31.10.2020 No title? It never happened!

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Saturday 31st 52-53F, very heavy overcast but calm.  A walk to the village in the finest drizzle. The distant views were lost to patchy mist. 

I snapped away at the autumn foliage and any birds which did not immediately take their leave. The traffic was quite light at first but grew steadily in numbers.

The sun is peeking out now that I am back at home. The light in the garden trees sets off the northern, grey skies quite nicely. It was short lived. A few tiny blue patches punctuated the gloom. A solitary vapour trail was visible earlier. Backlit by an invisible source of illumination.  

The gloom continued into the afternoon. With barely a glimpse of brightness and becoming windier.

~~

30.10.2020 There has to be a better way!

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Friday 30th 49F, rain from a very heavy overcast. Expected to rain for the rest of the morning. No walk and it drizzled all day.

I had to make an emergency run in the car in steady rain to the builder's merchant for plumbing parts for the new bath. Rubber gloves and masks firmly in place before leaving the car. I avoided the few browsers and the staff were protected behind clear plastic screens. 

The complications arise when deciding when to remove the gloves and mask. And, what of the risk from contaminated shopping? The staff have to handle each item to scan it. I also had to input my pin code manually. Because I'd gone just over the card's security blanket limit. All this handling and personal contact seems very unnecessary in these days of Jinping Plague, wireless labelling and stock control.

As I buy many of our vital items online, these days, there is a regular snowfall of email requests for scoring the dealer's performance. Many online dealers promise and pride themselves on same day dispatch. Many dealers work hard to promote an image of efficiency and customer care. Including track and trace.

Logic suggests that you should score the dealer on their performance alone. What then, if a surly driver dumps your goods on the front lawn in the rain and runs? What then if the freight company falls down on the job and delays your item for another day? Or even longer?

There is a clear need to find a better way of distributing parcels to customers which maintains the ambitions of the online supplier. Amazon is trialling drone delivery. How that works for literally millions of parcels per day is quite another matter. "Air traffic control" and avoiding competitor's flights takes on a whole new meaning. Do we really want creaming drones constantly filling our days [and nights] for every whim?

There is still no standard for public parcel acceptance despite most people being at work during normal delivery times. The US seems plagued by parcel theft judging by all the YT videos. Can a standard security cabinet be developed to allow secure storage until the occupant returns? Cannot the parcel be wirelessly, security tagged to the house? So that removal from the delivery point, without customer intervention, results in a siren? 

Danish privacy rules for security cameras mean that the home owner may not survey public thoroughfares. So identifying a parcel thief and quite possibly their vehicle, becomes seriously problematic. No doubt technology will eventually match these demands for security. Or, everybody will work from home in future. 

Or, remain unemployed while the AI robots take over literally everything. Where will the paying customers come from then? Dystopian futures ignore the fact that somebody has to make a profit. Slaves don't have the means to buy all the stuff which keeps the world on the daily commuter run. Who else can feed the 1%'s money printing machine, but us? 

~~

n?29.10.2020 Does one descent make an autumn?

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Thursday 29th 47-52F, variable wind and solid overcast. Sunny periods promised. Autumn has descended upon us. Ochres suddenly compete with umbras and sienna for attention. As buildings pop out of the scenery from behind once-concealing trees.

The Jinping Plague continues to plague us. With its new records of infections and sheer numbers lining the emergency wards. Small birds flit from tree branch to shrub to tall weed in the blink of a [jaundiced]  eye. 

Solitary crows transit the prairies carrying conkers in gaping beaks. Mink gulls mill noisily over serried ranks of long, low sheds. Fenced and abandoned. Like strings of railway carriages, from a forgotten era, going nowhere soon.

 

~~

28.10.20 Delivery drivers, eh? Who needs them?

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Wednesday 28th 48-52F, breezy with almost clear skies. I am short of breath again. Almost like asthma from inhaling toxic substances. Heating antique, brass, clock dials used to cause it when I was still doing that sort of thing. It was the only way to melt the black wax into the dial engravings during restoration. 

Strict, restoration rules demand that dials not be cleaned on the back. Just in case over-cleaning is used to hide the "marriage" a movement with a different dial. The horrors to which these dials have been subjected for over 300 years is a bit of a worry.

BTW: I'm not panting with exercise. It just feels as if I can't inhale normally for a while. My usual, wet throat, clearance cough remains intermittent. It is hardly surprising when I worked in engineering for years. When I blew my nose my handkerchief was often black with carbon dust. Or dark brown from machining rusty items.

Only a short walk today because we are expecting a delivery. I wanted to be here, to supervise, but have no idea of delivery times despite modern technology providing instant messaging. Better safe than sorry.  

More peace and quiet of the countryside today. A huge tractor is ploughing the nearby fields. With sets of blades, the size of bicycles, flipping over at the start of each new row. They are turning a crop into a green compost. 

Meanwhile, a scrap collection lorry is removing the assorted contents from a local barn. The driver is dropping the large and heavy items into depths of the vast, metal container using an onboard crane. Not the most peaceful of pastimes but I'm not complaining. Just mentioning the daily round.

The delivery, on a large, wooden pallet was dumped, on the shared section of the drive, over 100 meters from our gate. NO SMS, was received. As was clearly stated on the delivery notification. It could have been there for hours!

We kept looking out for a van, or a lorry, but saw and heard nothing. It was supposed to be delivered to the door! Did the driver know, or even care, that they were delivering to octogenarians? Did they know. or even care, if we owned a sack truck? Or some other means of lifting and moving such a large and heavy object along a gravel drive? An enamel bath is no lightweight! Could the recipients cope with this burdensome task? Better ask TrustPilot when the inevitable auto-request for a ***** score arrives in the inbox.

