22.12.2024 Bringing order to ingrained chaos.

 ~o~

  Sunday 22nd 38F/3C [8.15] A wet early morning clearing to sunshine is promised. The eastern sky looks clear with only a little cloud. Brighter than recent overcast.

 Up at 7am after another quiet night. There is an Intel graphics driver update [endlessly] installing on my PC.

 8.15 61F/16C in the room. I have lit the stove and will be using up all the smaller bits of beech firewood. It is not so convenient as split logs because it has to be fed to the stove at shorter intervals. Though there is no shortage of warmth. I can feel it on the back of my neck. As I sit at the computer several meters away. The trick is to use enough solid chunks of wood. To ensure reasonable longevity of the burn.

 I must tidy up and clean the place in readiness for my Christmas visitor. She will be staying for a few days. Just as she did last year and again in June. The latter was when I had my heart problems. Unfortunately, for her, she had to house sit. While I was being repaired in the city hospital. She is good at bringing tidiness to my usually chaotic hovel. Without the strong emotional bond to useless objects. Things can usually and more easily be recycled through donation to the charity shops. Than if I was left to my own devices. 

 The journey probably won't be much fun for her. As this is the busiest day of the year on the railways. Booking a seat is usually sensible on the Danish railways. I shall collect her in the car from the village later today. We can easily keep in touch on her progress. Thanks to free wireless on the train and the mobile phone network on the buses.

 It is an unfortunate coincidence that the kitchen is now in a state of complete uproar. Due to the very recent arrival of an oven and a washing machine. Without any sign of any tradesmen willing to install the plumbing and drains. Probably due to the Christmas holidays intervening. Poor timing on my part. I had hoped to have both items installed and working by the time my visitor arrived. The oven is now usable but still sitting nakedly on the cupboard. An IKEA tower cupboard to house the oven. Is due for delivery after Christmas.

 To add to the problems I had tried to stand the oven on my antique pine cupboard. There was nowhere else for it to go at the time. Which meant taking down my stacked, larder shelves from the wall above. Things went from bad to much worse. As I emptied the pine dresser and large trolley in the corner of their combined and accumulated detritus. Only to find that it all still needed to be stored somewhere. Preferably not on the kitchen floor. As much of it now finds itself!   

 9.15 Brightening to potential sunshine. I have just scraped the aquarium glass clear of algae again. Replanted the uprooted plants. Watered the indoor plants. Brought in more baskets of scrappy firewood pieces and kindling. The room has reached 63F/17C. Morning coffee I think. 

 10.00 The room has reached a toasty 65F/18C. My visitor has left home and is on the metro going to the train station.

 11.00 66F/19C in the room. I am tidying upstairs. 

 13.30 41F/5C. A sunny day but rather cool and occasionally breezy. A late lunch after tidying, vacuuming and mopping. 67F/19C in the room. I fixed new sticky contacts for the heart monitor on my chest after my shower. The originals I had fitted were getting itchy. The sticky contacts can tolerate showers but not the monitor itself. I'll leave in half an hour. Get some shopping and petrol on the way.

 14.30 My visitor is now safely delivered to Chez Hovel.

  ~o~

 

21.12.2024 Save a [bit of a] tree!

 ~o~

  Saturday 21st 41F/5C. Dry but windy morning followed by rain.

 Up at 7.00 after another quiet night. The heart monitor went almost unnoticed overnight in bed. It was never a problem. My left nostril is trying to bleed again.

 Somehow, even my plants look untidy.

 I really must buy some more logs today. As well as do some vital shopping. I don't even have any bread rolls.

 Whoops! The timber yard, which is my usual source of beech logs, closed yesterday for its Christmas holidays. Not open again until the 2nd January! That's two whole weeks! I have only three to four day's worth left.😳 I shall just have to burn briquettes. Mix them with the logs. I can get more briquettes but the stove manufacturer suggests very limited use. A maximum of one briquette per hour.

 There is another source of logs but I have no idea if they are open on Saturdays. It usually means calling them on the phone. I called. Not today, but I can fetch a trailer full on Monday. That will be a relief. 

 10.00 Returned from another shopping village. Where the choice is much wider. Despite one outlet from a supermarket chain closing down. I offer four full carrier bags as evidence of abundance. I may yet freeze but I will eat well. Everything seems very wet from overnight rain. Puddles everywhere.

