5 Jul 2026

5.07.2026

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 Sunday 5th 57F/14C [8.15] Overcast. Sun promised. Windy from the NW. Gusting to 14m/s slowly reducing. 21C/69F in the room. 15C/59F in the greenhouse. 

 Up at 5.50 for about two minutes. Then it was 7.20.  

 No immediate plans for today. I sent the robot up the drive. To get some exercise. Only to note that it had rained hard around 4am. Which I only discovered thanks to the security cameras.

 Which had been triggered by the neighbour's cat. Which spends more time hunting in my garden and along the drive than it does at home. Which is useful in an odd sort of way. Because it proves the smart sensing of the cameras is working.   

 The robot has returned to the charging station. After mapping the West Lawn. I set up a pathway across the gravel parking space. Then confirmed it had arrived on a second lawn. Whereupon it gamefully sought out every nook and cranny of the "tank training grounds." 

 It really was cruel and unkind treatment! I had difficulty walking in sandals. On what can only loosely described as grass. With active molehills merely kicked aide or stamped down.

 The robot got stuck only once. In a deep hole in the south. And, marked it as a danger point. To be avoided in future. Otherwise it showed remarkable capabilities to extract itself from every tall tuft of grass and hole between molehills. It would try reversing, rocking and then turning to break free. No trouble for it to climb banks. lumps and bumps. 

 Once satisfied with its mapping it announced a return to base and set off. Returning safely to recharge. If I was sensible I would have prepared the West Lawn with the big mower. Just to tidy up the tufts. Which the robot sometimes recognizes as an obstruction. Which is quite useful as it tends to set the mowing boundaries. Without having to offer any guidance to the robot. So I doesn't try to push through to the real undergrowth beyond.

 As soon as I sat down indoors, to upload the images, I became dizzy and had to lie down! 

 14.00 Late lunch over. Feeling better now. 

 14.15 It has chosen to take the pathway to go to the next [West] Lawn! I have remotely raised the cutting height to the maximum of 75mm. I am monitoring its progress in the Eufy App and via the security cameras. 

 The app shows the area which has already been mowed by becoming light green. I'll be shocked if the first "proper" cut shows an improvement in the appearance. It really is working well. Back and forth N-S-N-S.

 It really was unkind not to have mown it first. I had better go out and give it a quick blast with the big Makita. And did. I couldn't run it at anything but the highest cutting height. It just bogged down on the molehills. It's hot in the sunshine now. What I thought were bags of compost were actually Perlite and tree bark. So I now need to get some compost. To fill in all the hollows.  

 15.50 That was odd. The mower claimed it was still mowing the West Lawn but had gone back for a recharge. Showing one bright green bar and a second one flashing. The lawn is much improved by today's activities. It doesn't bear close inspection but has clearly been mowed. YouTube's grass experts say I need top soil for the hollows. Not compost. Compost sinks. Where do you get top soil? I have never seen it sold in bags in Denmark. It's strictly peat.

 

 

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4 Jul 2026

4.07.2026 Cycling to the old rail crossings.

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  Saturday 4th 56F/13C [6.30] Overcast, with sunny periods. Increasing cloud. 20C/68F on the room. 13.5C/55F in the greenhouse. All doors and windows closed. As temperatures dropped and the gales became silly. Setting a 30 year record.

 Up at 5.50 after a fairly quiet night. 

  Can I sneak in a ride today? I used to go to a charity shop. Only open on Saturdays and Mondays. About 13km away. 

 7.40 58F/14C. It really isn't warm outside. There is only a light breeze but it makes it chilly.    

12.15 Returning from a 30km ride to photograph progress on the new cycle path.  By riding along the lanes until I found the next crossing.

I was already very familiar with the entire area thanks to my years of tricycling. When I once managed 10,000miles/16,000km per year. 

I took 24 pictures. Which emphasizes the sheer number of road crossings. Ten in total today. This does not include all the earlier crossings nearer Assens and Ebberup.

Unfortunately the blog does not lend itself to many images on one page. So I'll have to post more of them over the next couple of days.  

 I ensured I took a pair of pictures. Looking east and west in opposite directions from the same crossing. The rails have not been lifted from the asphalt yet. The entire length of the rail track was once the preserve of pedal trolley hire. 

 Some lengths were more easily navigable on foot and were popular with dog walkers. Though the often rotting sleepers were an impediment to comfortable walking or cycling. I know because I tried.

While I was waiting for traffic to pass at one main road crossing. A pair of Red kites circled low overhead.

17.30 It started raining. Though only briefly. I shut the greenhouse skylights.

 Dinner was fish fingers with pasta, peas and tinned tomatoes.

 I washed up while it cooked.


 

 

 

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3 Jul 2026

3.07.2026 Sun and wind.

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  Friday 3rd 56F/13C [6.50] Heavily overcast with westerly gales gusting to 18m/s. 40mph. A cloudy morning with showers possible. Which should clear to sunshine. 21C/69F in the room. 14C/57F in the greenhouse. 

 Up at 6.15 after a fairly quiet night.  

 I see new molehills on the West Lawn! That's not helpful! I went out and kicked the raised soil into the surrounding hollows. 

 The strong wind is disappointing. I was hoping for a modest ride today.  

 If I can't go out then I can torture myself exercise at home. I used the new App to do assorted exercises. Some of which I found all but impossible. I was much fitter when I was attending group, physio classes.

 I drove into the village to pick up some grocery items I overlooked yesterday. The car was being buffeted by the gusty wind.

 I spent some time in the afternoon staring at the sun through my special solar telescope. Built up from separate components but of a more manageable size. Compared to the large telescopes I used in my home built observatory.

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved cherry tomatoes. 

 

 

 

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