They must breed a special kind of ignorant into these local delivery drivers. We once had a 'fridge simply dumped onto the snow. That was on the kerb of a main road at the far end of the 200+ meters, shared drive. Only reading the small print in the "deliveries" section of the vendor's sales website showed that delivery to the door was more costly. Do you think they dump large and costly OLED TVs on the kerb?

Normal parcel, delivery drivers are often overtly impolite or completely lacking in manners. I have given them absolutely no reason to be that way. Other than the fact that I pay their wages by ordering items online for home delivery. Usually paying extra for this service. Dealing with the public is potentially, extremely rewarding. Though it depends entirely on the character of those providing the service. Or complete lack thereof!

~~ 

27.10.20 Peace and quiet of the countryside. 😄

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Tuesday 27th 47-52F, heavy overcast and breezy. Some sunshine is promised. A walk to the lanes in a variable south westerly wind. A Red kite rose from a copse and gave me a private aerial display. Traffic rather busy today.

Strings and plates of low cloud were racing across the sky. There was even a [very] brief glimpse of the sun's pale disk behind the clouds.

Jinping Plague infections are increasing horrendously. More are infected each day than back at the beginning of the pandemic. Few have taken it seriously because the first wave was kept firmly under control. 

Meanwhile, the Danish, ultra right wing [racist auto-denialist] politicooze are throwing media tantrums and undermining the elected government's safety rules:

Copycatting Chump's drooling ignoramus style? Jo!
Question the need for social distancing? Jo!
Question the need for masks? Jo! 
Question the need for restrictions on assembly? Jo!
Embolden the sociopathically selfish denialists into public and even violent protest against vital  restrictions to save countless lives? Jo! 

Denmark offers free aerial displays with extra dBs! Wow! 😎 And it's not even an F-35! Probably an F-16 with afterburner set to 11½. Pardon?🦻 The Danish MOD is holding noise trials to dilute worries about the coming F-35's well known, very high noise levels. They should get Elon to make them a  battery, jet fighter with auto pilot. 😏

Why don't these right wing politicooze [Chumps] volunteer to do something useful for the very first and probably only time, in their miserable lives? 

Porters to drive the lorry loads of new dead to the emergency freezer morgues in the pig's meat, processing factories? That shouldn't tax their abilities and their built-in [sociopathic ] indifference to suffering will serve them well. None of your tosser's PTSD for them!

Meat processing factories are where all the cheap, imported labour has been infected and placed in forced quarantine. Probably living on the bare floors of freight containers. Given their usual treatment in Denmark by the Danish, "landed gentry." 

There's a wonderful irony here for the anti-immigration, extreme right wing [racist auto-denialists.] Are Danes much too good to work in the industrialised, pig production farms factories? Jo! Too good to work in the meat processing factories? Jo! So, are they taking jobs away from REAL Danes? Jo-jo-nej-jo-jo-nej-jo-jo-nej-jo-jo! 😜

~~

26.10.2020 Simple Campag Athena "11" front derailleur mod.

 ~~

Monday 26th 48-52F, breezy with a heavy overcast. Rain or rain expected. Then cancelled. 

A walk to the lanes under leaden skies. Only a light SW breeze. There were no gulls, at all, visible today. A solitary heron and then another went over. I was just wondering where all the birds were when some geese broke the silence between roaring traffic. One might have hoped for a little more tidiness in their aerial arrangements, but what can you do?

My new front changer [Shimano FD4700] has arrived. It soon  proved to move no further out than the Campag Athena. Grr! A waste of another £25.

Both front mechs. were of the braze-on type. Note that I have filed the matching, 32mm, tube clamp to give a more relaxed angle. Than the steep seat tube [75°] of my Trykit trike. Without the lowered angle the front cage was tipped up to the horizontal much too far against the chainring. It looked completely ludicrous and spoilt the front gear change.

Whatever I tried I could not get the 4700 to change onto the larger, outer chainring. Raising and lowering the mech provided no improvement. So I am soaking the chain in cleaner during lunch while I decide what to next.

It was impossible to see the hidden, limit stop faces on the Shimano FD4700. So I looked again at the Campagnolo Athena 11. This was much easier to examine thanks to its nicely open construction. The Campag build quality totally eclipses the Shimano front mech. The cage is of brushed, stainless steel rather than Shimano's, cheap looking chrome.

The absolute limit on outward movement proved not to be the Hi stop screw. It was one of the parallelogram links. This was  stopping the cable clamping/activation arm from lowering any further under cable tension. 

There was plenty of meat on the cable clamping arm. Not so much on the link. So I filed a small flat on the arm under the clamping screw bulge in the casting. I kept extending the mechanism in my hand to be certain I wasn't removing too much material. Nor in the wrong place. Naturally this work would invalidate any guarantee but I have had the Athena for ages. This mechanical mechanism was discontinued in March 2020.

Voila! Instant extra, outward reach! The image [Above right] shows where the two parts contact each other at full outward activation. Not easy to see because they are in contact with each other.

I had to reset the lever to slacken the cable before retensioning to achieve full extension.

Now I can reliably move the chain onto the outer ring from the middle of the cassette and on outwards. It is very unlikely I'd want to change to the outer ring when I am in the lower gears of the cassette. Usually it is just a case of increasing my speed downhill.

~~

25.10.2020 The have no free school meals? Then let them eat at The Commons!

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Sunday 25th 54F,  a very wet night promises to become a very wet day. Dark and very windy! Danes are being warned to watch out for falling Russian vodka prices birds. Bird flu outbreaks in the land of the sinking nuclear sub sun may be carried abroad by migrating birds. 

