, as much as that’s possible to do these days - unfortunately that almost always means buying the most expensive version! Items are grouped below and this list is updated from time to time as we purchase things.
Home Improvements
- Additional smoke alarms. We’d like to cover the loft and garage. We need 1x Ei208WRF (CO), 2x Ei660iRF (loft & garage), 1x Ei168 (radio interlink)
- Garden landscaping & paving. This is a 2027 project.
- Better home battery & grid switch. We’d like to upgrade our GivEnergy system for a PowerWall with capacity to manage winter months and handle power outages.
- Water softener. We have very hard water in Kent, it sucks, but this would solve it.
- Bracket for the lounge TV. Our Sofa isn’t directly in front of the TV, I’d like a motorised bracket so we can make it so.
Clothes
- Dubarry boots for dog walking. I love my Dubarry’s for sailing, but don’t want to ruin them for walking, these would be ideal. Yes, I have wellies too.
- Sailing salopettes. I have some already, but as many sailors know, they’re a pain when you need a wee. These ones have a special sit-down flap.
Kitchen
- Drinking water filter. A Doulton Filter or a reverse osmosis system.
- Fizzy drink maker. We buy bottled fizzy water, boo.
- Sage coffee machine. It’s a lot for a cup of coffee, but I despise paying Nestle for Nespresso pods.
- Robert Welch cutlery. We have one tea spoon in our drawer and it’s a small win when I find it for a yoghurt!
- A full Villeroy & Boch tableware set. I love Royal. Yes, I a have a bit of an obsession with a well-made table.
- Pressure canner. I’d love to preserve beans and other vegetables from summer.
- Food processor. We want the big daddy one. This is probably top of the list.
Technology
- Silent network switch. We have a cranky Cisco gigabit PoE switch in the garage serving the house, it’s noisy and I can just about hear it from our bedroom which I’m not a big fan of.
- AirPods. I lost mine in Glasgow airport and have been stubborn about replacing them. I just don’t listen to anything if I end up commuting, or pinch Victoria’s!
- Neohub Gen3 for the UFH controllers. Our extension has underfloor heating but I can’t control it from an App, this would fix that.
- NAS device for storing files and running small apps/services. I used to store all pictures in full-res on my Macbook, but the library got too big. I’d like to have a local copy of everything.
- New iPad for Charlotte. The poor soul has an iPad that doesn’t support Disney Plus (but that also saves us a subscription!).
- New Macbook. This is not a priority, but my current Macbook (An 2021 M1 Pro, 32Gb RAM) is now 5-years old. Which is quite incredible as it’s still working perfectly, but in a year or two that won’t be the case.
Fitness
- Monitor for the rower/garage. I enjoy using the rower, but I would like a screen to watch something as I get bored listening to music.
Preparedness & Camping
- Big portable battery & portable solar panels. This is probably more for camping, but a nice to have backup. We’re lucky that Victoria’s car can act as a portable battery and inverter. For this, something like the Anker Solis range.
- Freezer for the garage. We have two freezers already, but seldom have space for a meal prep and meat, I’d like something for longer-term storage.
- Water storage. This is a prep. I’d like to have something available if there is a major shortage, mains water failure or other situation. Ideally enough potable water stored for 3/4 days. We have the water buts which store water suitable for toilet flushing.
- Better garage storage shelving. My garage is great, but it is small and needs slightly better organisation to best utilise it.
Long-Term
- A boat. The big one. It’s my dream to have a boat on the River Medway and to spend time sailing on it with family. Nothing too fancy, but we’d probably aim to spend about £50k to £60k for something ready to go. We’d want some something somewhat modern, safe, suitable for light-handing, comfortable and easy to manage. It’s probably a cruiser-first, mass-production Jeanneau, Beneteau, or Bavaria. We likely wouldn’t race it but it’d be nice to have a cruising sail or spinnaker. I’ll keep dreaming.
Purchased in 2026
Shed for the back gardenAir conditionerLe Chameau welliesBoot socksSummer holiday 2026October holiday 2026Birthday weekend away 2026Victoria prescription sunglassesGarmin body scalesDumbbell setBluetooth HR monitor for rowerBigger and better tent needs two rooms, height to stand up, blackout, and an awning space. We went with:Decathlon and the Arpenaz awning.Beds and bedding for the tent we went with: bed base and mattress. Absolute camping gamechanger.