28.06.2026 More robo-mowing.

 ~?~

   Sunday 28th 67F/19C [6..45] Heavy overcast with the threat of thunderstorms and cloudbursts. Peaking at just over 27C/81F later this afternoon when the sunshine returns. Light, southwesterly winds. 75F/24C in the room. My ears are running. So I have switched on the heat pump to slightly cool at 22C/72F.

 Up at 6am after a quiet night with weird, often repetitive, meaningless dreams. 

 I checked the car. The Noco Genius 5 charger has yet again resurrected a completely flat battery. It has been worth every single penny. I leave it to do its thing overnight and it has always succeeded. So far.

 Car headlights have to be on by law while underway in Denmark. All the lights in my Morris Minor are controlled by a single toggle switch. Well over to the right of the "dashboard." 

 I have added the labels and arrow to the image for clarity. The toggle switch does not easily lend itself to flashy advertising. In the form of a light or brightly coloured extensions. 

 You'd think it would be automatic to remember to turn the lights off when I park, but no. Most modern IC cars in Denmark are fitted with lights which come on with the ignition. Morris missed this trick at the close of the 1960s. No foresight for the future Danish market and changes in Danish law in 1990. 

 At least they put the steering wheel on the correct side. And the pedals. The headlight dip switch is a press button on the floor. The bonnet is released with a stiff puller under the passenger side glove compartment. Impossible to reach and requiring considerable strength. This might improve with lubrication of the cable but I have not explored this option to date.

 10.15 71F/22C. Humid and overcast with occasional drops of rain. I have just finished strimming both sides of the drive. Then running the big Makita mower over the debris with the basket fitted. To pick up as much as possible. The batteries needed recharging. 

 I really ought to grass rake it all clean but am I too tired for the moment. The robot mower has already discovered the exciting new boundaries and is exploring. I shall have morning coffee while I have a rest. The robot mower has gone back to recharge. Saying that it has completed the mowing task. I have switched off the heat pump at a comfortable 73F indoors. Temperature is entirely subjective.

 10.40 Sunshine! I have sent the mower out again from indoors. The security cameras are not being triggered by the robot for Playback. Yet it reliably picks out birds and cats. I have reset it to "All Movement." That didn't help. I may have to increase the sensitivity of detection. 

 While I was exploring the mower's menus I discovered the map can be rotated 90º. Which makes more sense with a long, narrow mowing map. Not that many other users will have such extreme areas of "lawn."

 11.30 I became dizzy just from looking at both computer monitors and the phone. I shall definitely be seeking a new optician to have my eyes tested. 

12.30 80F/27C. Bright sunshine. After a short nap I have raked both verges. To remove the grass left by strimming and mowing. A bit breathless but I managed. I need to keep exercising within my ability. I have also expanded the edges to be cut on the Eufy mower app. The mower is much more interested in the edges now. It's not ideal because of the luxurious plant, tree, hedge and weed growth on each verge. None of which I own. The bare gravel is recorded and avoided by the mower. Though it can be ordered to mow any area by choice. Or avoided if desired.

 The mower is showing increased determination to explore and mow these edges. Even if it is hesitantly at times. Once it has covered this new ground it records its coverage and adds it to the map in its memory. Patience and considerable preparation certainly pays off. Most of this work only needs to be done once. Moreover it would have been done [and repeatedly] using the normal mower and strimmer routine anyway. Just as I have done for years. Now the Eufy mower will cheerfully do everything automatically.  

 Heavy duty and professional robot mowers will overcome most obstacles. Though usually by demanding alternative means of location. Always at hideously extra cost and tiresome set-up time. Fine for those with the land and depth of pocket to match their needs. Most gardeners just want a neat lawn. Without exhausting their free hours in tedious repetitive chores under a hot sun. Or trying to catch up when the lawn gets away from them. How do you value your free time relative to the cost of investment?

 17.00 80F/27C. Bright sunshine. Giving the robot another run at a lower cutting height. 

 

 ~?~

27.06.2026 Not again?

 ~?~

 Saturday 27th 72F/22C [6.50] Bright but a milky sky. Winds light from mostly a southerly direction. A high of 32C/90F is expected. 

A sweaty 75C/24C in the room. I have switched on the heat pump. Set to 20C. It is 72F/24C in the greenhouse. Despite it being wide open all night. 

Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night. I was too warm at one point but pushed the light duvet off. Only to need it as I cooled off. I'll try a sheet tonight. My forearms are still pink after yesterday's ride. I'll buy some after-sun. I am still coughing. No ill effects from yesterday's ride.  