The clocks have gone bad back. Just to add to the misery. Did I tell you that my knees have self-repaired? It's amazing what they can do these days!

A walk to the lanes in a full gale. My cap came perilously close to detachment a couple of times. The roadside fields were full of gulls. Until, that is, they spread fake news about my long, camera lens being a rocket launcher. Saw several birds of prey. Including a Red kite and a Kestrel. The three, pale, wind riders were absent today.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lardy" Johnson, the UK's Common as Muck, Ring Master, is promising to share his free dinners with several posh poor children. Every single day! This will occur during a commercial television appearance opportunity. With a handsome, tax-free, financial reward to the bloated, hirsute, albino, Slebish host. Whoever that may be.

The portly politician promised to lose weight when he was hit by the Jinping Plague. If only to show a good example to others much less gifted. [With free meals and top drawer, health care.] Obesity being one of the major and well known causes, of serious ill health. Being overweight is also considered to be a direct contributor to the severity of Jinping Plague symptoms. So dismissive, politicooze, hypocrites beware!

A UK footballer has been successfully campaigning for free school meals during the school holidays. Meanwhile several of Johnson's cohorts, popularly known as The Marionette-Antoinette Club, have withdrawn their ideas for directly subsidising brothels and crack dens. [To cut out the [parental] middle men.]

The Head Clown has sent them back to their stately homes. To tend to their stables, landscape their grinds and ruminate on obscene social inequality. Not to mention the "offshore tax savings opportunities" provided by major British Banks to those who can afford it.

Given the astonishing income, which many footballers enjoy these days. One is forced to ask how having the entire team owning several Lamborghinis and/or Aston Martins, each, impacts upon poor children's parents. When they are forced to buy a family season ticket and this week's latest team strip at gunpoint. By one of Pootin's, billionaire, money-laundering mobsters. 

~~

24.10.2020 The World's last, B-movie, TV Scout Master?

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Saturday 24th 51F, breezy and cloudy. Though with some brightness promised. Not that they agree on quantity or quality. It was ever thus. A walk to the lanes to maintain my knee recovery. It stopped hurting yesterday but I'm not taking any chances of a setback. The same three birds of prey were on a roadside field. Sadly they are very nervous and leave as soon as I pop up over their local horizon.

Widespread new restrictions are being introduced to try and limit the numbers of smitten by The Jinping Plague. The victims have spread from suckers in the toxic, artificial grass lawn, as society relaxed its guard. 

Meanwhile, the last two, evil dictators are shoring up their fantasies of self-impotance. As the US collapses under the sheer weight of its countless Chumps. 

Sociopaths, Pootin and Sly will do anything to hold onto power now. As they anticipate sharing the unearned spoils from a US in free fall. Though quite where they will find customers for their rip-off tat is a serious concern. Particularly if the USA goes as broke as it is already broken.

The DSA is crippled by its divisions. As race, religion, crime, modern slavery, gender, poverty, drugs, injustice and obscene inequality tear at the tattered remains. Of what was only ever a pretend, B-movie film set. 

Civil war or major unrest seem to be waiting in the wings for their walk-on part in their very own, low budget, Pollywood action drama. Patient only until the utter irrelevance of the latest, TV Sleb selection is finally over. Then used as an excuse to play their obsessive computer games with real weapons. 

Is this really all they can muster from their 328 millions? Biding [time] or Chump, as potential leaders? There is something insanely and terrifyingly wrong in the Divided States of America. For shame that it has been allowed to come to this! The world badly needed an honest and true Scout Master. To stand up against Russian, Arab, African and Chinese wrongs. All it got was a tragicomic, egotistical pervert. From some long forgotten, TV B-movie. Whose role was only considered amusing. Because it was so horrendously bad!

~~

23.10.2020 Never forget that they are pushing product.

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Friday 23rd 51F, raining, heavy overcast and windy after heavy rain overnight. A walk to the lanes while trying to avoid tyre spray from those who can never be bothered to alter their path. I changed the bottom bracket but reaching the large ring with the front changer is still marginal. I can just about get it to change if I use the small end of the cassette. I have other front changers in a box hidden somewhere in the trike shed. As usual I'm just not sure where. There were brief views of the sun later before the overcast took over.

________________________________________

Moving from one, dumb, idiotic superstition to the next is but one small step for man. One step forwards and two back, for mankind. Superstition is the one form of raving insanity which does not automatically lead straight to the asylum. Ask any, appeal court judge, cardinal or preacher.

Believe anything you like. Just don't demand I accept your wild and often evil, fantasies. Denial of human rights is the usual hallmark. Of your mental jackboots stamping repeatedly on the innocent. The hypocrites always need witches to burn. In order to maintain their absolute control over your village [idiot] mentality. There's [literally] one born every minute.

The purveyors of your precious snake oil will say anything to avoid your discovering unadorned reality. How else will they maintain their seizure over your crippled mind? When push comes to shove, will your puppet master give up his next, free, supersized, meal ticket? Just to admit the hideous truth?

That you are just another pawn in his lifelong, sociopathic plan. For building his fantasy prisons for your mind. Always and transparently out of thin air. The place here he can entertain his every whim. By endlessly torturing your feeble psyche. With any load of [very old] bølløcks which occurs to him. 

He is the perpetual, playground bully and your personal saviour alike. And you, the naive chump who willingly gives up your dinner money for ephemeral recognition. Because only He can prevent your sky from falling. Even if you do not believe in his fairy tales you are actually noticed as being present. Instead of playing the "extra" in your own life. 

