Every cookie described here is set either by Simmerstead or by a named third party we have chosen to work with. There are no others.
Revisions
Cookies come and go as services change, and this page follows them. It is updated when something actually changes, not periodically for appearance, and the date above says when.
The list
- Essential. Required for the site to load, stay secure, and remember your cookie preference.
- Measurement. Aggregate statistics through Google Analytics: pages read, traffic sources, nothing identifying.
- Ads. Google AdSense uses cookies to select advertising and limit repetition.
Expiry
The shortest of these die with the browser session. The longest are Google’s, and they outlive a single visit by months.
The actual names
- _ga and _gid come from Google Analytics and exist to tell browsers apart when counting visits.
- __gads and __gpi come from Google AdSense, which uses them to pick ads and limit repeats.
- wordpress_test_cookie and the wp-settings-* family are WordPress internals: a capability check and your display preferences.
- comment_author_* appears only after you comment, and only so the form is pre-filled the next time.
None of these cookies can read your documents, reach outside the browser, or be sold on. None of them is intended to attach a name to a visit.
Embeds
Embedded material from third parties can bring its own cookies with it. We cannot enumerate them here because they belong to the provider and change without reference to us.
Where to opt out
- Advertising preferences are managed at adssettings.google.com, and the setting follows you across every site that uses Google ads.
- Measurement can be switched off for good with Google’s opt-out add-on, at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
- Browser settings remain the blunt instrument: block, clear, or refuse per site, with no cooperation needed from us.
Automated signals
Browser signals such as Do Not Track are not honoured consistently across the web because there is no agreed standard for what they oblige a site to do. We rely on the cookie controls described above, which do have a defined effect.
Asking first
Where consent is required before a non-essential cookie is set, it is asked for on your first visit and your answer is itself remembered in a cookie. Changing your mind means clearing that cookie, after which you will be asked again.
Your control
Every browser lets you block or delete cookies. Blocking the necessary ones will break parts of the site; blocking the rest will not.
Contact
Questions go to the contact page.