30.09.2022 Sleep hearing.

 ~~

 Friday 30th 50F/10C. Up at 5.20. I kept hearing noises in the night. I must have been dreaming but there was a loud repeated rap on the outside door at 3.30. I went down and turned the outside lights on but there was no sign of anybody. Later I kept hearing thumping. So I decided to get up. 

 When I first went to bed my shoulders were very painful. Which was odd. Because I hadn't felt anything during the day. Nor had I done any lifting. I have a slightly sore throat this morning. That soon passed.

 8.45 Grey, cold and windy. It rained before I could go for a walk.

The morning was largely wasted relaxing and watching YouTube videos. The afternoon was spent in the observatory producing some nice close-up pictures of the sun.

 Dinner was a salmon pasty, with the usual trimmings. Pasta, peas, tinned tomatoes and baked beans.

~~

29.09.2022 Rain!

 ~~

Thursday 29th 48F/9C. Pitch black and raining at 6.15. Up at 5.30. I was too hot in bed at 64F. Dustbin day but I had nothing in the bin. Thursday is my second cooking class of the week. I am aching all over from yesterday's exertions. How am I supposed to walk it off if it is raining? I am also bunged up. Nose and throat. Probably all that dust while threshing yesterday. Do I have "farmer's lung" from one bout of cranking the handle?

 I put on my winter coat and plodded off along the puddled drive. The next shared drive along provided more distance without the tyre spray from the commuters. It rained harder as I returned but it hardly matters. I shall be showering and changing for my cooking class.

  There has been a pause in my painting and woodwork. I really ought to try and prioritise. Where is the maximum benefit to be had? I need to fit curtains to the new window in the bedroom and for the tall balcony doors. I have the cloth but no rails to hang them up. I balked at the price of curtain rails in town. There is no real need for curtains from the privacy point of view. I just feel a bit exposed and the daylight bothers me when I want a nap during the daytime. Some insulation and draught reduction would be likely side effects.

 13.30 I have returned from my cooking class. Sausages in apple and onion sauce. Red cabbage salad with hazelnuts. Pineapples with whipped cream sauce and macaron. It was all delicious and we had a good time. Lots of joking and laughing. 

 I shopped on the way home. It has rained all morning. Heavily at times. At 13.40 the sun came out very briefly. The wind is picking up too. Had a nap and then did some filling in walls and doors frames.

18.15. 52F/11C. It has stopped raining. As I have already eaten a full meal I have no need of the usual dinner. Something simple on toast I think, but without the familiar beans and tinned tomatoes. Cheese on toast? Eggs on toast? Scrambled, fried or poached? Mackerel on toast? 

 Scrambled eggs on toast with grilled, halved tomatoes. I have lots of eggs but haven't been eating them. The scrambled eggs turned into an omelette on toast. Weird.

~~

28.09.2022 Threshing by hand!

 ~~

 Wednesday 28th 40F/4C Calm and almost clear but with weird stripes of cloud in the south. Rain was promised but now it looks like a few showers with some sunshine. The bad weather has moved north. Up at 6am. Wednesday means the farm museum. 

7.00 Going for an early walk. A brisk one with only a few stops for photography. The sky was gorgeous and increasingly so as the sun broke free of the clouded horizon. 

 Pinky-gold was the theme. With the sky mostly covered in high, feathery clouds. Which had received a severe brushing from high altitude winds. Tumbled mash potato towered in the south east. While grey smudges to the west moved away towards the north. I was gone for half an hour from 7.15-7.45.

 8.20 42F. Still cool, but the sun will help to warm things up. That "Somebody" hasn't done the washing up again!

14.30 "Somebody" duly did the washing up on arriving home. 

 It had been a busy morning. I started by unscrewing and loading 8x4 sheets of plywood. They had been laid out on the lawn as a floor for a dance in a large tent. Which had been held on the previous Saturday. 

 The sheets were carried away on the fork lift tines of the tractor while I followed on foot. Then the driver and I unloaded the sheets and joists into a shed. There followed my pushing 5m lengths of 2x6 [50x150mm] up onto the roof of a big, new machine shed. Then pushing long lengths of roofing battens up onto the roof joists once they were safely fixed.

 I was then dragged away by the museum director. To help him test some antique machinery. These were hand driven threshers. More hard work but great fun. Both machines employed a centrifugal fan inside. Much like a paddle steamer. To blow the chaff away from the falling wheat. 

 A series of trays, each holding increasingly fine wire mesh, were arranged both vertically in series and sloping. The wooden frames, holding the mesh, were simultaneously shaken extremely vigorously by my hand cranking. To screen the grain from the straw and other rubbish. 

 The dust produced was truly worthy of an action movie! The noise was tremendous. One can hardly imagine how farm labourers felt. About turning the handle of such a demonic monstrosity in a dark shed. Perhaps they worked outside? The museum director loaded hay into the hopper area at the top while I cranked. 

 The enormous gear ratio involved and the weight of the rotating fans. Meant that the machines had to be accelerated up to working speed. One machine was built almost entirely of wood. The other had more metal components. 

 The wooden one proved to be most useful and dated from 1900. The manufacturer's original paint and decoration remained almost intact. We produced half a sack of grain from only a small load of hay. The grain was then collected and placed in an original, hessian sack. To become quite surprisingly heavy.

This image is borrowed from a US auction site. To a give a rough idea of the appearance and scale of a manual threshing machine. Perhaps 6' long by 4' high x 4' wide. The one I was cranking was more obviously a commercial product. Built to a much higher standard of appearance and finish.

 Several very long, antique benches then had to be pushed up into a roof space of the barn. Before it was time to drive home.

 I shall be taking my camera and photographing my activities in future. I was unsure whether this was allowed. The museum director was happy to allow me to do so. I shall be posting some of my images here in due course.

 17.00 54F/12C outdoors. Occasional sunshine meant that I have been able to use the greenhouse for heating the house again. 67F/19C upstairs. 64F/18C in the greenhouse and downstairs. The sun has now gone. So I have had to shut the doors to the lean-to greenhouse. All the internal doors are now shut to reduce air exchanges. I haven't had to light the stove today. Though I may have to later.  

 My load of laundered socks was nicely dry after a day out in the greenhouse. The towels on the outside clothes airer were still rather damp. I have brought them into the greenhouse to dry on the clothes horse. No rain today but more rain is forecast for tomorrow. The autumn colours are invading the trees and shrubs. 