Question everything you have been told to believe. Weigh its true value and its real cost, to yourself and its parasitic vendors. Truth is not weighed by the number of downtrodden billions. All too afraid to question their parent's brainwashing from before the cradle. Nor by the arguments of the professional cynic, cult leader, political candidate or influencer. Judge them by their own deeds. Not by their empty promises. Designed to empower, only themselves. Always at your own expense.

 

~~

22.10.20 A bit of a stretch.

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Thursday 22nd 55F, heavily overcast and windy. 

My new bottom bracket axle has just been delivered a fortnight after being ordered. The carrier lost the first one at the nearest delivery office. Subsequent [polite] emails to the online dealer failed to trigger a suitable response. 

Only when I threatened to give them a bad score on Trust Pilot did they finally react with a replacement. I have years of orders with this company. From way back when I was still riding thousands of miles every year on my trike.  

It is lucky I had a spare unit albeit one which was too long. At 112mm it would not allow the Campag Athena front changer to reach the outer ring. I was using a 103mm sealed axle unit until it warned of impending destruction through rusted bearings. So much for being sealed! 

I was unable to find a 103mm BB axle this time and had to settle for a Shimano 107mm. With a prayer to the cycling gods that it would work. For those who haven't been following every nuance over the years I use a Stronglight/TA chainset from Spa Cycles. 

For years I clung to triple chainrings. Starting as a teenager back in the early 60s. When, believe it or not, ratios were measured in [penny farthing/Ordinary] inches and you had to do the sums on paper. Biros had already been invented by then but calculators were not commonplace. I used common bolts to hold the three rings together. Drilled through the middle and with the heads and nuts ground and filed thin for lightness. Of course they rusted.

Meanwhile, back at the tricycle shed: The chainset seems to be a very long way from the seat tube with the 112mm axle. Well beyond the maximum reach of the Athena. I was too busy to change to the new bottom bracket today. Though it will only take a couple of minutes tomorrow. I use self-extracting crank bolts which save a lot of time. A far cry from the distant past when dedicated extractors were required for each make of crankset. With crummy covering caps to keep the extractor threads clean.

~~

21.10.20 Wet and windy.

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Wednesday 21st 53F, incredibly dark overcast and rather misty. Nearly 8.00 [local sunrise] and it is still almost dark outside. I shall need a torch for a walk if I go now!

Half an hour later is was still depressingly leaden as I ambled to the lanes to keep the exercise going on my knee. It was feeling better last night but the pain has returned this morning. 

I keep suggesting this beautiful guard dog goes for a morning walk with me. I speak quietly to it, but it continues to shout above me.

The gulls were wandering over a roadside field until I arrived. Then one of them spread false rumours about my evil intentions. So they scattered to the four winds. Misty rain, another dead rat on the road and the smell of dead animals/or birds in the hedges.

It became wet and quite windy later. There is a huge weather system covering the whole of Europe. Centred over Britain and bringing heavy rains to the south and snow to the north.

~~

20.10.20 Whotta lotta pong!

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Tuesday 20th 47F, breezy with a heavy grey overcast. Expected to remain grey all day. Possible rain later. Time for a walk!

It was chilly on my hands as I strode briskly towards the lanes. A tractor, with buckets mounted for and aft, was being attended by three farm hands. As they methodically collected surface boulders from the prairie. The gulls were few and far between on their usual, hilltop roost but soon returned. 

What do mink farms with Jinping Plague have in common? Gulls. Lots of them! There are now over 100 infected mink farms and it is spreading south. It can't be just coincidence that every mink farm has a resident flock of gulls. Can it? 

There are over 1300 Danish mink farms. Which feed a slurry of waste [?] materials containing fish. The stink is absolutely horrendous! The mink feed is brought by specialist tanker lorries. Perhaps there is a clue there?

Talking of lorries, there was quite a lot of heavy goods traffic today. One of which came screaming down the hill towards me on a blind corner. I jumped onto the verge as it passed me in a cloud  of dust, smoke and the stench of overheating. The smell is still in my lungs as I sit here scribbling my blog. A toxic combination of burning brakes and boiling antifreeze. Yes, it is really healthy living in the Danish countryside! 😂

I drove to the recycling centre to dump a large trailer full of garden waste which could not be composted. I should have taken a rake! Instead I had to unload the whole lot by hand. It's a good job I'm fit! [For nothing.]

~~

19.10.22 Off to the woods!

 ~~

Monday 19th 40F, cloudy overnight but supposedly clearing to a sunny morning. The Head Gardener can continue to lay waste to her garden. "Making room for new plants" [allegedly.] 

I liked this scene for its depth and its mix of textures, angles and outlines.

A walk up to the forest along the main track from the village. Rather cool on the hands to start with but it soon passed. I had a nice chat with the farmer in his SUV. The driver of a huge lorry was loading timber from a stack with expert skill just inside the woods. 

The traffic was quite light today and my knee seems to have survived the journey without much change. 

~~

18.10.2020 "Megafluencer," "virus = a hoax," "denialist" dies of "Jinping Plague."

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Sunday 18th 43-52F, cloudy when we were promised sunshine. A cloudy morning but brighter periods in the afternoon.

My keyboard is still misbehaving. There are reports of Windows updates causing problems. 

A walk to the lanes in weak sunshine. A pair of deer were three fields over. About 400 yards away. So I snapped away but not in anticipation of any international awards for wildlife photography. The gulls were almost absent on the outward leg but numbered in their hundreds once I had returned to the same viewpoint. 

I continue to wear the stretchy knee support and am avoiding naked sky diving. Or any other dangerous sport which might exacerbate my wonky knee. 