 Only 60F/15C in the room. I'll go shopping in the village to keep warm. Save the planet!😊  I checked the moisture content of some of the drier looking horse chestnut logs in the heap outside. 22% might burn if I store it near the stove before using it. It was covered once but the lightweight tarpaulins don't last. I have reserves of wood chippings stored in old wheely bins. Salvaged over the years from "dirty" trailer loads of logs. Waste not. Want not. 

 More shopping in the village. I had better start tidying up. The washing up backlog needs to be done too. 13.30 I lit the stove and added the split horse chestnut pieces to the kindling. It seems to catch light readily and burns well. A slightly odd smell though not too bad. 

 I can feel the warmth on the back of my neck. It's lucky I didn't give it all of it away. Giggle suggests it only works in stoves. As it is known to spit on open fires. I will have to dig into the huge pile for the dry stuff at the centre. If I need to.

 Dinner was delayed while I washed up. Without which there would be no cutlery nor crockery. Then, and only then, I fried sausages, mushrooms and tweggs.

 Shortly afterwards the heart monitor battery gave out and needed the battery to be replaced. A charger and second battery is also supplied. I had charged the battery yesterday evening. So was well prepared. The instructions had suggested the battery be changed in the evening. So that the battery lasts through the night. 

 8.45 43F/6C. It is windy enough outside to be noisy. I am feeding the fire on bits and pieces of beech. The room has only reached 65F/18C.

 

  ~o~

20.12.2024 Heart monitor.

 ~o~ 

Friday 20th Early appointment at the distant hospital. UP at 6am on the alarm. Breakfast, shower dress and leave in the Morris. I arrived much too early. So wandered around a supermarket before going to the hospital. Handed the heart monitor by the heart department receptionist and left again. Still far too early for the shops to be open. So I walked around another supermarket before finding a baker and heading south to see my friend. Straight into the low, blinding sun for a while. The the road curved and the sun was off to my left.

 12.00 Returning from my visit. It rained briefly on the car while I was shopping in the village on the way home. 

 I haven't mentioned that the Monstera has responded well to the overhead LED work light and staking. The large, variegated and red leaved rubber plant beside it enjoys the light too. It too was leaning heavily towards the nearest small window before the light was added.  

 I have sought three more bids for the drainage and plumbing to the washing machine. From another building trades website. The first website produced no responses. 

 I have realised that a connection could be made to the large PVC drainpipe. Which exits the bathroom exterior wall from the toilet. Just the other side of the interior wall between the kitchen and bathroom. Likewise, a connection could be made to the water supply to the toilet flush. Again, just the other side of the wall behind the washing machine.

 So it could all be very compact. With no need to dig up the lawn. I wonder if it is worth my digging down to the toilet drainpipe to simplify things. Perhaps save on labour costs and avoid the need for a mini-excavator altogether. 

 15.00 Sunshine and showers. I managed to dig down about 60cm. Then I had to start working my way backwards. To allow the shovels to scoop out the soil I had loosened. I can hear something hollow down there but haven't reached the 110mm PVC drainpipe yet.

 The heart monitor was effortless to employ. Stick the contacts on my chest and attach the colour coded leads. Switch on. Green screen is okay. Insert in handbag with shoulder trap. Press the button to check functioning. Relax.

 I am taking a chance and making chips with fish fingers for dinner. In the new oven. I am disappointed to discover no timer. I had completely overlooked this in my choice. Though seeing the food in a bright light is rather entertaining. I didn't preheat the oven. As suggested on the oven chips' packaging. So, now I need a kitchen timer. Even if I can easily see the food being burnt. The mini oven had a clockwork timer but no internal light. So I used an LED torch. And kept resetting the timer when the food wasn't cooked!      

 The story of my culinary life it seems. I put the chips and fish fingers in the same baking tray on baking paper. The fish fingers now have little aliens in them and are oozing. The chips remain stoically white. This is after 40 minutes! I have moved the fish fingers onto another tray. Nearer the bottom of the oven. The chips have gone on the top rail to be grilled. The oven has a small hidden fan as well as the big one at the back. The little fan rattle and buzzes. Warm air is being blown into my face as I watch the food sizzle.

 The chips were too hard but still not brown. It was impossible to stab the chips with a fork. The fish fingers breadcrumbs were crisp, probably overdone, but tasted fine. Lessons learned: Preheat the oven. Separate the fish fingers from the chips. Chips on the top rail to be grilled. The fish fingers can go lower down and could easily go in 10 minutes later. Buy a kitchen timer.

I need more logs! Tomorrow morning. In the rain!

 ~o~