 Quite out of the blue my nice new neighbours came around. After a brief tour of the ground floor we talked for an hour. About anything and everything. It was wonderful to talk, in English, with two highly intelligent and articulate people. 

 Once they had gone I lit the stove and let it burn one log. Dinner was chicken curry using Ben's Medium Curry sauce.

~~

27.09.2022 Stuffed beef.

 ~~

 Tuesday 27th 50F, overcast with all day rain forecast.  Up at 6.40. I had to get up and swap to the winter duvet last night. Then woke to find it lying on the floor! 63F/17C upstairs this morning. Tuesday is my cooking class. I am going for a short walk in the rain first.

 It rained steadily but there was no wind today. My right boot has started leaking. My sock was dark and wet when I removed the Scarpa Revolutions. Themselves a replacement pair under guarantee for elaking. Traffic was busy this morning. A deer popped out of the undergrowth. Paused to look at me and then disappeared in an instant. A small buck and presumably a Roe deer.

 I have put the towels out in the rain to rinse them of residual soap. They have been slightly stiff over the summer. Even when then the wind exercised them. I am using hardly any soap powder. As advised by my late wife.

 I shan't light the stove before I go out. It is 64F upstairs and 61F downstairs. Cool but not cold. The lack of wind means a lack of draughts. 

 14.30 Calm and raining continuously. Back home from stuffing beef with mushrooms and making mushroom sauce. It was all delicious and good fun was had by all. 

18.00 50F/10C and still raining. The house was cool but not cold on my return. So I waited for a couple of hours to light the stove. One log and the lounge went from 60F to 67F. [15-19C] Hovering around 64F upstairs [18C] with no noticeable change so far. It has just risen to 65 [18.5C] at 18.30.

 Two days in a row eating meals away from home. I'll have to have my usual [habitual] bread roll lunch this evening. Italian [wild] raspberry jam, Netto's Øgo organic honey and a mature Cheddar cheese. With Rema1000 Sea salt crisps for a texture contrast. Normally I have sliced bananas and yogurt as desert.

 Off to the farm museum tomorrow. I have never been there on a wet day so far. What, on earth, do they do when it is raining? You will be almost certainly the first to know. Read all about it in the next exciting episode! 😉

~~

26.09.2022 Solitary confinement.

 ~~

 Monday 26th 50F. Continuous rain is forecast for today. Up at 5.30. The rain means I can't work outside. Nor traipse back and forth to the workshop across the yard. So I can't easily reach the mitre saw without getting wet. Or the boards I am carrying back and forth getting wet. I had better use my time doing something more useful!

 The council's old fart's visitor is coming around lunchtime today. I still have more doors to frame in architrave. Lots more tidying to do. 

 The kitchen door to the front hall had to make do with "pillars". There is literally nowhere for a top rail to fit due to a joist.

 Somebody wise said that attracting visitors was a great way of ensuring progress. Left entirely to my own devices I wonder how much I would have done. It is certainly true that I would feel deeply ashamed if the place had remained untouched. 

 There was a distinct sense of pent up jobs being unleashed when my wife died. My late wife was no longer supportive of any jobs I did in the house. It always meant clearing up the mess of [usually] sawdust. 

 Being suddenly freed of these constraints meant I was able to do [almost] anything I liked. Within a strict budget. It allowed me to vent my anger, at the totally unexpected loss of my dear wife, in a constructive and creative manner. 

 Filling the long, sad, empty hours, without her familiar company, demanded action. Yet, at the same time, I enjoyed the familiarity of having her things around me. Which made the guilt of parting with much of it all the more painful. 

 Inwardly I may have over-exaggerated her connection to much of it. Most of it was accumulated years ago. When we were still doing the rounds of charity shops and flea markets. Constantly looking for bargains. It was usually boxed or distributed throughout the house and largely forgotten. Though I was never allowed to touch "her stuff." 

 Visitors were limited to the annual sweeping of the chimney. Now I look back I think my wife was similarly ashamed of the "fullness" of the house. Not with household rubbish [which it never was] but the excess of furniture. All packed to the gills with collectables. Every nook and cranny housing recycled objects.

 I was no more innocent in this accumulation than she was. The lack of "witnesses" to our combined clutter only reinforced the need to remain totally isolated. My wife put all her energy into her gardening. Within a regime which almost amounted to solitary confinement. She hardly ventured beyond the gate for years. Having such a miserable bunch of pig ignorant neighbours only reinforced her total isolation. So things and everything around us stagnated. 

 Nothing changed over the years except for the size of the TV. She would spend hours watching gardening or château restoration videos or programmes. While I filled my time on the computer. Or in the observatory. Or building another. Or making more instruments to add to its contents. 

 I had the distinct advantage of doing the shopping. So I got out and had regular, if trivial, contact with other people. She had no contact with anybody else, at all. Except for me of course. She resented having to go out and complained that the car seat was uncomfortable. A variety of cushions were tried and always found wanting. 

 Looking back I must accept that my wife was deeply depressed. She would not have any dealings with the doctor. She rarely had any satisfaction from contact with the health service. Blood tests were always negative or the condition untreatable. She suffered from neuralgia in her neck for decades. She was never going to accept a risky operation in the vain hope of a cure. So she took over the counter pain killers. Perhaps they damaged her liver. Leading to the cancer which killed her.

 7.00 Windy and overcast with steady rain. Should I put on my winter coat and venture forth? A walk is so vital to my fitness for the day ahead. A cure-all for every ache and pain. Both mental and physical. A little, temporary discomfort is nothing compared to the benefits.

 8.15 I put on my winter jacket and headed off into the rain. Which proved to be rather less than imagined. I quickly tired of taking to the verge to avoid commuter's tyre spray. So I detoured around the edges of a field. It was a bit wet and muddy but nothing to worry about in my walking boots. 

 My jacket is now hanging up to dry. Which will be a slow process unless I light the wood stove. It is presently 65F/13C upstairs. Which I find quite comfortable at the moment. I shall be moving about, tidying all the tools away, once I finish morning coffee.

 The morning was spent tidying, vacuuming and cleaning in readiness. My visitor arrived and we talked for ages. It would be difficult to imagine anybody more gifted than she is at communication. She puts me so completely at ease and able to discuss anything and everything. She says she loves her job and it shows. She really is excellent and it is always a pleasure to talk to her. 