You can take a dunny to knowledge but you can't make it think. Desperate Dunny Von Chump [Swedish immigrant and tax evader] continues to hold packed rallies with naive, adoring fans. All hoping for a bit of tongue. As US infections [8.3 million] and deaths [224,389] continue to climb despite it being "a hoax."  

Evil dictator, Sly Jinping's "plague" killed "only" 4,600 Chinese and its economy has expanded by 5% in the last quarter.  China has 1.3 billion inhabitants. The US only 330 million. If Dunny Von Chump [Swedish immigrant] was in the business of fighting the plague then he'd be bankrupt! But, hey, he has permission for new, Scottish gold golf course. Despite local opposition and making a loss on everything he touches. [According to his tax returns.]

~~

17.10.2020 Social distancing gulls ostracized by Chump supporters!

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Saturday 17th 40F, completely calm, clear with bright sunshine. A walk to the lanes with a stretchy knee support. The wind turbines were at a standstill. Two pairs of deer were grazing near one hare. The low sun was right behind me. So they probably couldn't see me. 

The gulls had moved to another field. Leaving the socially distanced birds ostracized. The packed gulls rose untidily on a rumour but soon returned. Fortunately the traffic was light today. Being blinded by the sun was not a matter of mere survival. 

If Tesla perfected autonomous [self driving cars] would Danish drivers still be able to take blind corners at speeds which are three-five times too high for their minimum braking distance? 

A sunny morning turned to a cloudy afternoon. Finally clearing up again as dark approached.

~~

15.10.2020 Another, long, grey day/Infantile Twatter done all broke!

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Thursday 15th 42-50F. We were promised sunshine but it is overcast! Grr?  The sun never showed its face despite both weather services forecasting sunny periods. Another long, grey day with a northerly wind. I spent the day on hobbies at home. My left knee is still hurting on the stairs. No walk today as I try to avoid vigorous exercise. My weight is already up by several cwt due to marmalade binging.

Friday 16th 36F, it looked clear overnight. Too dark to see anything yet [at 7.30] but I'm sure to let you know later. The forecaster's disagree on the quantity of sunshine today. Whatever that means for actual sunshine hours. I'd send them new seaweed sensors but there isn't any on the local beaches. This is said to be due to all the antifouling agent and spilt booze leaking from the countless boats in the marinas. UPDATE: 150 yard mist. I was planning on a gentle walk to the lanes today.

Infantile Twatter was "off the air" for an hour yesterday. Experts say it could be years before Twats recover from the shock of not being able to type vacuous Twat-swill at will. Online toilet paper sales are already said to be up by 98% overnight. I know how they feel. 

I have a Winders Zombie 10 Update hovering over my shoulder. With its claws ready to strike my jugular if I refuse it again. I had to revert to a 1973 version of XP last time just to recover my keyboard. I'm still struggling with the numeric keypad randomly going AWOL. On both my PC and laptop! Coincidence or Conspiracy? This is not a multiple choice question.

The lanes beckoned and I acceded to their demand for my presence. Where I was greeted by the local sunrise through thick mist. The few gulls visible on the fields chose to socially distance themselves from me. Though I saw no signs of any masks. 

My blogger's aching hips and lower backiitus were relieved by the exercise. I have now perfected a hopping action while climbing our steep stairs. Whether I shall become an overnight sensation on YouTube is not something I shall dwell on unduly. 

A question: If Tesla perfects autonomous [self-driving] cars.. will the Danes still be able to manually switch off their rear fog lights in poor visibility?

 ~~

14.10.2020 Bird brained Gulls and social distancing.

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Wednesday 14th 45F, clear overnight, but now clouding over. The forecast is for sunshine. 

A walk to the lanes in a cold gale. The gulls heard a rumour that Dunny von Chump [Swedish immigrant] was coming to show off. So they all huddled together. 

Meanwhile the sensible gulls spread themselves out on the huge field.  Isn't that right children? 😊

 

 

 

~~

13.10.2020 Let's talk about cycling for a change.

 ~~

Tuesday 13th 42-52F, 7.15am, I have been up for half an hour and it is almost clear to the north. As the sky slowly lightens in the NE. The trees are just stark silhouettes but remain still for the moment. A walk to the village in bright, low sunshine.  

No obvious problems, nor change to my knees, after yesterday's ride. I tried to keep my cadence up around 95rpm as much as possible. Even going up to a steady 105rpm by deliberately under-gearing on longer climbs. It is odd how even 11 gears x2 are often too far apart to find just the right resistance. The price of choosing a wide ratio cassette [12-34T.] To match my age and foolish ambition as a mountain goat. 

I had been expecting a new bottom bracket axle in the post. So had dismantled the chainset and cleaned the whole trike. Even gave the stainless steel frame a going over with red Scotch-bright abrasive felt. Which is precisely why I order Reynolds stainless steel for my Trykit. I knew I would never maintain pretty paintwork properly.

The axle didn't turn up so I put the drive train back together after a soak in Engine Cleaner and a good rinse with a watering can. I should strip the rear axle and 2WD but am not in the mood given my very low mileage these days. I haven't zeroed the computer so it's showing 190 miles since the last battery change sometime in the spring.

There was a 45 degree headwind for the first half of yesterday's ride. It didn't bother me too much as I was going well. Coming back was a bigger test with my route taking me over a local hill from a valley. My knees started hurting on the last, long climb. Though it didn't slow me once I'd reached the top and could begin the descent to the last leg.

My breathing was no worse than usual with my lungs feeling slightly bunged up by wetness. Too many decades inhaling dust on an industrial level. Cycling helps to clear it out for a while. I seem to clear my throat every few minutes but would never describe myself as breathless. Not even on climbs. The Danish quack decided it was an allergy to a common, roadside weed, in season. That doesn't describe a year round "wetness" in my upper respiratory tract. Even at the height of my near 10k miles per year I had to keep clearing my throat.

