5.07.2025

 ~o~

  Saturday 5th 57F/14C [6.00] Heavy overcast, windy and raining. A long, wet weekend is promised. Continuing wet into the coming week. I knew I should have gone for a ride yesterday. Oh goody! I can continue to tidy upstairs.  

 Up at 5am. Too many memories!

 I have ordered some "adapter plates." To mount my carport feet onto four of the concrete foundation blocks. The extra cost of stainless steel seemed sensible over ordinary mild steel in the long term. Which will inevitably rust and become unsightly. The plates will allow some adjustment of height via the central bolt. To ensure the feet are perfectly level. 

My purchase of the manual stamper. Will allow the bottoms of the excavations to be well compacted. So the precast foundation blocks will not sink. Back-filling around the precast blocks with concrete. Will expand the footprint. Greatly reducing the risk of sinking or lifting in high winds. 

 The advantage of the pre-cast foundation blocks. Is their ability to be moved around within the excavations. To ensure the uprightness of the carport legs. While there is no need to support the carport against all movement. While the concrete sets. Which would be vitally necessary. If poured concrete was used for the foundations themselves. One cannot predict a storm while the concrete is still setting. Which can take some time to reach full strength. 

 I closed the lean-to greenhouse last night. The lower temperatures and wind were making it rather chilly. The lack of sunshine would not allow losses to be easily regained.

 7.30 I am already getting cabin fever. A walk in the rain just needs the correct clothing. I understand that people do it all the time.  

 8.00 And back again. Not really raining. Though quite breezy. The traffic was light and gave me a wide berth. The roads were very wet. I looped around the neighbour's drives for a bit of extra distance. A little over 400m. The warblers were only slightly restrained by the weather.

 A lazy day tidying, browsing and experimenting with furniture layouts. 

  

  ~o~

4.07.2025 No, I am not lost.

 ~o~

  Friday 4th 57F/14C [7.00] A bright start but becoming cloudy with possible showers. 20C/68F peak.

 Up at 6.40 after an odd night. I was up from 3.15-4.15. Otherwise quiet with strange dreams.

 It would be a waste not to have a ride this morning. I can tidy upstairs when it rains.

 One of my new fish is lying dead on the gravel in the greenhouse pond.

 I thought I'd killed the large, golden Cornus in the front garden. After cutting it almost down to the ground. The main branches were mostly dying back. So it badly needed pruning. It has suddenly exploded into leaf from nothing. Far larger leaves than I remember.

 8-9.10. No, I didn't get lost. I walked to the village. Then up to forest via the main  track. Through the overgrown woods and back down via the field edges. I haven't walked that route for years. The main track has been resurfaced with finer gravel since I last passed this way. I disturbed a deer. Which dashed off for 20 meters before stopping to see if I posed a serious threat. Then bounded off out of sight. I don't blame it.

 The Assens county council has obtained the old railway track. Closed to passenger traffic in 1966. Goods traffic ended in 1996. It plans to use a 60% government subsidy to open an 18km cycle path along the old track to Glamsbjerg. Cost is likely to be around £2 million equivalent. 

 What a shame it has no immediate plans to extend it all the way to the city of Odense. Or at least as far as the village of Tommerup. The intermediate countryside is gorgeous. There is an excellent cycle path from Old Tommerup to Brylle. Which is on the way to Odense.

 13.00 71F/21.7C. Windy with sunny periods. Lunch over. I stayed at home. Tidying and changing half the water in the goldfish aquarium. In the afternoon I assembled one of the new shelving units. Then arranged tool trays on the stage.

 Dinner was fried chicken and chips. 

 

 ~o~

3.07.2025 Tidying continues.

 ~o~

  Thursday 3rd 55F/13C [7.00] Bright sunshine again but much cooler than yesterday. Peaking at around 18C/64F and windy. Gusting to over 13m/s [30mph] from the WNW for most of the day.

 Up at 6.15 after a busy night at the fire bucket. 

 My beautiful, dappled willow collapsed to universal brown. Before new green growth unexpectedly pushed through. The combination of heat and strong winds kept blowing it over. The latter was solved by a sturdy, ceramic pot. 

 Now I try to keep a centimeter of standing water in the bottom of the blue pot. I am waiting to see if pruning is necessary. It is also badly root bound. I am waiting before I re-pot it. As I don't want to stress it any more than necessary. While it still clings to life.

 7.30 Clouded over. Time for a walk. 

 8.10 59F/15C. Back from my walk. Sunny periods and a gusty wind. It was like stepping into an oven coming back indoors. [74F/23C] A goldfinch was singing at the top of a tree. As I was standing watching it from below. It was joined by another, colourful male. 

  I might drive into town to buy some more steel shelving. I desperately need to start tidying upstairs. Lots of random containers with tools and assorted other stuff. Is spread over a wide area of floor space. Think about it in terms of a blast radius! 

 The balcony room is no tidier than it has ever been. The 45º sloping ceilings don't easily lend themselves to shelving. I could do with more IKEA storage trays too. They are tough enough to take tools. Without forcing me to search below the visible surface. 

 When you own over 100 different screwdrivers and half as many assorted pairs of pliers this is important. Having immediate and effortless access to specific tools. Is vital to avoiding serial roundtoits. There is no mental hurdle too low. Not to cause a complete standstill.

 12.20 Back from town. With two sets of steel shelving. Which are separated, as standard, into two 90cm [3'] high, vertical halves. Allowing four useful units to stand under sloping ceilings. The shelves are 45cm deep x 90cm wide. 

 Which perfectly suits the sturdy IKEA storage trays. I have two further half, shelving units in the bedroom. Which will soon be moved to the balcony room. Or onto the stage.

 I also bought a lot of cheap, storage, plastic baskets. On special offer in two different heights. The translucent tubs all had locking lids. Which are a pain in use. The tubs are also far more fragile than the baskets. I bought white baskets. Which are far more useful in poor light conditions and do not readily absorb heat from the sun. 

 I spent the afternoon sweating as I tidied upstairs.  

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes. 

 ~o~