 14.15. 52F outside. Just finished lunch. The strong wind and lower temperatures have had a real impact on indoor comfort levels. 64F upstairs. 60F downstairs. It was fine when I was busy but sitting still proved it was too cold. There is a gap and daylight all around the entrance door. That must be attended to. I can't afford a new door. So I must make a new one. A much better one than the last. Which I made from 6" [150mm] T&G floorboards. It shrank in summer and swelled in winter. I shall use the grooved plywood this time.

 20.40 51F. Just returned from visiting my British friend. Where I was invited to stay for a meal. Tasty stew. I was getting advice on cooking and preparation. While studying the kitchen layout ans decor. For ideas I might be able to use at home. I am beginning to like really overall white for walls and ceilings. It brightens up a room quite spectacularly.

 I had lit the stove before I left at 15.00. With one large beech log on top of the kindling. The temperature in the lounge had shot up from 60 to 67F. [15-19C] in ten minutes. It was still showing 64F in the lounge after 5½ hours. The stove's stone casing was still warm but not hot. The ashes on the grate were modest and cool. 64F/13C upstairs too. Only 61F in the unheated kitchen. 

 When I am at home I plan to open both hall doors. To see if the kitchen can borrow some heat from the lounge. Though the greenhouse, double door really needs to be better sealed. They were a fine, secondhand pair with double glazing, but no draught sealing strips. Being enclosed by the greenhouse reduced the need for sealing but not completely. The greenhouse is a bit draughty in windy conditions. I haven't attended to this yet. The sponge sealing strip against the house all has disintegrated over time.

~~

25.09.2022 Clouds!

 ~~

 Sunday 25th 51F. Too early and dark to see the weather yet. Promise of a grey day.  The weather turns bad tomorrow. With prolonged rain and lower temperatures.

 Up at 5.45. I had to swap back to the summer duvet. Because the winter one was proving far too warm. 66F upstairs this morning. This is without any heating and the opposing dormer windows on the catch for ventilation. 

 There was no sun yesterday and it wasn't very warm either. Odd that indoor temperatures should hold but I can't complain. Another day without needing to light the stove. I have seen lots of chimneys smoking already. Some as far back as a fortnight ago.

 A half hour, brisk walk to the lanes. Dull overcast with little variation. Patchy mist. Most noticeably on the top half of the nearest wind turbine. Light, Sunday morning traffic.The pain in my knee has vanished. My shoulders are aching instead. Probably the planing of the boards for the hall. I'll use the router. today. With a follower bit to tidy up the edges.

 I will probably fit the architrave to the front hall door to the kitchen this morning. It shouldn't take long. This doorway is visible from the lounge/living room. So the architrave will have a useful, visual impact. In parallel with the architrave on the living room door which frames it. 

11.45 56F and the first sign of sunshine. I have completed the rear hall door to the kitchen and the front hall door to the kitchen. The latter was complicated by the presence of the light switch. I had to notch the architrave around the switch. Then bevel the notch neatly around the edges for easy access.

The image [above] shows the front hall door fitted with its architrave. Photographed from the lounge. Looking across the front hall towards the kitchen. Which is a mess because there is a huge pile of paint pots and tools.

 16.30 58F. Sunshine. I have now done the architrave for inside the kitchen door to the front hall. The greenhouse door is open and I'm heating the house free of charge. 70F/21C indoors!

 18.45. 54F/12C. 69F/20C upstairs. Just woke from a nap. The sky is beautifully streaked with thin, high cloud. Absolutely gorgeous!

 20.20 Still 69F/20C upstairs. Dinner was diced breast of chicken, Fettucini pasta, tinned tomatoes, baked beans and fried tomatoes. 

 I was aiming for curry until I realised that I had no Ben's sauce. So I grabbed everything else I had. The beans were rather superfluous and slightly askew. Though they helped to fill the plate. They just seemed wrong in this mix.

 I bought a used, stainless steel saucepan pan from a charity shop. It was in good condition and midway between my two smallest pans. So ideal after a good scrub. I still resented paying £3 equivalent after donating so much stuff to them. 😉

~~

24.09.2022 SSD driving me mad!

 ~~

 Saturday 24th 51F. Overcast and slightly misty. With small clouds in the north. Grey elsewhere. Up at 6.45. My knee was hurting badly yesterday. Particularly going downstairs. No idea why. Not so bad today but still painful. Perhaps it was hopping 18" upwards onto the verge?

 A walk to the lanes in calm and slightly misty conditions. The wind turbines were still again. There was a very strong smell of chemicals at one point. Presumably agricultural spraying. 

 A huge tractor, with doubled wheels all round, went past. I think it had a huge rake, or harrow, on the back. Though it is probably a seed drill. I think I can see a seed hopper hiding somewhere in the middle.

 The Danish government has announced that mink torture "farming" will be allowed again from the new year. Most of the opposition and supporting parties are against it. They had this one perfect chance to end the practice after Covid. All the mink in Denmark were put down and the "farms" closed when it was discovered mink were carriers and it was spreading rapidly.

 Ironically, the same government has simultaneously announced an end to cage raised hens eggs. Though not before 2435 at the earliest. On the grounds of cruelty. While intelligent mammals get the green light to suffer in cages. Seriously?

 I have to fetch some small nails for fixing the architraves. The nearest outlet is 7 miles away. What else do I need while I am there? 

  Before lunch I drove to the shops and bought some nails. On my return I fixed the architrave and then used a punch to push the nails under the surface. With flat surrounds the other doors should be much easier to deal with. 

 I added plain boards to e4ach side of the hall door to the kitchen. The walls are badly bowed and there was no room. Not even for the narrower profile. So I scribed the boards to the wavy walls. Now I shall sand the boards and paint them white to match the walls. They will then disappear into the fabric of the building as far as the eye is concerned.

 My tech savvy friend came over to see if he could get the new SSD to be recognised. It wasn't to be. Not even when it was inserted into the laptop. Enough time has been wasted on this drive. It will have to go back.  

 I made a simple dinner of mackerel on toast.

 

~~

23.09.2022 Doors and drives.

 ~~

Friday 23rd 48F. Rather cloudy. With some pink in the NE. A cloudier day, though with some early sunshine, is promised. Light breeze from the south. The wind turbines have been still on my morning walks of late. Up at 6am. There is a tabby cat hunting in the drive. 

 No fixed plans for today. I have to fit architraves to several doors. Which means a visit to the builder's merchant. To look for something appropriate in mouldings. I'll need several widths of material to suit different doors. A traditional profile would be most appropriate for this old hovel.

