12.10.19 Wetter still!

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Saturday 12th 51F, heavy overcast, breezy with yet more rain promised. Southwest Denmark is enjoying unprecedented amounts of rain. The city of Vejle is flooded and roads are closed. Including a new motorway which has suffered a mud slide and flooding.

I could hear the rain roaring down after dark despite the windows being closed and latched. I haven't had a chance to check the drive yet as it has been too dark until now.

We had one of those grilled, plastic channels across the drive but it disintegrated over time. The channel scratched across the drive eventually silts up but is easily renewed. Before that, the entire 200m length of the drive would flow through our parking space and on down, through the back garden We must have spread lorry loads of gravel onto the drive over the years. Using only hand rakes, wheelbarrows and shovels. You can't argue with unfortunate levels and negative slopes. Having lost vehicles driving down here quite regularly doesn't help.

I have often mentioned Janteloven [Jante's Law] here. Today and yesterday Janteloven was mentioned in the media. It seems the Swedes have Janteloven too. It must be true because the BBC has a story on the matter. It is rude to mention how wealthy you are in Sweden even if you are "stinking" rich. In Denmark Janteloven is used as a weapon against ambition, promotion and hard work.

A globally famous Danish architect was regularly attacked for having [great] ideas "above his station." Particularly while he was too young to be receiving such global accolades.

Everybody must be reduced to the same level rather than being inspired to rise above it. While cheerfully dragging up the rest of society kicking and screaming by the bootlaces of its mud-caked, wooden clogs.

This architect went to live in Spain in his youth. Which gave him a completely different perspective. Had he stayed in Denmark we would never have seen his major breaks with architectural tradition. Perhaps all Danes and Swedes should be made to live elsewhere for  while? To reset their blind perceptions of reality and look deeply into their overt racism.

A walk to the lanes. Where I was caught in a two minute, half-hearted cloudburst. Then I was overtaken by an "FBI convoy" of identical 4WDs as the local huntsmen arrived for the first pheasant shoot of the season. It didn't take long for gunfire to erupt. Followed by much shouting and dogs running wildly all over the field. Feather's drifted gently downwind towards me from the copse.

The neighbour's ponies were spooked and dashing in tight circles within the confines of their electric fences. While the flooded fields were better or worse according to their location. The damage, as sharp edged rivulets cut down slopes, was all too obvious. The soil seems to be a mixture of clay and sand. Sticky and soft by turns. When we first came to Denmark it was strange to see the farmer's activities reduced to a smooth surface by rain.

The back field is flooded now. Though still a good meter below us. It used to flood every year in the past. Usually because the field drain was allowed to clog up with twigs, leaves and weeds. Once it flooded it was impossible to reach without waders. I used to joke that we should start a boat hire business.

The first signs of the new government's green plans is mentioned in passing. Those who want to scrap their oil fired central heating can get a small subsidy to install a "wet" heat pump system. Or they can hire a system from a profit driven company with little competition. Or even, god forbid, a bank!

Oh wow! That's really going to dent Denmark's CO2 production by 70% in ten years! The cost of a new "wet" heat pump system is about £10k! Of which an absolute minimum is £2500 in taxation. Totally uneconomical and unlikely to show any savings for years. Not to mention the constantly inflating electricity prices. Plus the constantly inflating 17 "green" taxes on top of every kWh. Making it a very poor investment for impoverished pensioners.

Whatever happened to all those tax subsidies for the rich to build wine cellars, conservatories, riding stables, swimming pools and saunas? Were they quietly phased out? They had to put a cap on the middle class subsidies for generating electricity with solar panels on the roofs of the comfortably off. Taking out a short term loan for the installation was still a license to print money at poorer taxpayer's expense! Repayment and into profit in only a couple of years. What the British call: "A nice little earner!"

The only realistic reduction in CO2 production in housing is a national insulation program. Many of the houses listed for sale are rated G on their insulation value. That basically means unheatable. Some homes may once have had 4" of fibreglass in the roof dating back to the 60s or 70s. By now this will be completely flattened and full of holes. Almost worthless in insulation value.

Meanwhile the Danes like to run around in shorts and T-shirts indoors all winter. With a woodburning stove manufacturing creosote and smoke from traditionally wet firewood. Burning dry firewood would have your family completely ostracised in most rural villages. [Remember Janteloven?] Meanwhile the oil heated, central heating is on full blast. Just try and find a snow covered roof which hasn't melted clear within hours! 

Sunday 13th 52F, heavy overcast and breezy. More rain promised for later. A walk to the village. Where the huge, churchyard trees and shrubs seem to be popular with the birds. I could see fine rain falling on the church pond but felt nothing obvious. A very expensive, German sports car went past. He was using the entire width of the road by overshooting on a blind corner at low speed. Welcome to "The Age of Entitlement." No skill required. Just the ability to afford the purchase price. One way or another.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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