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Tuesday 5th 39F/3.9C [6.00] Another sunny day. 67F/199C in the room.41F/5C in the greenhouse. I left the skylights open out there to shed the heat. I don't want the pond water getting too warm.
Up at 5.30 after a very busy night at the fire bucket. My back is painful again. I shall be visiting my English friend.
12.00 Safely back from my visit. Countryside very beautiful. My friend gave me a pretty copper bird feeder. Further to his requirements. He already has several feeders hanging from his huge, garden trees. I shan't start feeding them. Just hang it up so the birds get used to it being there.
I was going to go for a ride after lunch but didn't.
16.00 I have been rather busy indoors. First I had to empty the glass display cabinet of ornaments and move it aside.
Then I started demolishing the internal brickwork and block work under the original, indoor window sill. Where the glazed door will replace the antique window. I have posted an image above of Chez Hovel's present ugliness. The distortion is due to the mobile phone camera.
I built the entrance door out of thick, recycled floorboards and installed it probably over 20 years ago. It is much easier to enter the house this way. Than going through the lean-to greenhouse. The sliding, greenhouse doors do not readily lend themselves to easy access. Nor is there anywhere to park nearby.
The inside of the outer layer of lightweight insulating blocks can be
seen in the image below right. I have already removed an inner row of blocks.
Which were hidden behind the brickwork. Under the deep, protruding,
wooden windowsill.
This was the first time the rather beautiful, old window has been opened in three decades.
Which allowed me to throw the debris straight into the wheelbarrow. Parked outside, under the sill.
Going well so far. The big DeWalt hammer drill made quick work of
clearing the last of the adhering mortar on the floor. The work so far
has increased the light coming through the window. Though it has always been
obscured by a chest of drawers until now. There was always a sense of vulnerability due to the low sill height.
The downside is that I have now discovered the mains water pipe leading to
the meter. The pipe is literally lying on the concrete floor. Buried within
the wall insulation on either side. Being iron, the pipe will not succumb to any attempt at bending. Which
means it can't be lost under the new door's threshold. Which probably
means that the door will have to be mounted slightly higher if the threshold overlaps. By about 20mm or
nearly an inch above floor level.
Still plenty of room below ceiling level. If the pipe runs just inboard
of the new door's threshold. It could easily be hidden in some white,
boxy electrical conduit. To disappear from view against the overall
white of the new door. What the eye doesn't see.. The heart can't grieve about. I may have to move the carpet northwards. To hide the now bare area of floor. Though a doormat might do just as well.
The carpenter may have a better idea on how to deal with the pipe
problem. I shan't do any more now until he turns up. He can decide how
much of the window surround/reveal needs to be removed. As well as the
ugly block work above the present window.
Dinner was a major fry-up. Sausages, mushrooms, tweggs on toast and
Heinz baked beans. Toast is healthier than fried bread. I think.
I had a "spam" email from Moustache e-bikes. They are offering a 1000Wh
battery on specific bike models. The largest battery was only 670Wh when
I bought mine. It might help to compensate for the hunger of the Bosch increase in power on specific motors. Progress.
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