  A walk to the lanes under a cloudy sky. The sun still struggling to break through. With a minor detour up and along one of the few, even quieter branches. A large grey heron took off from its unlikely perch on top of a tall birch. Then a Red kite flew over. A few jackdaws were foraging out on the fields. 

 Cool on my hands again but soon forgotten as I warmed up. The wind turbines were turning slowly. I had a wave from a Tesla driver when I hopped onto the verge on a blind corner. The verges in the lanes had been roughly trimmed. I walked on the rough grass to clean my boots of yesterday's mud. Built up from walking on the edges of the fields. The soil contains clay and is very sticky when damp.

 I have [almost] solved my computer storage problem. I used Samsung Migration software to clone the PC onto an external SSD. he internal SSDs will have to be swapped. Then I can reload the new, larger SSD data from the external T5. Well, it's a plan. It worked for the laptop.

 It seemed to work fine on the PC too. It started up the same as ever and is now installing W11. Presumably a coincidence. When I unplugged the external T5 the PC switched itself off.  So the PC must still be running on the T5. It recognises the new 2TB SSD under Storage but it doesn't show under This PC. Nor does it show up in Samsung Magician. 

 There must be a final step required to make the new, internal SSD the boot drive. So I can safely remove the T5. It didn't happen. I wasted hours on it. The SSD appears in Devices but nowhere else. Samsung's own software can't see it. I followed a trail across the Internet and YT but nothing worked. I went into the Bios but the new SSD didn't show there either. Nor in Drives Management.

 This morning I bought a load of architrave mouldings. To make a start on framing around the doors. I started in the lounge because that is the most visible. The first one took ages. Because the deeply contoured tiles pushed the wood out of place. 

 I spent ages with routers, various planes and sanders. Then I discovered I had no panel pins or small nails to fix the thing in place. Another trip in the car tomorrow to buy some. I have it clamped at the moment and it looks quite amazing.

 18.00 Stopped for a late cup of tea. Dinner will be fish fingers, pasta, tinned tomatoes and baked beans. I could even throw in some frozen peas with the pasta. And did. 😊

 

~~ 

22.09.2022 Misty again.

 ~~

 Thursday 22nd 38F. There is a shallow layer of mist on the front field for the first time. Another bright or sunny day is promised. Up at 5.30.  

 07.00 39F/4C. Now I can go for an early walk. I saw the dawn at 7.15 as the sun climbed over the forest on the hill. The pheasants were going free range again out on the field. The wind turbines were still for the second day in a row.

 It was chilly on my hands for the first half. Then I stopped noticing. I took 107 photos. Mostly trying to capture the distant mist. Yet again I saw shore birds out on the field. They took off, circled around me and settled again. I could see white plumage but they were too far away to identify them. Oystercatchers?

 An hour and ten minutes later I was back at home. I had walked across the prairie, up to the forest summit and back down again by the direct route. 

11.00 Leaving in the car to visit my rediscovered friend.

 16.00 I have just returned from visiting my rediscovered friend.

Dinner was familiar. Cod in batter with pasta, tinned tomatoes and baked beans.

~~

21.09.2022 Storage problems.

 ~~

Wednesday 21st 37F. It looks clear with stars and the moon visible. Brightening in the NE [at 6.10] Another sunny day is promised. Not only am I heating the house free of charge but I washed and dried most of the laundry. Up at 5.30. I was sweating under the winter duvet. 63F upstairs this morning.

Wednesday is farm museum day. We have been building an extension to the machine house.

My SSD is full to the brim with pictures. I was going to fit a bigger SSD but have lost my external drive housing. I have searched everywhere but without success. I know I had it not long ago because I updated my laptop with two, bigger SSDs. Now I am wondering if I left the housing in the laptop. My PC didn't have any extra M2 slots either. Cheapskate manufacturers!

 I fitted a second SSD after removing the disk drive tray in the laptop. Without the external housing I can't transfer W10 to a new [internal] SSD. Though I could use an external SSD via USB3 and WintoUSB software. Or, I could transfer my pictures to the external SSD to free up a load of space. I'll have to check what's on the external SSD. I daren't plug it into the PC in case it tries to update it all to the existing drive! My Pictures file amounts to 151GB, 28,000 files in 575 folders! That's only the most recent images. Stored since I bought a new PC a couple of years ago when the old one filled up.

 I transferred the Pictures folder to the external SSD. Then discovered it had completely ignored 2022. It was lucky I hadn't deleted the files on the PC. I am now using Copy and Paste. So now I will have hundreds of GBs of duplicates! 

 There was another strip of mist across the landscape again this morning. I finally met the neighbour with the dog. The dog was free. So we met each other physically for the first time ever. It became quite excited. Very well behaved and trained to obey. The dog, not me. Nor the neighbour. Who spoke excellent English. 

 I spent the day at the museum helping to erect a heavy timber framework. Intended to expand the [agricultural] machine house a little distance from the main buildings. Heavy, 6"x6" [150x150mm] sawn finish timbers are being used for uprights and lintels. The rafters are 50x150mm. Not intended to be a facsimile of an original building but in the same spirit.

 Professional builders are being employed to repair part of the original barn and lower the very uneven and crumbling floor. Sections of the original brickwork were bursting from between the timber framework. Making it very unsafe and unstable.

 Each beam was numbered before being removed and set aside for safety.  Lots of steel, screw props were employed to support the ancient roof. Some of whose timbers are believed to date from the 1400s. Recycling was commonplace when long and expensive timber was required for agricultural buildings. Easily confirmed by all the [empty] redundant joints on the towering posts. The main structure "only" dates from the 1700s. 

 I should have taken a photo, or three, but there were several carpenters present. Photographs of workers was commonplace in the past. However I did not want to embarrass them by inclusion without their express permission beforehand.

 Following this morning's moan about full storage I now have an external SSD drive full of duplicates. After a bit of online research I downloaded Visipics. This is a free, duplicate file finder. I told it to scan the SSD for duplicate images and left it to play. Much later it is still working through the 28,000 images. 

 I feel safe in deleting duplicates from the external SSD because they still exist on the internal SSD in the PC. I have a feeling it may be running all night! 

 There are large, orange balls of cotton wool crossing my view from my dormer/computer window. I will now have to think about choosing dinner. Salad I think.

 Visipics didn't take very long to finish. I deleted 25GB of duplicates from the external SSD and then deleted all images from 2021 from the PC. Problem solved.