I smoked for 20 years, from youth, but gave it up in 1984. I used to have a bout of URT every year until the doctor finally refused to prescribe me any more antibiotics. I'd never have smoked had I not had my racing bike stolen at 17 when I was already obsessed with cycling.  It was my own fault for not locking it as I parked it briefly outside the house on the pavement. 

It was found a fortnight later, dumped outside a prison, in the next town. So the police thought it was stolen by a prisoner to return from weekend leave. Not only had they stolen it but somebody had kicked the wheels in. Hand built to order, Stainless steel, DB spokes, Campag Record, LF Q/R hubs with 5oz, wood insert rims and Milremo tubs. No respect!

Yesterday I was wearing "racing" cycling shorts [as usual] and perfectly comfortable at around 50-52F. Fingerless mitts too and didn't even notice the air temperature. My recycled, winter cycling jacket provided the perfect level of comfort over a normal racing jersey. I unzipped the front of the jacket  slightly on some of the long uphill drags to stay cool. For a supposedly flat country this bit of West Fyn has very few, truly flat stretches of road. It isn't difficult to find routes where hills dominate. I have always loved climbing hills!

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12.10.2020 Desperate "Dunny" resorts to deep fake election ads.

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Monday 12th 35-52F, 7.am, thick ground mist but looks fairly clear overhead. Almost a frost. 8.15 Clearing enough overhead to expose some cloud. Still 200 yard [invisibility] mist. At 100 yards it is still hard to see any detail. No sunshine yet.

No walk today but I rode 16 hilly miles this afternoon. Going well until the last, long, uphill drag when my knees started hurting. I even detoured along a single track lane I'd never ridden before. The spirit of adventure is still not dormant. 

Lots of houses for sale. I hope it's not because they can't afford their mortgages because of The Jinping Plague.

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Desperate "Dunny" is now resorting to deep fake election ads. Where he has Fauci showering him [Dunny von Chump, Swedish immigrant] in praise over his [utterly deranged, sociopathically casual and tragically lethal] handling of the Jinping Plague. 

A lifetime of self-praise is obviously not enough recommendation for a complete Chump like "Dunny." Not that the knuckle draggers down South will care. They still think he's the New Messiah, on a comeback, solo tour. With Abba as the backing group! 😂

 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54504096

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11.10.2020 Oh, deery me!

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Sunday 11th 45F, clear but quickly becoming overcast.  A long, grey day is forecast. Let's hope it doesn't rain. Now my knees and my hips are hurting. More exercise or less? 

I chose the former and did a clockwise circle up to the the forest, down the steep track and back to the road. Several, distant birds of prey, lots of pheasants, wood pigeons and two Bambies were seen.

_________________________________

Chump's crooked henchmen are so desperate to stay on the gravy train that they are denying voters access to drop off points for polling. Chump claims the country will become socialist if he loses. Odd that he and his gangster buddies are using well-oiled, communist tactics to deny voters a voice at every dodgy but supposedly legal turn. Or is that a fascist dictatorship? Whatever. There are thousands of heavily armed militiamen prepared to fight if Dunny Von Chump is not elected. Ironic, eh?

At least Dunny can blame the Jinping Virus for his insanity from now on. The smart money is now using this as an excuse for their every, lunatic excess. Playing musical chairs on the gravy train has never been so lucrative.

~~

10.10.2020 Dunny von Chump [psychopathic Swedish immigrant] causes superspreader event.

 ~~

Saturday 10th 46-52F, a bright start but it clouded over. Now clearing again. Too busy for a walk. My knees are hurting on the stairs. 

Late afternoon walk in breezy sunshine. It has a completely different feel to my usual, early morning walks. The views seemed much clearer and my binoculars far brighter and sharper than usual.

Chump's desperate need for attention caused a super-spreader event at the White House. When he fanfared his ridiculous choice of an ultra-prejudiced, ultra right, ultra conservative, ultra religious, new judge, there was no control over social distancing. This is truly worthy of a Darwin Award on at least three counts!  

BTW: The reference to Chump claiming to be a Swedish immigrant [sic] [or sick] rather than German, goes right back to the 70s. When rich daddy's playboy son jackbooted his career as a sociopathic liar and evil property mobster. Only in those days they called this behaviour psychopathic.

 

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9.10.2020 The Sly Jinping Plague rumbles on.

 ~~

Friday 9th 42F, clear with some cloud. If that makes any sense.  No walk today. I was busy at home.

The Jinping Plague continues to worsen around the globe. Australia is talking about closing its borders until the end of next year! Further restrictions are being reintroduced across Europe. 

Conflicting opinions are aired between "experts" on opening up society and encouraging herd immunity. Hopefully with the vulnerable protected. 

Or closure again and waiting for a vaccine and the risk of possible economic collapse. The 1% continue to expand their tax-free wealth. By 27% so far this year according to newspaper reports. While countless others are facing mass poverty and even mass starvation. Lifetime dictator, Sly Jinping must be proud!

~~

8.10.2020 A long, grey, wet day.

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Thursday 8th 51F, heavy overcast and breezy with rain forecast for all day. No ill effects from yesterday's ride. In fact my knees are feeling better. 

A steady walk in heavy rain to the lanes. The roads were wet so every vehicle provided free tyre spray. I moved to the back of the verge where possible and turned my back. A Tesla passed and sounded no different from the fossil cars. Presumably their sound is mostly tyre roar. As are adequately silenced, fossil cars.