 I have to go to the pharmacy. Having run out of some tablets. I hope I don't need a new prescription. The doctors surgery is closed at the weekend. 

 Now I need to water the outdoor plants. Done. I lowered them to the ground from their stands. I thought it might be cooler for them.

 9.15 84F/29C. Uncomfortably warm even in the shade. I went for my first walk since my fall. Taking the usual shared drive to get away from the road and traffic. Not that there is much on Saturday mornings. The small, hairy guard dog came charging towards me. As I was standing and chatting to a lady neighbour. 

 The dog's owner came along and the dog retreated. I did not not want to cause any further disturbance. So I turned back. The sward on the new paddock, between the two drives, is looking superb. All thanks to the Husqvarna robot mower. 

 When I came home I monitored the mower. As it mowed the grass yet again. I have gone back to the tall mast and the longer cable at the far [west] end of the greenhouse. Yesterday I was leaning a pole against the drive end of the greenhouse. To be sure of a good signal. Fortunately the mower could still function despite the much greater distance to the Wi-Fi Access Point. I am hoping to have a good signal on the West lawn. 

 I have discovered that the robot is afraid of long stalks of overhanging grass. It seems to avoid them every time. So I need to go along with the strimmer if I want cleaner [mown] edges to the drive. It keeps exploring the verges but the sheer roughness of the weed growth is inhibiting it. 

 9.30 The room has dropped to a more comfortable 71F/22C thanks to the heat pump. Currently set to Cool 20C/68F. It is becoming more breezy outside. I shall have morning coffee and then go shopping. Probably in the car. Or not.The Morris battery was flat. Some idiot had left the lights on! I went on my bike. 

 10.30-11.30 90F/32C.11km. Everything was going well until I started feeling dizzy at the checkout of the second supermarket. Both shops had air conditioning. So felt pleasantly cool. Going outside was like walking into an oven. I sat on a stack of compost bags in the shade for a few minutes. Wondering if I was going to be able to balance safely on my bike.

 It seems I was. So I selected Turbo for maximum speed with least effort. Hoping for a cooling effect from the headwind. It was more pleasant riding through the cool tongue of forest. Too hot everywhere else in full sun. It clouded over just as I reached home. Typical!

 I splashed my face, arms and neck with cold water. Which helped me to cool more quickly. I just finished my 4th glass of water. In addition to the usual tea and coffee. It's a pleasant 71F/22C in the room. I'll have a lie down. It was too cool. So I reset the heat pump to 22C.

 14.30 94F/34.4C! After a nap I had lunch. As I was scrolling though YouTube videos I started to get dizzy again. So I had to stop and have another lie down. 

 Then I remembered that I had to tip my head back. To see what was on the top  shelf at the supermarket. My usual cooking oil as not on display again.  This same head movement used to trigger dizziness years ago. Back when I was building my observatories. 

  I have attached the smart battery charger to the Morris Minor's battery. It was unbelievably hot outside. Like a walk-in fridge at 73F/23C indoors. I have the air direction blades pointing along the room towards the stairs. It is cooling the whole ground floor effortlessly. 100F/38C in the greenhouse.

 15.00 It has suddenly  become heavily overcast. There are thunder storms with lots of lightning to the west! These will probably reach us at 16.00. 

 Dinner was four sausage rolls. I wasn't really hungry. They were very filling! Two would have made a meal.

22.10  72F/22C. More thundery storms are likely tonight. Some very powerful gusts and heavy cloudbursts were measured over west Fyn today. Over 40mm of rain and gusts exceeding 30m/s. It is 76F/25C in the room now and it feels cold! I had to turn off the heat pump because it felt so chilly. Or rather, I did. Temperatures will fall to more normal levels during the week.

 

  ~?~

 

 

 

26.06.2026 Friendly robot +51km x 87F/31C!

 ~?~

  Friday 26th 60F/16C [6.50] Unbroken sunshine and 29C/84F. With a nationwide heatwave warning. Still much cooler than elsewhere. Expected to be hotter still at the weekend. 

 Sharply angled railway bridge near Grønnemose. The old main road to Odense will eventually pass beneath. 

 A comfortable night at 68F/20C in the room thanks to the heat pump set to Cool and 20C. It was 75F/24C at bed time. I could feel a slight cold draught on my face in bed but it was not unpleasant.

 All the internal doors open and several windows left on the catch for ventilation. Even the kitchen was 21C/70F this morning. It has been around 75F/24C most days. I slept well. Apart from the usual attending to the fire bucket.  The heat pump has been switched off again this morning.