~~

20.09.2022 Whoops! There goes my Tuesday!

 ~~

Tuesday 20th 38F. Clear for another sunny day. Unfortunately I can't be at home to monitor the open, greenhouse door. It is my Tuesday cooking class.. The temperature upstairs is 64F this morning despite it being the coldest night so far.

 Up at 6am. I have a cough. Or rather I have to keep clearing my throat. Which feels very wet. It may be all the painting. Or the woodworm treatment I sprayed on the hall doors. 

 I'll go for an early walk to the lanes to see if that helps.

8.00 40F/4C. Bright sunshine. The pheasants were out on the field again but soon retreated. A thin layer of mist decorated the landscape. I had the wrong camera. [TZ7] So wasn't able to capture it as I would have liked. Despite being deaf it is amazing how I hear cars at great distances. Sometimes even before they come into sight. It is mostly tire roar.

 Time for a shower and to ready myself for today's re-socializing. I wish I could remember all of their names.

 Guess who drove half an hour each way to a cooking class for next week? Idiot! I forgot it was fortnightly. Never mind. I had a shower whether I needed one or not. Bought some discounted tins of mackerel in the local supermarket. Not sure whether that paid for the petrol though.

 The council bereavement lady didn't turn up. She's coming on Monday. 

I have just been for a 12mile/20km shopping ride. I kept my cadence in the high 90s to protect my knees. No pain in my quadriceps this time. Going quite well.

 Dinner was mackerel on toast with fried tomatoes and mushrooms.

~~

19.09.2022 Pulling in my nets to catch the sun.

 ~~

 Monday 19th 43F Very, very dark. [At 5.55]  A sunny day with possible showers is offered.  

 Up at 5.10. No escape from my memories of my poor, dear wife.

The upstairs, indoor temperature has dropped to 63F. 60F/15C in the lounge and kitchen. The greenhouse temperature is 50F/10C. Today's promised sunshine should boost that to the 80sF.  

 I will lift the second greenhouse net up over the first. To expose the greenhouse to maximum sunshine. It is just a matter of tightening the rope threaded through the top edge. The second net was shading the front wall of the greenhouse during the summer. With double layers where the sun would shine through onto the house wall. 

 Lifting the second net should provide a little insulation overnight. While letting in more light to the lounge windows during the day. I should probably take the nets down for the winter. The winds and cold will probably cause increased wear where they rub on the aluminium roof spars.

  The beech hedge in front of the greenhouse could do with a top trim now. To let the sun reach the greenhouse. The arc of the sun across the southern sky drops lower and lower. Even when the sun isn't shining the 7m/22' long greenhouse shelters the house. 

 Though thick, external insulation is theoretically better. It wouldn't provide any sheltered space. Perhaps for drying clothes in wet weather. Or sitting out in milder weather. Nor does insulation protect the southern windows from the winter cold. It is still "only" a lean-to, aluminium greenhouse. 

 Which can regularly drop well below freezing. Certainly not a warm "conservatory" room. With double glazing, carpets and smart furniture. The greenhouse manufacturer's brochures would have you believe that a greenhouse is a luxury extension of the house. It may well be an extension, but it has very serious drawbacks for regular use. Far too hot in summer and far too cold in winter. It is very unpleasant indeed being under unshaded glass. Only in certain conditions is it a comfortable space. 

 It was sheer luck that somebody nearby was getting rid of their lean-to greenhouse. They were investing in a conservatory with a solid roof. Then I was offered a serious discount by a local dealer for a similar model. With a connecting profile to add the second, matching greenhouse. So that I could cover most of the front of the house at relatively low expense. 

 Our major mistake was putting the shading on the inside. Which didn't work well at all! The professional quality, external shade netting has transformed the greenhouse. Into something far more useful. The shade net came from a German eBay dealer at remarkably low cost for a huge [and heavy] roll! I just wish the green colour was much less blue. It stands out in the landscape as very unnatural.

 The climate scientists are saying that each new winter is warmer than the last. A combination of high prices and a cold winter would be disastrous for many. I hope my stock of firewood lasts the winter.

 7.00 I have just been out to hoists my net. It still hangs down over the curved eaves. Doubling the thickness of the net over the sloping, greenhouse roof. I may have to thread more rope though the lower edges of the net. To allow me to quickly lift it much higher on the roof when needed. Or I could just take the second net down. That would leave the 1st net to provide comfort shade in bright sunshine. It is odd to think that I could never have done any of this when my wife was alive.

 7.15. Time for a walk. Just to the lanes and back. There were dozens of pheasants out on the fields. Most of them dashed for cover. The cloud has cleared to bright sunshine. "Somebody" is going to have to do some washing up!

  8.30 47F/8C. First I am going to try my luck in the observatory.

 11.30. 57F and full sunshine.  I removed one net from the greenhouse roof and opened the door into the hall and the living room. It was well worthwhile. With the temperature rising indoors and dropping in the greenhouse. The free heat was very noticeable as it flowed indoors. One layer of net still provides comfortable shade in the greenhouse. Naked glass is horrible to stand under in sunshine!

 12.30 Greenhouse doors still open. The temperature indoors has risen 3ºF. Finished the washing up. So now I can eat.

 12.50 59F/15C outside. Sitting down to lunch. The greenhouse and ground floor are now both at 70F. The upstairs is lagging slightly at 68F and climbing slowly. A great improvement over 63F!What a shame it isn't sunny every day. I could improve the heat gain to the greenhouse by drawing back the remaining net. No need today, but easily done if needed. 

 Providing a top exit channel from the greenhouse to the upstairs would bring the heat indoors by convection. It would return downstairs by natural cooling and being pushed along by the rising hot air stream. To exit through the open doors to the greenhouse. Or via the downstairs windows. A continuous airflow driven only by the sun.

 Such an arrangement would be difficult to achieve entirely internally here. [i.e.Invisibly.] Due to the house's rain gutter being just above the greenhouse. One of the greenhouse roof windows could provide an outlet to the upstairs. Though it would need to be well sealed, weatherproofed  and well insulated. Such arrangements are commonplace in specialised solar heated homes. With flaps being provided to stop the airflow as desired. Or when the sun is not shining.

 13.20 60F/15C outdoors. 72F/22C downstairs. 69F upstairs. I have opened the balcony doors to spread the heat more evenly. Walking downstairs is like walking into an oven! 73F in the kitchen. 