My cheapo [man made] camouflage jacket has added "blotting paper" to its technical specification. This is in addition to being sweaty in the dry. My T-shirt shoulders are wet despite my wearing a thin jumper underneath the jacket. I can't even claim the "camo" helps me to avoid scaring the wildlife. The ducks laugh just as raucously at my arrival. There's no respect!

September 2020 continues the warming trend by being the hottest ever recorded globally. The Arctic ice is at its second lowest level since satellite records began. 

The day continued with solid cloud, rain and wind.

~~

7.10.2020 Fifteen gorgeous, Autumn miles.

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Wednesday 7th 50-60F, rather cloudy with rain, but little sun, in the forecast. A light breeze is moving the treetops. Only a walk to the lanes under cotton ball skies. The sun broke through eventually.I thought I saw a Jay disappearing between the roadside trees.

There are some countryside scenes of which I never tire. The ever-changing light and textures,  just add to the pleasure.

The gulls' tiny, little, bird brains obviously believed Dunny Crumpet. When he said that there was nothing to fear from a disease which has killed more people in 9 months than in all the previous five years from flu. The gulls, in case you were still wondering, had returned in their thousands. To their tight huddle on top of the hill. 

Later I rode 15 very hilly miles on an errand. A headwind on the way back only slightly spoilt a perfect day for cycling. It was even windy in the forest as I did a detour to add a couple of extra miles. Despite the hills I deliberately chose my route for its beauty, views and lack of traffic. Autumn colours are always a delight. The forecast for rain went unanswered. The sky a thoroughly mixed and delightful concoction as usual.

My knees have been hurting as I climb our steep stairs at home. Something I do dozens of times a day in our "upside down" home. Which made me wonder if the lack of cycling was contributing to the pain. It could hardly be blamed since I wasn't doing any. 

My chest has been bunged up too. Which suggests that cycling helps to clear it. I was certainly more breathless than usual on the hills but not enough for serious discomfort. 

I deliberately climbed long and sometimes steep ascents today. Keeping up my cadence was a struggle. Though my knees did not complain. Fortunately they were no worse on my return.

I had changed the bottom bracket and the new axle proved to be too long at 112mm for the Campag front changer. The square axle original was only 103mm. When most are only as short as 107mm. Unfortunately the original BB set wasn't sealed. It proved, on inspection, to not use proper journal bearings. It had ball grooves in the axles to avoid sideways movement. The bearing housing which were only pretending to be sealed units were actually loose. The housing a mere spacer. It was an unbelievably rusty mess when I finally stripped it out due to clonking under load. 

I tried loosening the front changer stop screws today but couldn't reach the outer ring. I have a 107mm Shimano on order but doubt it will allow smooth, front, gear changes. I use Spa-Stronglight-TA chainsets for their small inner chain rings.

 

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6.10.2020 Blimey! Even the gulls are social distancing!

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Tuesday 6th 49-60F, heavy overcast and breezy. A grey, wet day is in prospect. A walk to the lanes and beyond. The usual, vast flock of gulls, roosting on the tilled field were somewhat dispersed today. Though a phalanx of the deliberately educationally challenged clung to the high moral ground on the hilltop.

The Danish government has earmarked 10 billion kroner [£12 billion /$6 billion] towards climate change. It will be spread over several years and was only agreed to when supporting coalition parties got thoroughly sick of climate avoidance. Denmark lies underwater in many sea rise prognoses. Ironically, Denmark supervises Greenland. The source of much of the guilty meltwater.

New rules have been set for Denmark's mass import of felled, endangered, Rain Forest timber and its shipping around the globe. To warm [largely uninsulated] Danish homes occupied by wealthy Danes. Who can afford to go around in their underwear all winter with the district heating on full blast. The new rules are as full of holes as before and can be safely bypassed according to climate experts. This government was elected on false promise of fighting climate change. Nothing is being done.

"215,000 Body Bags" Chump brags about his having total immunity to empathy as he returns to The White House unmasked. Claims the virus is not something to be afraid of. Well, not if you have an entire military hospital, access to a vast medical team and cost no object [tax free] health care. They do say the Devil takes care of his own. Until they are no longer useful. It is no wonder he is so terrified of losing the election! A fate worse than death? Better ask to whom he has sold his soul.

Facebook has removed a post by Chump claiming that the Jinping Plague is no worse than flu. TEN TIMES the number of Americans have died from the virus in the, 9 months, SO FAR compared with last year's flu. Chump is clearly delusional, deliberately ignorant, lying as usual, or all three. 

Reports suggest that the Jinping Plague has nasty habit of becoming much worse after the infected make a partial recovery. He may yet meet his maker, in the basement, if the experimental drugs have not provided the expected miracle. Thanks to his calculated ignorance, The White House is now deserted. As staff take compulsory, or voluntary leave, to isolate themselves after numerous positive tests. Not least his latest, blonde head of propaganda.

~~

 

 

5.10.2020 Rain stopped play.

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Monday 5th 50F, clear and promising to be bright. A bit breezy. The sun really struggled to break through this morning. There were delicate brush strokes overhead, on the high ice clouds, but more of a jumble in the east. Eventually I was rewarded by bright sunshine. As I walked, almost blinded, towards the oncoming traffic.

Later I rode to a nearby lake but it rained. So I returned earlier than I had intended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4.10.2020 US eclipses Rest of the World at Self Harm!

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Sunday 4th 52F, very heavy overcast and breezy but some sunshine is threatened. I had better give it a while before my walk or I'll need a torch! There was a weird sky as I eventually headed off down the road. Large areas of dark smudginess, strips of mammatus cloud and roll cloud. 

