7.07.2025 On a roll.

 ~o~

  Monday 7th 56F/13.3C[7.00] Bright, when the forecast says rain. It's all happening just to the east. As a huge area of rain moves towards the NE. It looks more like sunny periods than the forecast showers. 

 Up at 6.30 after an over-active night.       

 7.40  Time for my walk. 

 8.20 60F/15.6C. Back from a walk to the lanes under grey, broken skies. Only the gentlest of breezes once I was away from the tall, roadside hedges. Huge clouds were dragging their dark and ragged underskirts off to the north. The warblers were still singing away. A large tabby cat strolled past at the junction to the lanes. I don't  remember ever seeing a cat just there. The traffic was unusually light for a Monday. The annual invasion of billions of slugs was visible every few yards. Splattered on the asphalt. 

 I intend to walk back and clean the mirror opposite the end of the drive. It is plastic and attracts dew and dirt. Unlike the official glass one above. The kommune [council] wouldn't put up two safety mirrors. To protect those exiting the drive on a fast, blind corner. Most of the traffic is speeding and not expecting a vehicle to suddenly appear, from nowhere, in their path. 

  Of course I didn't take my cleaning trip. I was too taken up with more projects at home.

 Dinner was an experiment. It should have been toast but I made chicken and mushroom rolls instead. Which required a degree of juggling to consume but were otherwise fine. I let things cool on a plate. Before adding the contents of the frying pan to the rolls. I think I could enjoy toasted cheese on open, toasted rolls.

  ~o~

6.07.2025 Can thee ride tandem lass?

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  Sunday 6th 64F/18C [9.45] Damp and overcast start but sunshine at 9.45. This morning's rain is supposed to clear this afternoon. There doesn't seem to be much rain on the DMI radar.

 Up at 5.50 after a quiet night. I forgot to start my blog as I was researching stuff online. 60 pages of posts on a technical forum takes a while to read.

 9.45 The arrival of unexpected sunshine prompts me to escape to the shops. Several staples are running low or completely absent. 

 12.00 Back from an hour long trip to the shops in the Morris. 

 Where I saw a combination tandem. The young lady rode up front as if seated on a  recumbent. While the man sat upright. One of their panniers was scraping the ground in the picture. I sensed a pet in a cage at the back but it seemed hidden in cloth. It was too small for a child. Or at least I hope so. Do I see a ginger corgi-like head? 

 Another lazy day watching YT technical reviews. Apart from spending some time outside in the sunshine. Staring at the sun though a solar telescope. Between waiting for large plates of cloud to pass over.

 Sunday dinner was fried chicken, brown mushrooms, peas, carrots, boiled potatoes and Bisto gravy. It was all, absolutely perfect. Except perhaps, for the want of another teaspoon, or two, of gravy. I didn't measure the cold water. Relying, instead, on guessing [badly] for the quantity in the small saucepan. 

 I cooked the peas and carrots together. Which made for colourful water to pour away. I seem to have forgotten something important about using this water. Was it for the gravy? I remembered to add the tiny bit of olive oil. Left over from the frying pan. 

 

  ~o~

5.07.2025 Sun worshipping in its absence.

 ~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. 

 I assembled telescopes as if to observe the sun. The sun did not comply and was absent all day. Instead I watched the ponies on the front paddock exploring hierarchy. As if it mattered in the endless war on overlong grass.

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast with halved tomatoes. 

  

  ~o~