 I have been reading about passive solar heating since the 1970s. Possibly before that. Finally I can practice it myself. Albeit on a single, perfect, sunny day and not too cold outside.

 There are designs for simple, flat boxes. With matt black painted, recycled cans. Glass [or clear plastic] on the front. These can absorb the sun's heat and channel it into the house. No moving parts. Or a fan can drive the heat flow if needed. Preferably driven by a solar panel. To avoid mains electricity consumption. Or reliance on it.

 14.45 60F/15C outside. 75F/24C indoors downstairs. 71F upstairs.

 15.30 I have painted the second coat in the front hall. More cloudy now. 

16.15. 57F/14C. It rained.

Dinner was fried eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms on toast. Finished off with a bread roll.

21.15 The heat I gained from the greenhouse today, stayed indoors. It is still 68F/20C up here.

 

 

~~

18.09.2022 More painting.

 ~~

 Sunday 18th  47F/8C. Clear and breezy. With only a few small clouds. Showers are promised. 

 Up at 5.30. Aching back and hips. From painting? Or no walk yesterday? Probably both.

 Pretty flowers in the field stubble. No idea what they are.

 64F/13C indoors. I am wearing my indoor down jacket. To fend off the day when I need to light the stove. I have been wearing this old jacket for years in winter. Whenever the old stove could not cope with heating our open plan hovel. 

 Meaning that the stove is downstairs in the lounge. With an open stairwell leading to the open plan attic. Where the bedroom is in one half. The TV and computer are in the other half. This arrangement provided the greatest warmth. 

 The insulation above the attic is 40cm over the narrow, flat ceiling. 30cm over the sloping ceilings. I fitted the Rockwool myself from diagonally staggered 100mm layers. To avoid cold spots. The down jacket is badly worn but has the advantage of lightness, softness and silence when I move. Many down jackets rustle noisily when the cloth rubs against itself. 

 I have filled the small holes in the walls of the front hall. Which opens into the greenhouse. Next is painting on the sealer. Which is meant to stop the following paint from being sucked into the porous surfaces. 

 The [rear] entrance hall, which I painted yesterday, could almost get away with one coat. Just a few thinner patches. It is very bright out there now. The overall white has not hidden the flaws. Which went unnoticed when it was dull, cement grey and dark out there. The architraves will hide a lot of these "blemishes."

 6.50. I had better go for an early walk. Before the showers arrive. 

 8.00 Walked to the woods, turned right and uphill along the cliff face of beech trees. Right again when I met the summit hedge. Descended by the direct route to what is [loosely] called home. 55 minutes.

After morning coffee I retired to the observatory. Though it was short lived. The sky became opaque due to huge clouds. Eventually leading to overcast. Back to the painting.

 11.00 56F/13C. Overcast. I have sealed/primed the right wall of the front hall. The opposite wall has the electrical consumer unit and the meter. With areas above it in need of plastering. No point in attempting to paint that wall at this stage. 

 Then I painted all four of the rear [entrance] hall walls again. This time I used a small roller. It went quickly and well. Without the wrist ache of wielding a 2" brush. The second coat on the ceiling can wait until later.

13.00 Lunch. Mostly overcast and breezy. Another half hour wasted in the observatory. Watching the clouds pass over the sun.

 Snow is reported to be lying in unsteady and thundery weather in North Jutland today. I have a shopping list but wonder whether I dare risk going on the trike. Against the cloudburst warning.

 14.30 54F/12C. Overcast and raining steadily and increasingly heavily.

 I have painted the first coat of white on the right side wall in the front hall. The double, airing cupboard doors are already white but it looks more like an undercoat. Or just a first coat. The hall ceiling is of profiled, untreated, pine boards. The three glazed, internal doors are all plain pine. More painting to do. Lots of taping to do too. Both sides. That's an awful lot of small panes!

 15.30 I drove in the rain to the shops.

Dinner was equal amounts of mushrooms and diced chicken breast. They shared the frying pan with the tomatoes. The peas and pasta were processed together in the same saucepan. Delicious. The camera flash has caught the steam. Making the peas and pasta look soft. I have just realised. I could have added a poached egg or two. 

~~

17.09.2022 Finally, painting the hall!

 ~~

 Saturday 17th 50F. Heavy overcast and raining. Up at 6.45. I was having a weird dream. My wife and I were browsing in a scruffy, secondhand shop. After which a mountain lion and a pack of large, golden retrievers approached me. While I was alone and on foot, descending a steep hill. That was time to wake up!

 The rain gives me an excuse to get on with painting the dark entrance hall white. "Entrance hall" sounds a bit grand for such a narrow hallway. With a door on all four sides. The hall hasn't been touched since I rendered some of it with cement and fine sand. Probably two decades ago. 

 That was after fitting two, larger, secondhand doors. Both of them fully glazed with small planes to let the light into the formerly, pitch black hall. The previous doors were of "medieval" height and very unattractive. 

 I made a new outside door from thick, T&G flooring planks. The previous door was so low I would bang my head. Unless I approached it slowly and carefully. Until the next time when I would forgot to duck.  I replaced the bathroom door with a better, solid one with panels. It remains unpainted to this day. 

 The reason for not continuing the work in the hall now escapes me. There was always some problem. Usually an impossible demand or direct criticism of my [untrained] lack of skills. Or lack of essential tools. Leading to a row and then a cessation of all further work. Until the next project cropped up. To be repeated, ad infinitum, year after year. 

 My wife hated this house and always referred to it with an expletive. Which was ironic. Since she chose this one amongst the dozens we visited on immediate arrival in Denmark. Her mother was being impossibly nasty. After repeatedly inviting us over to live with her in her vast, old, rural farmhouse. Near the seaside.

 Her mother was stealing all our post from the outside postbox. We didn't have a key. We were in the middle of purchasing this house. Then she would ring every number she could find and tell lies about us. We had to regularly apologise to the bank, the solicitor and the estate agent. We weren't allowed to use her home telephone. No mobile phones back then.

 All our belongings were out in her huge barn beside the road. She would go out and open the doors if I closed them. So people could see and have free access to our entire house contents. I covered it all with a large tarpaulin. 

 Then she had a man call. Pretending he was an insurance assessor for stolen property. In fact he was a local furniture remover and handyman in a white van. She was lying again. We soon used him to move our furniture to the new house. He was incredibly strong and proved very helpful. With excellent English.

