What a cookie is here
A cookie is a small text file a site asks your browser to keep. Similar technologies — local storage, pixels, device identifiers — do comparable jobs, and everything below applies to them too.
The default state
On your first visit, advertising and measurement storage are switched off. That is not a courtesy; it is how the site is built. Google's consent signalling is set to denied before any tag can load, and no analytics or advertising script is downloaded at all until you make a choice. If you reject non-essential cookies, those scripts are never fetched.
Every cookie this site can set
Strictly necessary — always on
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| btf_consent_v1 | This site | Remembers your cookie choice so you are not asked on every page | 6 months |
That is the entire list. There are no other essential cookies, because there are no accounts, no carts and no logins.
Measurement — only with consent
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes one browser from another so page counts are not double-counted | Up to 2 years |
| _ga_<id> | Google Analytics | Keeps session state for the property | Up to 2 years |
Advertising — only with consent
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| IDE, DSID | Google (doubleclick.net) | Selecting and measuring advertisements, including personalised ones where allowed | Up to 13 months |
| test_cookie | Google (doubleclick.net) | Checks whether the browser accepts cookies at all | Minutes |
| _gcl_au | Measures whether an advertisement led to a visit | Up to 90 days |
Exact names and lifetimes are set by Google and can change without notice from me. Their current documentation is authoritative; this table is kept as accurate as I can manage.
Changing your mind
Use manage cookies here, or the same link in the footer of every page, or the small circular button in the bottom corner of the screen. Switching a category off stops any further use immediately. Cookies already stored by third parties are cleared through your browser.
Browser-level controls
- Every major browser can block or delete cookies in its privacy settings, and can block third-party cookies specifically.
- Blocking all cookies will not break this site. You will simply be asked about your choice again on each visit, because the cookie that remembers it cannot be stored.
- Personalised advertising can also be turned off at the account level in Google Ads Settings.
More detail
The privacy policy covers what is done with the data these cookies generate, who processes it, and what rights you have over it.
Effective date: August 2026