  I am coughing more. With an unpleasant taste in my mouth. So I have restarted the penicillin tablets. Having checked with the doctor while I was there yesterday.  

 The outside plants have been watered. Before it gets too hot. 

 I really want to go for a ride today. I'll head north and check the progress on the massive earthworks for the new railway. It is some time since I visited the many sites where there are road crossings. With lots of newly cast bridges and cuttings. I shan't go too far though.

 The old main road approach to the skewed bridge. 

Success! I reset the Wi-Fi Access Point and robot mower. With fresh passwords. Existing maps deleted. Whereupon I was rewarded with mapping with mowing. Previously, Eufy owners would have to wait for the time consuming mapping before starting to mow. One still has to monitor the mower. In case it gets bogged down in a hole or can't avoid an obstruction. 

 So far it has mapped and mowed 12m^2 in 10 minutes and automatically returned to the base station for charging. It has the growing map area showing on my phone screen. With the mower shown as a moving rectangle. I have parked two recycling bins across the far end of the drive to avoid random visitors running over the mower. The central grass strip has been cleared of debris.   

 I have now activated live video. From the mower's onboard cameras. It is expanding the initial map. Which only reached the greenhouse. Remote control with an on screen joystick! I sent the mower to the far end. It refused to mow. Saying that it was off the lawn. I need to do some homework on map expansion. 

 The new railway track, near Ejby already has ballast over a long, rural stretch. The motorway runs over the further bridge. Its sheer width is lost here.

 The phone even shows the charge on the mower batteries. And a paler stripe on the lawn map where it has already mowed and the percentage completed. All thanks to AI vision. The downside is if it recognizes tall grass as an obstruction. I ought to have run the ordinary mower along to get rid of the tall dandelions. Which had grown up since I first played with the robot mower.

 9.45 Getting the e-bike ready for a ride. I'll have morning coffee before I leave. Make sure I am topped up. I am already on my third glass of water. I'll wear the obscenely expensive Assos bibs out of respect for my lack of recent mileage.

10.30 77F/25C. Full sunshine. Off we go! 

 13.10 87F/31C. Back from a 51km ride. Hot and tired. Arms and legs aching from early on. I have lost some fitness. I drank two micro cartons of organic apple juice. The Bosch Nyon computer head lost an information screen. My favourite. With Cadence [pedal rpm] and speed in large digits. I have forgotten how to set these screens. So I'll have to do some online homework.

 14.30 84F/29C. It's like an oven out there! I have now mowed the drive with the battery, push-along mower. Six lengths! To give the robot a chance. I am watching progress on the phone and on the security cameras. Will the robot voluntarily explore the drive now it is mowed short?

 It is certainly pushing the boundaries but is rather hesitant. It is currently widening the map to take in the verges. Which I have just shortened. It is a shame the phoned doesn't do auto-rotate for landscape viewing. It was making excellent progress along the drive. Then decided to return to the charging station. I have sent it out again. All control is remotely from indoors. Via Wi-Fi on the Eufy app on the phone. 

 17.15 I had a nap and then let the robot run up the drive again. It is still pushing the far end. Then turning back to tidy up areas it has missed earlier. This is all part of its programming. It's been good fun now that it is behaving properly. My own fault I think for confusing passwords. 

 I am presently cutting at maximum height of 75mm/3". I am not sure I need to go any lower. I'll try 65mm. Just to see if it looks any different. I have now set the cutting stripes to auto-rotate. To allow for the gentle kinks and curves in the drive. 

 I have seen the big Husqvarna robotic mower from time to time. Working on the neighbours' extensive grounds at the rear of Chez Hovel.  The quality of the sward was amazing when I passed on my bike this morning. I haven't walked along there to look since I had my fall. 

 So their robot has obviously been busy in my absence. Repetition of mowing is the magic ingredient. It suppresses the weeds and leads to tighter growth of the grass. Without having to run a large tractor and mowers over it. While avoiding the inevitable damage from the great weight and tire treads.  

 Dinner sardines on toast. 

 15.30 Black sky with fierce, gusting winds! A storm front? I have shut the greenhouse doors and skylights. It is almost dark indoors. 

 15.46 First flash of lightning. 15.48 First thunder. 15.50 Heavy rain. 15.53 Torrential rain! We are unlucky. Right in the path of the storm.

 16.00 Constant lightning and frequent thunder. This will last for half an hour according to the DMI. Grr! All the outdoor plants have blown over. 

 

  ~?~