 With the ongoing problems with her mother we'd had to quickly find a house. One we could afford and still continue to eat. With the intention of moving onto something better when we were settled. Without a word of Danish, quickly finding paid work was impossible. So I worked on improving the house instead. While we lived off the proceeds of our UK house sale. Our "savings" from the house sale meant we were not eligible for any social support. We were the only Western Europeans attending the Danish language classes in Odense. 

 My wife had been trying to talk me into coming to Denmark for years. She was never very happy at our isolated, Welsh cottage. Though she built a beautiful garden there. The idea was that she would sell plants from her mother's roadside farmyard when we finally got to Denmark. The lane to the campsite and beach passed the farmhouse. It was a tourist hotspot and she could have done very well. Eventually building up to a small business.

There was loads of useful growing land belonging to the farmhouse. Thousands of square meters.  Her lunatic mother put paid to all of that. Our eventual moving to the end of a long, gravel drive. With a dangerous exit on a fast moving, main road. Made selling plants from our new home completely impossible.

 9.50 I have paused for morning coffee. No walk due to the rain. The two larger walls in the hall are now painted white. They seem much brighter with the overhead LED light. Though not very noticeable in [dull] daylight from the kitchen windows.

 I took the pictures above from outside the main door. Looking towards the kitchen. After the first coat of paint was finished. There is usually an "Indian" carpet runner the length of the hall floor. Removed during the painting of course. I ought to paint the hall, ceiling boards white too. Which would make it seem much lighter.

 The Dyrup paint covers quite well but is runny and doesn't go very far. Though I am aiming for maximum coverage. Not economy. I have newspapers down to catch the drips from the 2" brush. Rubber gloves are protecting my hands from runs down the handle. 

 After coffee I shall continue with the remaining, smaller walls.  There are no architraves or skirting boards to contend with. I have taped the light switches.

 11.00  I have now completed the first coat of paint in the hall. It looks much brighter now. In both daylight and LED. 

 What a shame it wasn't done twenty five years ago! The memories it brings back are incredibly depressing! What a waste of a perfect opportunity in coming to Denmark. We sold the Welsh cottage we had rebuilt with our own hands. To move over here 26 years ago. Half a lifetime. Of her daughter wishing it had been so very different. 

 Her mother had been a thorn from when we were fist married. Even moving close to us so she could interfere. She ruined her daughter's life and her own. 

 Her mother soon lost her rural farmhouse. Unable to keep up the modest mortgage payments. We could have bought it outright on the forced auction back then. Her mother spent the next twenty years in sheltered accommodation. Or drugged up to the eyeballs in an old peoples home. 

 Still my wife would take presents to her on her birthday and at Christmas. Though she would never go near enough to her mother to talk to her. I doubt her mother even knew her daughter had called. It was so unfair on my wife! A life blighted by her own mother!

 16.30 55F. There have been thundery showers this afternoon. With occasional sunny periods. I was so impressed with the white paint on the walls that I went out to buy some white paint for the woodwork. The hall ceiling is now white. I also moved the LED lamp to the wall. It was too bright and ugly hanging down from the ceiling.  

 I went downstairs later. It was so bright in the hall I thought I'd left the outside door open!

For dinner I went with a salmon pasty with salad. The contrast between hot and cold worked well.

 

~~

16.09.2022 Keeping warm as Pootin profits from your heating bill.

 ~~

 Friday 16th 50F. Windy and quite cloudy. No sunshine yet. [7.00]  Up at 5.45.

 Yesterday was the first morning where it felt noticeably colder indoors. Indoor air temperatures remained "comfortable" at 66F/19C but it still felt quite cold. I had to wear a thicker jumper. Today I had to don a fleece jacket on top of the jumper. For the first time this autumn. For my first hour. Sitting at the computer. Catching up on the daily lunacy. Which passes for the news. 

 The fabric of the building is cooling. Which increases our body's radiation. Heat passes from our warm bodies to the cooler surfaces. Draughts and the wind in particular, increase the heat loss. By "wind chill" and evaporative cooling of our sweat. Or of our literally wet bodies after a shower. A dressing gown is essential and highly absorbent for that dash to get dressed "before you freeze."

 A billion or more people are going to suffer from the cold this winter. Fuel prices have rocketed as the ultra rich profit from your suffering.

 Unless, that is, you dress more warmly indoors and out. Or pay double for the same amount of warmth from the same heating systems. Layering your clothing helps. By trapping warm air between the layers. The problem quickly becomes the stiffness of the multiple layers. Donning and shedding layers quickly becomes a bore. 

 This is where down jackets, sweaters and waistcoats can really help. They are light and flexible compared to cheaper wadding. Or many layers of jumpers and cardigans. 

 Down clothing must be protected from sparks from stoves or naked flames while cooking. Candles too! The thin outer shell of the clothing is usually man-made material. Which instantly melts at relatively low temperatures. So stay away from such sources of heat! Or take the lightweight outer clothing off. While you add more broken furniture to the stove.

 A down "sweater" is a fine piece of lightweight clothing for keeping warm. A waistcoat keeps only the torso warm but offers greater freedom for the arms. The higher the cost [usually means] the warmer and lighter the clothing if bought new. Unfortunately I can't protect the slaves who produce the down fashion wear for the high street names. Buy according to your conscience and pocket. Buy Patagonia if you care. Choose quiet materials too. If you are to avoid severe rustle fatigue.

 There was a time you could buy down [or man-made padded] clothing for very little money from charity shops. Or are you too proud to be seen in such an outlet? Remember that the rich seek their ball gowns, designer shoes and handbags in charity shops. Not to mention designer furniture.

 Down clothing can be compressed to nothing. With one arthritic hand on the sleeve. Feathers are much colder, stiffer, harder and sometime spiky to the touch. If the clothing is really poor quality. Man-made stuffing feels firm and stiff. Or too thin to be much good for anything except teenage fashion. 

 Our grandparents had only one coal fire and no insulation in their draughty homes. They knew the value of warm clothing indoors. A suitable hat stops heat loss from your head. Fleece is soft, warm and comfortable. Easily proved by going for a walk. As you warm up you remove your hat first. This may be all you need to do to stop that sweaty feeling down your back. 

 If the wind picks up and you start to feel cool, then the hat goes back on. I do this on many of my mornings walks. I have a variety of hats to choose from. All depending on the outside [or inside] temperature A hood is a valuable asset when it is windy. It may even save your life when you become homeless. Because you cannot pay your heating bills. Including all the extra "green" taxes piled on top.

