1st October 2026 The Smart & Brown [Sabel] Lathe has gone.

 ~?~

  Thursday 1st 54F/12C [7.00] A bright morning is promised. Followed by rain in the afternoon and overnight. Windy again from the east, south-east. 22C/72F in the room with the heat pump remote set to 20C/68F.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night. With weird dreams again. I was stabbed in an unfair sword fight! Probably from watching too many Asian gangster series on Netflix. A ferret just ran across the drive.

 I have a potential overlap between selling my heavy, vintage lathe and exercise therapy. There is some tidying to do if the lathe is to be easily accessed and removed. Mostly lawnmowers and other electric gardening tools. 

 I don't want it all standing outside in the pouring rain. In the vague hope of somebody turning up with an army of enthusiastic weight lifters. I could house the overflow temporarily in the shelter of the carport.

 If I park the Morris alongside the carport. Then I could treat the tidying as an exercise in itself. It needs to be done. So I can actually get into the shed. Without having to clear a pile of stuff first.

 9.00 I have had to have a rest. Having cleared loads of stuff from the shed. Dragged two full wheelbarrows across the gravel to the carport. Nostalgia is welling up at the sight of my wife's gardening tools. Most of which I was prohibited from using. I was either "clearing the Amazon" or unable to follow direct orders.  

 I've been having a chat with my minder while I cooled off. Meanwhile the "gardeners" at the house on the road. Are beating a tin shed to death with sledge hammers. Prior occupants built scruffy sheds. No doubt the new people are having a proper clearance.

 It's odd to hear anything from that direction. This house is not far away but the view is completely blocked by all the trees. I hope they don't get too ambitious with the tree felling! Though I don't think they own the 30m wide, wooded strip between our boundaries. There is a stream there and the intervening ground is very wet. With mature trees forming a shelter belt between us. Which helps to block traffic noise.

 There are two houses left. Side by side. After one oder house was demolished. Their front doors are at road level. Built on ground which drops at 45º. So they look like bungalows from the front but have split levels. And probably need ropes and crampons to climb up from their steeply sloping, back gardens.

 I walked round and had a chat with the chap who is doing the work. With the aid of his family. I was given the guided tour of the large garden, the boundary stream, etc.. They plan to do a full renovation of the house. They are clearing all the sheds, shrubs, brambles and trees. It was interesting to finally see the arrangements. After living here for thirty years. Because of the drop to the garden it was impossible to see anything from the road.  

 11.45 Time for another rest. I have been sorting the original lathe parts. From the accumulation of accessories and tools I built around the machine. For all my different projects over the years. No point in hanging onto things I shall never be able to use again. 

 14.30 Finally separated everything into lathe relevant and personal junk. Cleared all the accumulated swarf. 

 There is some cosmetic surface rust from several years of standing untouched. Though not on the ways. Where it matters for accuracy. These are protected by a special oil. Vænge olie in Danish. Google doesn't have a direct translation. So I suppose "machine or way oil" will have to do.

 The rain isn't supposed to arrive until 18.00. 

 16.00 The buyer brought a younger and stronger chap with him. Even so, the lathe was incredibly heavy. Luckily they brought a low trailer. So there was no final lift. It just had to be rolled on and then pushed forwards. 

 There was nothing exciting on the floor behind the cabinet. I thought there might be. The snap is from the security camera as they drove away. The buyer lives in the next village north. About 3km away. I owned the lathe for at least 35 years. I shall miss it. Still, a major step in downsizing. What's next? 

 18.15 Heavy rain. Dinner was fish fingers, peas and chips. I'd forgotten to buy more chips. So the portion was a bit mean. Chips nouveau?

  

  ~?~

30.09.2026 Blighted neighbourhoods!

 ~?~

  Wednesday 30th 57F/14C [7.30] A sunny day is promised. Peaking at 19C/ 66F. Rather spoilt by a gusty easterly wind. Blowing to 10m/s. A cosy 22C/72F in the room thanks to the heat pump. Remote set to 21C/70F. 

Up at 6.50 after a quiet night. I have an appointment with the ENT specialist. In town this afternoon. 

 I had a long chat with my minder. Then went for a walk.

 9.15 Back from my walk. Just the usual loop around the drives to the north. I was quite breathless on the way out but gradually recovered. I was able to maintain a modest pace. The wind was picking up steadily.

 The "gardeners" are back clearing brambles at the vacant house on the road. Having a big, smokey bonfire with the felled greenery. With a very fortunate, easterly wind direction. At least as far as I was concerned. A mini digger/excavator has been brought in to help. 

 They have access to the house. So may be the owners. I believe it has always been rented in the past. No "For Sale" signs have ever appeared. The entrance enjoys the same terrifying exit into speeding traffic. Immediately following a tight, completely blind bend. Where my own, shared drive lies right on the apex. 

 Not helped, at all, by the overgrowth of self seeding trees and shrubs. At yet another of Scrapman's abandoned building sites. Now untouched for five years and counting. Much the same as all the rest of his properties. Bought for pocket change at forced auctions. Then left to decay once he has done just enough damage to make it look like quite deliberate blackmail. 

 In the hope that somebody will pay him an obscene amount of money. Just for him to go away. He always dumps ridiculous amounts of junk and building materials on the grounds of all his properties. Old decrepit boats, rusting cars and agricultural implements. Just to maximize the pressure. 

 His toll on numerous unlucky neighbourhoods and very real neighbours. Is completely ignored by the council. One neighbour lost £30,000 in the value of their immaculate home. Not that there was the slightest chance in hell of it selling. Not with Scrapman's hideous eyesores. Right next door and deliberately placed as close as possible to their boundary.

 His activities even hinder businesses. As he makes their approach drive look like hell on earth! With deliberately placed junk narrowing their access. Isn't it nice to know? That cheap, property speculators hold infinitely more power in Denmark. Than honest, tax and rates paying, working home owners and their working, tax paying families. 

  11.00 I put off my planned ride. To do the washing up and to put some laundry in the machine. 

 16.00 67F/19C and bright sunshine. Back from town after visiting the ENT specialist. I don't need to go back until November. Unless the dizziness returns. 

 Dinner was cheese on toasted rolls with halved, cherry tomatoes. 

  ~?~

 

29.09.2026 New med.

 ~?~

  Tuesday 29th 57F/14C [9.15] Overcast.  A cloudy start. Clearing to sunshine and 18C/65F later.

  Woken at 8.20 by somebody quite local. Ringing about my lathe. They should be here soon. I had fallen back to sleep after waking at 7.30.

 9.00 I have a buyer. An active 84year-old, living in the next village. He has always wanted a metal lathe. He's coming back on Thursday. We had a good chat. 

 12.30 I rang the doctor earlier about my recurring heart pain. They gave me an emergency appointment. 

 A chat, checked my blood pressure, then a wait for an electrocardiogram. Back for another chat with the doctor. New tablet to suppress the pain. Which had been removed by stopping the original tablets. Hopefully the will lack the same side effects like dizziness.

 Dinner was a chicken fry-up. With mushrooms and tweggs on toast.

 

  ~?~