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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24.09.2026 Cooking class.

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  Thursday 24th 52F/11C [8.30] Heavily overcast again. Dark indoors. A grey but dry day. Peaking at 15C/59F. 20C/68F in the room. I have lit the heat pump. 

 So much easier than the wood stove. Probably a lot healthier too! Almost immediate heat instead of waiting for ages for the warmth to escape. I should have bought a heat pump years ago. 

 I was woken at 8.00 by my minder. After my being awake again in the night. She has building workers in making a racket. So she was up earlier than usual.

 Cooking class today. Going in the Morris. 

 14.10 Back from cooking class. Where I made a cabbage, orange and nut salad. I also dropped in on the Morris minor expert to ask about spares.  

 No need for dinner. 

  

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23.09.2026 Inclemency is my burden.

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  Wednesday 23rd 53F/12C [8.00] Heavy overcast. Making it dark indoors. A grey, rainy day. Peaking around 15C/59F. 20C/68F in the room.  Wind increasing steadily to peak at 18m/s after midnight tonight. Continuing into tomorrow.

 Up at 7.20 after a mostly quiet night. I felt warm despite the modest indoor temperature.

 9.45 Just had my daily chat with my minder.    

 18.00 Back from the village supermarkets. I didn't buy any meat. Organic meat has doubled in price from last year! I'll have to rethink my diet. The second supermarket was stocking my lunch rolls again. Not reliably though. 

 I had to buy more petrol. I usually buy 250kr worth. Roughly £29! So the tank needs refilling far more often. As prices rise. 

 The rain persisted heavily. As I was heading back to the car from the supermarket. So I had to make a dash for it. 

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast.  

 

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