16.05.2026 More downsizing.

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  Saturday 16th 45F/7.2C [7.35] Overcast and windy. With rain until midnight. The trees and hedges are moving. The heat pump is maintaining 68-69F/20-21C. 51F/11C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 7.00. The usual aches. I must make an effort to do some more tidying. 

 9.20 Back from my brisk walk. Grey and breezy but dry. The neighbour's dog was outside. So I turned back without loss of distance. Just to avoid a commotion.

 The image is of an obscuring bank or berm. Raised between a riding stables and scrap man's hoard. The bank has been planted with conifers and some kind of shrub. Which should eventually provide a visual shield again the chaos beyond. Isn't it amazing how one person can ruin so many people's lives? The sky clearly shows today's weather conditions.

 11.00 I had just cleared the trailer of wood chips. Debris from the last load of logs. Then I started to collect the packaging from the new doors. Prior to placing the old door and window in the trailer. Right on cue it started tipping down. A handy pause to catch my breath. 

 12.15 Back from the recycling yard. I got rid of the old door and window. The pallet and packaging for the new. Plus some old, scrap door frames, etc. The rain held off. Mostly just spitting. The parking area looks a lot tidier now. More to be done. After lunch.

 Dinner was a chicken and mushroom fry-up. 

  

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15.05.2026 No house points.

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  Friday 15th 50F/10C  [8.00] A bright start to several days of rain. Windy too. Peaking at 12C/53F. Gusting to 12m/s. A slightly cool 66F/19C in the room. Heat pump remote set to 16C overnight. Greenhouse at 50F/10C.

 A rather disturbed night. Lower back aching. Shoulders better today. 

 9.30 Back from my usual walk.  I wore my Ventile jacket to protect me from the wind. The Husqvarna robot mower is doing a fine job on the new paddock. Achieving clearly defined stripes and a very uniform appearance in only one day. A far more sophisticated sward compared with the usual tractor and towed mower. Half a dozen starlings were grazing. With wagtails busy too. Only a few swallows overhead. 

 The lilacs are looking well. With many deep purple examples flowering in the area. Fyn has countless kilometers of lilac hedges. Both as field barriers and roadside hedging. It makes an attractive and nicely dense wind stop. With a wide variety of coloured blossom. Seemingly able to tolerate harsh clipping by the tractor flails. I have often been grateful for lilac hedges, While cycling in windy weather.  

 11.15 I need a rest. I have been moving the ladders out of sight. Rather than stacked by the carport. In the open space of the parking area. Now highly visible from across the back field. The ladders were an untidy eyesore. Much like everything else. 

 I had gone out looking for 18mm plywood. For the indoor floor space between the new glazed door and the water pipe. Of course I was side tracked. I couldn't get rid of the old door and window yesterday. Because the bank holiday meant the recycling yard was closed. 

 I'll get another chance tomorrow morning. If I load the trailer. If I make the short journey into the village. Probably in the rain. The whole place is a tip. It is so much easier to go for a ride or a drive.

 The afternoon was spent dozing over YouTube. 

 Dinner was sardines on toast with tomatoes. 

 

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14.05.2026 Deary me!

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  Thursday 14th 45F/7.2C [8.10] Bright overcast. Dry morning, rain after lunch, sunshine this evening. It is a cosy 68F/20C in the room. Thanks to the heat pump. Set at 18C overnight. Now turned down to 17C. 48F/9C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 7.25 after numerous failed attempts to take off. A rather rough night. With periods of wakefulness and weird dreams.

 My hands, shoulders and back are painful. That will teach me not to lift and carry heavy contractors saws! Silly old whatsit! Use your brains. When your brawn is all used up.

 04.40 A small deer came down the drive and crossed the parking space cautiously. The "night colour" camera's LED lights came on and was reflected in its eyes. It froze for a moment and then walked on. 

 8.30 Sunshine. I feel like a ride this morning. One battery is fully charged. 

8.45 A walk first.

 9.15 A pleasant walk but a cold wind. 

10.50 Going for a ride. 

 13.15 Back from a 43km ride. Taking the narrow lanes to my goal.  It was a religious holiday. So the traffic was affected. Cool but mostly sunny. With an annoying SE wind on the way back. Giant clouds towered in black and white.

 I stopped at a village pond. For a short rest from the 3D saddle. Where a gaggle of baby ducklings came rushing over. No doubt expecting to be fed. The trusting mother followed along later. They soon lost interest when nothing edible was forthcoming. 

 Swallows, wagtails and sparrows provided aerial entertainment. A pair of swans was hiding under the huge willow. I passed a bunch of club cyclists. Waiting for a puncture to be repaired. Lots of motorcycles rode though bearing panniers. 

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes and boiled, new potatoes. 

 

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