I had no real plans. So I wandered past the marsh pond and then back by a quiet, tree-lined lane. Where late repairs are being made to the tired avenue of Hornbeam. With new trees planted in the growing gaps. Though with little sign of ongoing maintenance. Many of the ridiculously tall, supporting poles are now weighing down the trees themselves. Having lifted from the ground. To dangle at odd, untidy angles.

Not much to report in the way of wildlife today.  The usual hordes of juvenile Mallard ducks [raised as cannon fodder] heading for the far shore on news of my arrival alongside. A couple of pheasants out on a field "did a runner." No sign of any swallows now. Presumably all of them have headed south. There were plenty of small birds moving between field soil and the nearest cover.

An hour and half walk was rewarded with sunshine just after I returned home. The wind had been quiet but is picking up now. With the sunlit trees rocking wildly to a fresh south-easterly. There were sunny periods but nothing like the promised sunshine from the national weather service. It was ever thus. They'd have better luck asking the punters at a betting shop. If there were any.

__________________________________________

Chump and his Chumps [followers] are wallowing chest deep in Darwin Awards. Not only was Chump not isolated for his own protection. As a fat, unfit, old fart, in a high risk age group, all on a piss-poor diet. Nor was anybody else protected from him! His personal body count is really piling up now. 

Meanwhile his politicooze buddies are breaking every safety rule and totally ignoring Jinping Plague reality. Just as they always have. When all that mattered was asking their willing victims electorate to keep paying their taxes for them. I believe they call it "deliberate self harm" in pseudo-medical, advertising agency, news media hype. 

I also hear that Infantile Twatter has banned messages wishing Chump would snuff it. Ironic, don't you think, considering he has a very long record of wishing harm to so many others? 

The White House propaganda machine continues to cause confusion. By giving false or inaccurate information on The Great Leader's condition. So Chump's entire medical team held a mass press conference to announce a very different story. Leaving one wondering who was protecting all the front line nurses from the self-proclaimed Great Groper? 

And who, exactly, was doctoring the rest of the hospital's patients while they were all standing outside in "nuclear bomber formation?" It seems the Great Tax Evader has had a whiff of oxygen. Just before polishing off an "Oversize Me" delivery from the local McLardy's. I'd hate to be his food taster!

~~

3.10.2020 Hydroksy.. hydro.. hydrocyklor.. damnit! Just gimme bleach!

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Saturday 3rd 56F very heavy overcast and windy. Gales is a better term. North-easterly and occasionally fierce. A walk to the lanes to see vast swarms of fidgety gulls, clouds of Wood pigeons, flocks of Chaffinches and distant starlings. 

The gulls kept rising on rumours. To disperse in their hundreds from their familiar, overnight roost on a freshly tilled field. Only the brief, white flash of their wings allowed me to identify the Chaffinches. Otherwise they were invisible against the soil.

Sicko von Chump [German immigrant, wanted for major tax evasion] is said to be doing well. As he floats like a hippo in a large, heated, solid gold bath of swimming pool disinfectant. He suggested this special treatment for himself as the rich daddy's version of his "Chump's Own Patent Medicine." [Instead of getting a backstreet abortionist's $50 shot of cheap, supermarket bleach.] What he really meant to ask for was a bath of hydroxychloroquine. Tragically he couldn't pronounce it properly in his heavily accented, European, mafia boss's, fake, Southern drawl. 

No news on The Lady Melania's progress after her recently publicised attack on illegal immigrants. Some sources said she had suggested that [other] immigrant women should: "Get their kit off, grab themselves a f***ing billionaire by the balls and don't ever let go!" This sounds like useful advice coming straight from the [pedigree] horse's mouth. It's not all bad news though. At least her security staff no longer need to protect her from Impotus. 

 

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2.10.2020 Chump pulls a sicky in a desperate bid to catch the late sympathy vote as postal voting threatens to roast him alive.

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Friday 2nd 58-60F, very heavy overcast and expected to be windy all day. It was spitting with rain but with barely a breeze as I plodded against the speeding traffic. I took to the verges with each passing to avoid a free "car wash." 

The foul stench of death hung on the air from all the dead rats splattered on the road. Why so many? Have they caught the Jinping Plague from the mink farms? 

A fully self-entitled, Scottish MP has travelled to London to speak in The Houses of Parliament while knowingly suffering the symptoms of Jinping Plague. Meanwhile PM "Boris The Clown" Johnson's father was unmasked while shopping. One rule for the entitled. Another for everybody else? Of course.

Cycling continues to grow in popularity. With new,  but still miniscule expenditure being invested in cycle routes. Previously, the selfish barstewards, who insisted on sitting in comfort in endless traffic queues, could control cycling. The vast majority of new cyclists are previous public transport commuters. So the selfish car drivers still prefer to drive incredibly slowly, right up to the door of their workplace. It was ever thus. Climate change? Feel my chromed tailpipes!

Chump and his current spouse have a "slight case of flu which will soon be over." The number of dead and dying he leaves in his blood-soaked tracks will never be truly known. Chump's chumps [followers] need not worry though: The Devil prefers to have his minions doing their worst well into ripe old age. Though if The Devil knows the outcome of the coming election he may well decide to "retire" his loyal servant. Has Biden been infected by Chump during their recent screaming match? The Devil only knows!

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1st October 2020 Not a lot.

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Thursday 1st October 56-60F, overcast and windy. Some sunshine is threatened. A brisk walk to the lanes with barely a hint of the sun breaking through. A few gulls to admire from a distance. A string of noisy geese went over. I made a tile out of three of them. China "flying ducks" used to be a popular wall decoration when I was a child. That was back in the last century. [BC: Before Chump] Traffic was mostly light today.

~~