27.09.2026 Another walk & a 38km ride.

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  Sunday 27th 49F/9C [8.00] A sunny day is promised. When it reaches me. Currently blocked by the absent neighbours hedges and trees. The house involved is supposed to be under renovation but has been abandoned again. As the temporary plastic covering tears to rags in the wind. Today's wind is set to blow from the east. Gusting to 11-12m/s on average. Not ideal for a ride.

 A rather warm 23C/74F in the room. The heat pump has been on all night. The remote is set to 20C/68F and Heat Mode. I'll try Auto Mode to see what happens.  

 Up at 7.20 after another quiet night. With more weird dreams. 

 8.35. I think I'll go for a walk. 

 9.30 Back from a loop around the neighbour's drives at the rear. In bright sunshine. No wind. No breathlessness. No tiredness. Even my posture and pace looked more normal. The small, hairy guard dog barked from the safety of a low fence. As did the Alsatian at the bungalow on the road.  

 The intervening, marshy ground beyond my northern boundary is rapidly growing trees. There will be a wood there within a couple of years. My view towards the far fields. Through the narrow window I made between my own trees, will be gone. 

 10.30 Off we go for a ride. 

 12.30 Back from a ride for the full length of the new cycle path. With only the stretch from Glamsbjerg to Voldtofte yet to be surfaced. That was still covered in rough sand, earth and nasty, pebble sized, loose gravel in places. Strictly for wide tires or an MTB and nerves of steel!  

 Lots of people were enjoying the rest of the route which was paved with the fine gravel. Mostly mature or elderly cyclist and a few walkers. I slowed to a crawl as I passed walkers. Greeted or thanked them all and most responded. Loose dogs were quickly gathered in once they knew somebody was approaching.

 The route is a little over 18km long in all. Still work to be done on the road crossings. Some hedge trimming at these crossings would greatly increase safety. Allowing cyclists to easily check for approaching traffic.Without having to stop or dismount. On what are mostly narrow lanes with very light traffic.

 The two, main road crossings are another matter. The road speeds here are still the national limit of 80kph or 50 mph. Usually ignored by the vast majority of drivers. One main road has had a new island installed. To provide some shelter for cyclists at the midway point. The speed limit here is 60kph or 40mph. Again completely ignored by the vast majority. Perhaps the only answer is a bump, pillow or ramp? 

 Lots of new signposts have been erected in blue. Giving details of distances. 

 After lunch and a nap I have been running the robot up and down the drive. I brought out the big push along, battery mower and trimmed the length several times. Including the verges. To ensure the mower wasn't being hindered by taller grass or weeds. My attempts to cut The West Lawn failed. Due to flat batteries. Now on charge.

 The greenhouse is hot so I have opened the internal doors. 

 Sunday Dinner was chicken, mushrooms, peas, carrots, chips and gravy. 

 

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26.09.2026 A walk, 32km and a recalcitrant robot!

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  Saturday 26th 55F/13C [7.10] Dry, sunny later and breezy from the west. Peaking at 17C/63F. 20C/68F in the room. No heat pump.

 Up at 6.45 after  quiet night.  A good day for a ride?

 As I chatted with my minder online. I noticed a red van parked by the distant road. Then a JCB digger turned up and figures walked about. Eventually moving to the back of an old farmhouse. I decided I needed a walk. Curiosity was my driving force. The red van had moved nearer. As an old chap began to turn off the water at a stop tap on the verge. 

 I asked him what was happening and he said they had a pipe break on the field. Probably due to the massive seed drill. Working out there yesterday. It had returned and completed its sewing while I wasn't watching. The water would be off for a couple of hours. No warning.

 Further on I could see the result of all the gardening noise on a roadside house. Which had become completely overgrown over the last few years. While standing empty for most of that time. They must have been working hard on the brambles. I could hear the engines of their power tools beyond the trees but could see nothing until now.

 I continued on my walk at a fairly brisk pace. Yet I was not breathless. In fact I completed the loop along the neighbours' drives without much effort. I suppose it could be the therapy exercises improving my overall fitness. 

 Or even the outing with my English friend. Where we had to walk around a huge yard to examine the items on display. Followed my walking up and down several vast supermarkets. As he shopped on the way home. 

 I have filled the kettle to the very top. With the dribble from the tap. Had morning coffee. I'll change now and go for my ride. To mix shopping with checking progress on the massive embankment. Where the new, high speed, railway track has to match the height of the newly cast bridge. After emerging from what was once a deep hollow.  

 10.30 Off we jolly well go. 

 12.20 And back again after 32km. The traffic was light but the wind stronger than forecast. A cross headwind going. More of a crosswind coming home. It felt slightly too cold on my hands in fingerless mitts. Though it soon passed. I stopped to put on a GripGrab medieval cap. 

 Later I climbed the long hill up to the new railway track. Still some way to go for the embankment to match the bridge level. More roads were closed for the district heating expansion.

 I shopped on the way back. The water was back on. 

Then I sent the robot mower out four times before dinner. It is still refusing [or ignoring] certain areas of the drive. No matter how many times I send it out. Dinner was beans on toast. 

  

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25.09.2026 8.4km test ride.

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  Friday 25th 46F/8C [7.15] Dry with sunny periods. Medium, westerly winds. 24C/75F in the room. Too warm! I have turned the heat pump remote control down by one degree to 20C. It has overheated the room when set to 21C.

 Up at 6.30 after another wakeful night. Should I give up the afternoon nap? 

 I need to fix the dropper post on the e-bike. The cable was barely long enough and the outer frayed at a junction. Causing severe unreliability. I have a spare dropper post somewhere with a brand new lever amd cable attached. Bought before I realised I could get more drop. Now I can't find it! These dropper seat  cables are standard gear change cables. So I could obtain some spares from the bike shop in town and knit my own.  

 13.00 Back from the shops. I bought a couple of inner gear cables in town. Then detoured to two farm machinery shops looking for better cable clamps. Aka: Wire nipples. I was lucky at the second. The original XLC cable clamp ruins the cable. Due to the pointed clamping screw separating the strands. Where a flat ended screw would hopefully not. The original nipple was also tiny. Needing a tiny, straight bladed screwdriver to tighten it. This did not fill me with confidence that the inner cable/wire was being held firmly. 

 It has been a beautiful, sunny morning but I could not safely go for a ride without the dropper post working. Lifting myself onto the saddle. From straddling across the bike was too far. As was dismounting from a seated position.  

 17.00 60F/15.5C Back from an 8km test ride. The seat dropper post has returned to solid and reliable support. With snappy movement up and down. Bright sunshine and I was overdressed despite the wind.  

 Dinner was cheese and curried herring on wholemeal bread rolls. With half a tin of Heinz tomato soup. Washed down with village apple juice.

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