17.05.2022 This one is for Andrew. 😎

 ~~

Tuesday 17th 52F. Windy and rather cloudy. With deep, fiery orange all along the northern horizon. Up at 4.45am with roaring tinnitus.  I had better make some coffee and think about demolishing the rest of the old kitchen worktop. 

 The cupboards and drawers below are full and need protection from the sawdust. I used polythene yesterday but the saw blows dust everywhere. Removing anything while trapped between two working surfaces, filling the entire room, is not easy. I was having to crouch and shuffle underneath for most of yesterday. Which may explain the pain in my hips and back. Or was it moving that [expletive] cooker outside? All in a day's work for a 75-year-old. 

 If only I could free the working surface from the carcase I could just lift it off. All it takes is one rusty screw to spoil my day. That was back when cross-head screws were all the rage. Absolute garbage. With no resistance to torque before the worthless head strips out. Torx are better but still highly dependant on the quality of the metal and the driver/bit. 

6.00am. Well, that was a huge relief! The rest of the working surface is now outside. There were two screws. One came out. The other refused to turn. I couldn't just lift the worktop upwards. Because of the wall tiles overlapping two edges. 

 So I resorted to kindling. By sliding a wedge shaped piece of firewood between the wall and the worktop I gradually freed the screw. Once clear of the tiles I could lift straight up. With nearly 6' of leverage that small screw finally gave up the struggle. Now I just need to use the vacuum cleaner to hoover up all the once hidden, spider's webs. 

 In theory, the new working surface could now be lifted into place. If it were not for the entire contents of the kitchen resting on top of it. I had better finish cleaning the floor where the cooker once stood. It won't be remotely as accessible with an overhang. 

 Thank goodness I concentrated on the kitchen instead of lopping more chestnut branches. The electrician and plumber are due tomorrow at 07.30. Still lots of tidying to do. I haven't even cut out the huge holes for the hob and sink yet. I am going to do that with the worktop in place. Least risk of snapping the worktop in half!

 07.30  I have taken down the "screaming tornado" kitchen extractor fan. What should be its replacement? An ordinary [quiet!] fan? There is a 4" PVC pipe going out through the wall. The problem is that it is 170cm or about 6' horizontally from the intended hob position. Will the hob notice?

 Options include running a horizontal pipe to the existing outlet.  Ugly and highly visible because of the exposed joists and low ceiling. Moving the outlet pipe to the hob would place it inside the greenhouse. 

 Or, running the pipe up through the ceiling and exiting under the eaves. With the risk of drawing moist air into the roof through the continuous soffit vent. I am certainly not getting involved in "through the roof" ideas. That needs a pro. With the right equipment for boring large holes in very wavy roofing tiles without hitting any rafters or battens. Then making good to keep the rain out. No thanks.

 A fan in the nearest window? Remove one of the small glass panes. Replace it with some other material which can be drilled. Insert the fan and you have a "close to source" extractor. This is quite tempting and falls well within my skill levels with the right fan kit. Can you buy through the window fans in Denmark? 

 I have returned from the builders merchant. Where I was able to obtain a thin, extractor fan & motor unit in a shallow housing. Leaving me with the option to do what I will with it. I am thinking of using a piece of clear polycarbonate in place of the original glass. This will hopefully minimise the visual impact of being housed in the window. A galvanised, external louvre will provide weather protection. Hopefully I can complete the job in readiness for the electrician to provide a power supply and easily accessible switch. Not likely. The suppliers needs time to cut the sheet plastic to size.

 I have just ordered some UV stabilised Polycarbonate in 8mm to replace the window glass. This will make the installation safe and as [near] invisible as possible.   

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch: I need to clear the worktop to lift it into place. Only then can I cut out the large holes for the units. 

 12.45 66F All done. The new worktop is in place. I have been fussing over the position of the units. I think I am happy with their intended location. Now I just have to drill some pilot holes and start sawing. Lunch first. 

 14.00 67F! Going shopping on the trike. 7 miles. Mop bucket purchased!  Now I can clean my tiled floors properly!

 17.20 All me own werk, Guv! This one is for Andrew. 😎 

 I haven't pressed the hob down yet. Because it has friction clips. So I'll see if the "sparks" is happy with the fit first. No point in making him struggle to reach the electrics. 

 The light flooding the kitchen now is amazing. There is so much room!

 Dinner will need to be coaxed from the fridge tonight. There are no hot plates to heat pans until [hopefully] tomorrow. I'm going with very mature Cheddar cheese on two rounds of wholemeal toast. [Welsh Rarebit.] With warm, halved tomatoes on top. First I have to pretend to do the washing up.

 ~~