 Ask your politicooze why they sanction "Russia." But keep sending billions to Pootin the Merciless. Ask yourself why they spend billions of taxpayer's money on unproven "energy" technology. While failing to provide free home insulation. Oh, I know! Is it because a dead, hypothermic pensioner needs no pension or hospital care?

 Any exercise will soon raise your temperature. So flexibility and a willingness to adjust your clothing to the circumstances is absolutely vital. Becoming sweaty. Because you are overdressed. Means you will really struggle to stay warm once you stop the exercise. Open your jacket now. Or take it off until you cool off.

 A rug, blanket or duvet over your lap. While watching TV or browsing. Can seriously increase your comfort levels. A rug around your shoulder and over your lap lifts you back into the comfort zone. Snuggling into a sleeping bag may be warm but is hard to get in and out of. A cat is a great lap warmer. I spent years of winters with our tabby cat Babe. Fast asleep on my lap while browsed or blogged.

 My wife and I both wore down jackets or sweaters indoors too. When the old wood stove couldn't cope. This, despite a foot to 16" of rockwool insulation over our heads. 

 The replacement, modern, convection stove is amazing for its heat output on less fuel! No electricity required either. That was a absolute must when we were choosing it! The ability to burn various fuels was also important. I can't be held to ransom by corrupt wood-fuel pellet importers from Russia and Poland.

  I am still waiting for multiple Nobel prizes to be awarded. For the invention of thin and inexpensive home insulation. The present situation, with foot thick insulation, fully loaded with taxes, is criminal, raving lunacy. The present cost of exterior insulation would buy you a new [electric] car. Probably one built by Chinese slaves. If you could afford it. They never will. Though the corrupt and deluded architects. Who designed your average home, certainly will.

09.30 54F/12C, heavily overcast.  My brisk walk to the lanes was cool in the headwind but I wore my down sweater zipped up. Opened up for the return journey. With the wind now at my back. I saw only one swallow this morning. It dived straight at me. Then did a sharp U-turn. Right in front of me. 

 I discovered eight large boxes yesterday. Which I had dismissed months ago. As containing yet more books. Unfortunately it was lots more charity shop fodder. Which made me extremely depressed.

 I now have to sort through another load. Making hasty decisions as to value to them. Another trip to the recycling yard. Or for refuse disposal. Choose [only] one.

 I have been up some ladders. To remove a broken branch. On a conifer damaged during the felling of the horse chestnut. The needles had turned brown and were an eyesore.

 Doing some indoor painting is a fairly high priority. Preferably before it gets too cold and dark. I'm thinking of very light green. If only to avoid the cold and rather stark white usually recommended. Though I don't want to steal the weak, winter light if I can help it. I'll probably need some kind of undercoat. To seal the absorptive, cement render surfaces. Hopefully, the hideous, bare, yellow bricks in the lounge should become much less noticeable if they were painted. Again they would need some sort of base.  

 I've bought a bottle of sealer for porous surfaces and 5L of matt white paint. I can start in either hall. To see if I like the effect. How could it possibly be worse than grey, cement render? Empty houses, over here, are commonly painted white throughout. When they are put up for sale. If that impresses potential buyers then it may be good enough for my hovel. We shall see. Like them, I can start with a blank canvas.

 I have just been 150m along the drive with a full wheelbarrow. To fill in the potholes with self stabilising sand-gravel mix.

17.00 60F/15C.  Half of the main hall has been sealed. Paused for tea. Will carry on afterwards. I am going to move the coat hooks to the inner wall nearer the kitchen. Where the coats won't dominate the entrance hall as the door is opened. The inner wall will be warmer too and no longer cause a bottleneck.

 17.45 The entrance hall has been painted with sealer. It says one hour to dry and can be painted over after two hours. I'll leave it overnight. The walls are being left as they are. Rough and smooth. Honest. Not some gentrification of an agricultural building. 

 If somebody, after me, wants plasterboard and perfectly smooth, plastered surfaces. Then that will their choice. I imagine they would prefer to demolish the house and start again. Just as the two nearest houses deserve no better. Somebody could get a decently sized, private plot, set back from the road, to build their dream mansion. Just knock the three hovels down and start again. But this time with more feeling.

 Dinner was mackerel on toast with fried mushrooms and halved tomatoes. Delicious.

~~

15.09.2022 Grass up.

 ~~

Thursday 15th 52F. Bright and sunny start. A windy day [gusting to 30mph] from the NW. With sunny periods. Up at 7am after quite a reasonable night. I walked along to collect the dustbin. It is very noticeably cooler. The parking space has a green blush from all the new blades of grass. This is something I see regularly out on the fields. The individual plants are too small to see at a distance but give a "wash" of colour to the bare earth.

 Thursday is my men's cooking class. I have to leave about 9am in the car to get there on time. Today's recipes are safely printed out. They send them as PDF attachments to emails. Handy to give the keen cooks a chance to see what they will be preparing. 

 I wish there was some way to make remembering their names easier. The farm museum has a very useful crib sheet with photos of all the volunteers. The cooking classes are smaller but, yet again, consist of firm, long lasting groups. So only a new boy would need to learn all the other's names. 

 Now add the difficulty of hearing clearly while deaf. As they individually introduce themselves. While everybody is talking at once in an echoing room. I'm not moaning. Just reflecting on the difficulties. As one who wants to respect the other group members by remembering all their names. 

 My part in today's food production was a huge bowl of mashed potato. With enough for 9 people. 6 of us managed to polish it all off. I did most of the peeling. Then I mashed first before using a handheld mixer to fluff it up. It was obviously well received. 

 The greenhouse was warm at 83F on my arrival back at home. So I opened the greenhouse door to the front hall and the interior  doors. To spread the heat into the house. This worked quite quickly. With more of a drop in the greenhouse than a rise indoors. About 3:1 in degrees F. Rather than leave the hall door to the greenhouse open it might be more beneficial to let the greenhouse heat up again. Then share it indoors at intervals. 

 I mowed the grass including the 100m drive. Both sides and the middle. The grass on the parking area is shooting up now. More obviously where the compost is thickest. I shan't mow this yet.

I forgot to mention that a black squirrel ran across the road in front of my car. I don't think I've seen a squirrel in Denmark in the last 20 years. The last one was up in the huge willow in the NW corner of our/now my garden.

19.00  I am thinking about dinner. I haven't had fish fingers for a while. I bought some more mushrooms too. 

 ~~