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

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  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.

 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 ran the robot 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.  

 

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25.06.2026 Round and around.

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   Thursday 25th 9.30. Warm sunshine. Breezy. Reaching 26C late afternoon. Room at 73F/23C.Greenhouse at 70F/21C.

  I woke up at 6am feeling dizzy. Tried to go back to sleep but every time I opened my eyes the world was rotating.

 Feeling nauseous. I just made it to the toilet. Where I threw up once into a bucket. There was just clear fluid from the glass of water I'd had earlier. Which didn't make it any less unpleasant! I sat there for an hour and half trying different exercises at intervals. [Semonts or Eppley Maneuvers. There are lots of different names.] These are supposed to help with dislodging inner ear crystals. 

 Finally I wobbled back to bed and slept until 8.30. I have made an acute appointment with my doctor for 11.10. The spinning has stopped but I dare not have any breakfast. I am sipping water and cool tea. My right ear is making bubbling sounds when I swallow. 

 Still coughing now and then. Temperature 34.3C. Suggests mild hypothermia according to Google. I was feeling hot in bed. The bathroom is at 22C. So I shouldn't have been chilled by being out there for so long. 

 I have just watered the outdoor plants. I couldn't risk losing any more. I should plant them out into the garden somewhere. But not today. It is already 70F/21C outside. 

 12.00 76F/25C. Very hot in the car. Back from the doctors. I am to to visit an ear, nose and throat specialist. I have a headache. Not eaten anything yet. Back to bed for a nap.

 I wasted more time on the robot mower. It will not connect to the Wi-Fi. To show maps and allow changes. Yet it works independently. 

 Dinner was salad with tuna. I'd forgotten to buy eggs but the sheer quantity made up for it. Now I have run out of salad cream. It's not a stock item in Denmark but has to be ordered online. From British produce suppliers.

 

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24.06.2026 The Visit.

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  Wednesday 24th 61F/16C [6.25] Bright overcast with a light SW breeze. Another warm, sunny day is forecast. Reaching 27C/81F. Progressively warmer each day this week. Sunday is scheduled for 34F/93C! The room is at 72F/22C and I was too warm in bed. Alternating between pushing off the duvet and covering up again. The greenhouse is at 62F/17C. The greenhouse pond water is at 70F/21C. Despite the skylights, open end doors and shade net. I ought to add the second shade net.  

 Up at 5.30 after a sweaty night. I am going to try setting the heat pump to Cool and 18C/64F to see if it helps. Not until I dropped the set temperature to 16C/61F. Now I can feel a cool breeze. The thermometer is showing 10C/50F in the airflow and still dropping! 8C! I have increased the desired temperature to 18C/64F. Still blowing at 10C/50F.

 I had another dizzy spell yesterday evening. I was fine until I went back to the computer. To add details of dinner and a picture. My vision suddenly started spinning. Low blood pressure because my stomach was working hard on digestion? Who knows? I lay on the bed and it slowly passed.

 I am expecting a visit from the nice young lady from the Council's, elderly support service. Later this morning. I haven't seen her in ages. She was instrumental in dragging me out of the shock and depression after my wife died suddenly. Now four years ago. I got in touch again after my recent fall. With concerns for my relative isolation in the event of another fall. Perhaps out of sight of any of my neighbours. There are schemes for volunteers to ring every morning. Just to check all is well.  

 8.00 I am working steadily to clear the endless clutter which always gathers around me. As if I had my own gravitational field. The round, sponge strip is easy to fit. To quickly get a tidy appearance around the new doors. Better than the naked rock wool strip which the carpenter fitted and left me with.

 The heat pump airflow is down to 7C/45F and still falling. Which is pleasant but very slow to lower the room air temperature at the computer. Currently 70F/21C and dropping very slowly. Not that it needs to be chilly. Greater comfort being the only sensible goal. I have the upstairs windows on the catch to try and get a chimney effect. Or a cross flow between the windows. Without insects getting in.

 8.40 I have watered the indoor and outdoor plants. Vacuumed the ground floor. Cleaned the toilet. Next is mopping the tiles in the kitchen, bathroom and fireplace. Done.

 10.00 71F/22C. Cloudy. As ready as I'll ever be. Washing up done. Showered. Cleaned and scoured the sinks. Two lots of laundry done. 

 11.30 The nice young lady has left after an hour of chatting in Danish. I shall register for a morning phone call from volunteers.  

 I have run out of essentials for lunch. Should I ride or drive? 

 13.10 Returning with two, full carrier bags from the village supermarket. It felt like an oven going back out to the car park. The car was hot too. Even with the windows open. 

 14.00 82F/28C. Sunny periods but rather cloudy and breezy. 

 18.00 80F/27C. Full sunshine. I have been dozing on the computer. It is 75F/24C downstairs. I have switched the heat pump back on the cool the room. Fan speed only on 1 to reduce draughts. Temperature set to 19C/66F. Airflow currently at 8C/46F. Now 5C/41F. It fires the cold air upwards at about 45º. Chilly! 

 I can park the armchairs in front of the floor unit. To force the cold air upwards. That helps. I shall raise the set temperature to 20C/68F. It actually feels too cold now! Reset to 22C/72F. I need a jumper! The airflow has risen to 16C/61F. 

 I have had to put long trousers and a jumper on. The room temperature hasn't changed yet but it feels quite cold. 27C/81F in the kitchen. I can go out there and get warm again. It's a toast day. Mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. With halved cherry tomatoes.

  

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