28.06.2022 Sweaty, sweaty night.

Tuesday 28th 55F,  73F upstairs. Calm, with mixed cloud and the promise of a dry, brighter day.

 Up at 4.45 after a very restless, sweaty night. I was being woken at intervals by burning gnat bites. Repeatedly on my arms and feet. As I tried to hide under the empty, single bed, duvet cover. 

 At 3am I had had enough. My second trip to the bathroom to wash and treat more bites. I was about to get up. When, by sheer luck, I found a huge double bedsheet. It was in the tub containing the remaining bedding after my frantic clear-out. 

 I quickly discarded the duvet cover. Then hid myself inside the single sheet like a floppy cocoon. To lie there, still sweating. Enveloped in my own, warm breath. Listening for the whine of insects through the thin cotton. In my one, partially useful ear. Hoping for sleep. Thankfully it came. Albeit all too short to compensate me for my lost hours. 

 7.00 Breakfast over. I plan a walk to the far woods.

8.00 Returned exactly an hour later. I did not enter the woods. Just followed the lane to return back to the main road. I saw a family of Moorhens on a large, garden pond. A deer on the track to the far woods. Rather too warm for my chosen clothing. I really ought to organise a shoulder bag for the warmer weather.

 9.00 67F and full sunshine. I had to do the washing up first. After neglecting it yesterday. Morning coffee over. Deciding what to do next.

10-11.00. I drove to a suitable spot to park the car. Then walked for a quarter of an hour along the disused railway. I had a chat with a couple of elderly ladies walking their dog. Then returned the way I had come. The almost skeletal sleepers were only slightly random in spacing but doubled at intervals. Which made walking in the spaces a case of constantly breaking step. The sleepers were so worn they were quite reasonable to walk on. So I didn't mind where my feet fell.

 There was only one short section with coarse gravel. The rest was mostly smooth, well worn mud. Being close to a village it was an inevitable dog toilet. Though not too noticeably. 

 Some of my wife's roses. These actually seem to glow as it becomes darker.

One section of the old track was in deep shadow from passing through the woods. It was pleasantly cool out of the sun but damp. With lots of puddles in the drainage ditches. Which meant gnats. Lots of them! I was promptly bitten on the arm and wrist.

 A mountain bike, with full suspension, would sail along there. Though I saw only one, very short section of knobbly tyre tracks. My trike, running on narrow tyres, would not find the route very comfortable at all.

16.00  72F. I have been spending time photographing my wife's flowers and imaging the sun. The latter means that I take a close-up video of the sun. Captured in monochromatic red [H-alpha] light through my home made telescope. Then process the video into a much sharper still image using clever software.

Dinner consists of salad. Poached eggs, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, tuna and crumbly, mature Cheddar cheese. With several good dollops of salad cream. Poached eggs are still borderline successful. The whites have a mind of their own! These were overdone but still edible. I blame the saucepan boiling over when I put the lid on!

  I took my camera and lenses when I went for my walk along the disused railway. Then discovered I had forgotten to refit the memory card. It was still sitting in the slot in the PC when I arrived home! 🙄

 

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