1st October 2013

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Tuesday 1st 47-51F, 8-11C, breezy, overcast. It started spitting half way round, then rained and then went off again. Too cold even with two jackets. The tights will have to go on from now on. 23 miles.

Rant/ Take a deep breath: An everyday story of country folk:

We were woken by a crash and a loud rumble before a huge demolition container lorry left going away along the shared drive. The 24x7x52 woodburning neighbour was having another shed load of painted, demolition timber, chipboard and fibreboard delivered by the demolition contractors.

These are carefully cropped shots of a small proportion of the 10' high pile of demolition firewood. This step was to avoid any possible identification of the users. I took the picture from publicly accessible land for evidence in the event of any doubt in future proceedings. The users started sawing it into usable firewood almost immediately and continued all morning until the moment when I was seen photographing their illegal fuel production. 

No doubt I should expect immediate prosecution for illegal photography of private property and be put on the first plane back to Gravely Blighted. Despite it  being under the despotic rule of a coalition gummint and there's sod-all chance of any sympathy from Amnesty Wotsit. Not with my blond greying hair and Scandinavianesque designer stubble! Mind you I do still have a hint of the tea-stained knees. So there's still a chance I'll see my days out in an immigration asylum. Thank goodness nobody in Denmark ever reads my blog... !

So we can look forward to more black smoke and the stench of burning paint indoors and out. Not to mention the round-the-clock circular saw and chainsaw cutting the treated and painted timber into dirt cheap  "firewood". It's no wonder we sneeze and cough year round. <atchooo!>

Talking to the council environment officer was a complete waste of time. The black smoke just went on belching from both neighbour's illegally low chimneys. The rule for chimneys is one meter above the ridge or highest point of the roof. Whichever is higher. Yeah, right!

Until recently, we had a neighbour on each side with gardens full of demolition firewood.  So whichever wind direction we had the house stank of burning paint. I don't suppose any of  you are old enough to remember stripping leaded gloss paint with a blowlamp? Probably not.

Much of the painted wood comes from very old buildings when paint often contained heavy metals and unknown toxic treatments including lead and arsenic. If such wood is burnt it should be done at very high temperatures in specialised industrial furnaces with tall chimneys designed specifically for the job. So the Dioxin gets equally shared by Eastern Europe. So that's all right then.



Further homework online suggests that it is not only illegal to burn rubbish wood but also illegal to deliver it for the purpose. A number of large city councils have strong advice online against using rubbish wood, pallets, pressure treated and demolition timber. Despite this the popular online small ads magazines have specifically labelled offers including images of skip loads of firewood from demolition contractors! Y'all couldn't make it up! <spit>

tilbud på nedbrydning i okt måned - Køb brugte ting på GulogGratis.dk

[Demolition offer for the month of October: Buy used things in GulogGratis.dk]

[QUOTE] If a demolition contractor delivers wood for  burning then they are breaking the law and will always be reported to the police by the Kommune (Council) for prosecution. All demolition timber must be delivered to an approved burning facility.

[QUOTE]It is illegal for a citizen to have possession of demolition firewood. If a citizen is found in the possession of demolition firewood it may be removed by the council at the citizen's expense and the citizen will be prosecuted.

It is also illegal to cause your neighbour distress by producing black or toxic smoke. Deliberately burning painted wood is an obvious assault on your neighbour's rights to comfort, health and happiness.

Making excessive noise is also illegal. That would presumably include the long term use of a chainsaw, a tractor to drive a splitter and a circular saw in close proximity to your neighbour's house, garden and property line. How many tens of years and for how many hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year constitutes excessive? Don't ask?

A: None of the above counts (at all)  if you haven't lived here for as long as they have.

Just in case you were getting bored by all of this: There is a final irony: The Danish government is seriously considering placing a heavy tax on all forms of legal home heating fuels. This is to compensate for the losses from reduced offshore oil and gas earnings. Many serious newspapers, magazines and commentators are claiming this will load to a massive upsurge in the abuse of demolition wood for home burning.

Not to mention the over-the-border purchase of surcharge free, cheaper firewood from Germany. How much is that going to cost the country in imported petrol and diesel and CO2?  Will they be buying their cheap booze, fizzy drinks and fags while they are there? Perhaps we should be told?

Countless thoughtful Danes have been good global citizens and have invested heavily in brand new woodburning stoves and wood pellet stoves. Only now they are likely to be smacked in the financial teeth by their own supposedly enviro-friendly government!

Meanwhile, oil fuels are not rising so rapidly under the new fuel surcharges as will CO2 neutral biomass!

"Do as we say. Not as we do. We make up the rules as we go along. Tra-la"  

Because all wood fuels will be surcharged the forests will soon be devoid of weekend woodsmen collecting cheaper fuel in exchange for thinning the woods of weak and stunted growth. So the stronger trees in the  forests will rapidly become weakened by heavy undergrowth and fierce competition. So you can forget all about your solid Scandinavian Beech furniture a decade from now!

Public access to the forests will become increasingly difficult. With an expected rise in obesity, psychological ill-health, poorer fitness levels and all the increased health expenses and lost work time this involves. But, hey! It's just shuffling money around the system to be seen to be worth voting for their transparent lies next time.

Denmark may even begin to suffer from massive forest fires. Imagine if the undergrowth takes hold in the expected global warming with greatly increased risk of extended heatwaves. We already have severe problems with wind. Burp!  

/rant

On a lighter note I am being sent to an osteoporosis clinic on the other end of the island for scanning, poking and probing. 55 kilometres or 34 miles away is about as far as I can go without risking hypothermia from overshooting the harbour wall! It feels like three times that far when you have my map reading skills! I managed my 83 miles one day PB by getting lost going both ways on my last ride to this particular town. It's almost in another time zone! I've heard that Russian is more likely to be heard than Fynsk in the local pubs.

The online route-plan mapping service says it takes an an hour in the car! OMG!  And it's only 30 miles?!? The geriatric clinic is on the first floor! Cripes! I have to be ready in a week! I'd better start training!! Where are my Tri-bars?!!? Should I get a GPS directions thingy with a heart monitor? What about an extra water bottle? Energy gels for the ride? Spare inner tubes? A proper, frame-fitting pump? What about a change of sweaty clothing? Good grief! I'm 66 you know! What if I'm twirley and they aren't open yet? I may have to pee in the flower beds! OMG! <panic!!>

While I could certainly reach the place on my trike they have set my appointment for 8.15am! So I'd probably have to leave around five am to be absolutely certain of arriving on time! And then ride back into the rain and prevailing wind afterwards. What if there's a headwind going? I wonder if my lights will still work for the return journey?? I'm already having to wear tights and a GripGrab scull cap under my helmet. I'll need my best bibbeys to be laundered and pressed in good time. And, I haven't been well.

Tomorrow is my first (ever) visit to a physiotherapist. I'd better warn them. "It's my first time, you know. Be gentle with me!"

Where will it all end? ;-)

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