15.10.2022 More white = more light!

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 Saturday 15th 54F. Dark grey.  Up at 5.40. Still haven't lit the stove again. Still 64F/18C upstairs. It feels quite cool. So I am wearing my battered, old, down jacket while I am sitting still at the computer. The new 19C/66F maximum rule is going to be hard [at] work for many. 

 I am still using "we" instead of "I" in conversation. And "our" instead of "my." Old habits die hard.

 Have you ever wondered if those who make the headlines might not have? If only they hadn't been so ugly. Perhaps they became so ugly as a result of the evil churning within?

 7.45 Getting light now. Rain on the front [southerly] windows. I am going for a walk anyway. 

 8.45. Morning coffee. It wasn't raining. A low, dark and misty cloud layer began to break up overhead. To reveal pinky-orange fluffy stuff against the blue. The problem seemed to be an unlimited supply of the dark stuff. All queuing to fill in from behind. It wasn't at all cold out there. I was too warm in my winter jacket.

 

 A large, brown bird of prey went over. Maintaining a bee-line for the SW despite my presence. Staring up at it through my binoculars. It could have been the female of the pair of white tailed eagles I saw the other day. 

 Immediate plans for today: Fill all the screw holes in the brick wall in the lounge. I'll drill the plastic plugs out first. Then deliver the stuff in the trailer to the recycling yard. Deliver the large bag of my wife's clothes to a charity shop. I had found more of her clothes in a hidden chest of drawers. A lot of decorated wooden boxes, tins and others stuff can go to the charity shop too.

  I drilled and filled the screw holes in the brick wall. Then did my deliveries in the village. Before returning home in drizzle. Though it soon stopped.

11.20  The sight of the previously pink, sanded bathroom door demanded my attention. So I lifted it off the hinges and laid it on a trolley in the kitchen. A quick blast with the orbital sander was followed by a thorough wiping down. The outside of the door is now painted white. To match the hall. I shall have to paint the door frame now. More white = more light! 

 Next I have to brush and vacuum the brick wall in the lounge. To remove cobwebs and dust. Then priming.

12.00 The brick wall is cleaned and thoroughly primed. I went over it with the roller again and again. Two hours drying time before overpainting. So I could paint it this afternoon.

 13.50 Lunch over. I had better go shopping. My tins of Rema1000 baked beans have a fault. It is lucky I read the Danish news. There is a recall.

14.30 The major part of the wall is painted. There is a smaller area on the other side of the window. I quickly paint rolled the wall first. Then followed up immediately with a 2.5" brush. My arm and shoulder are aching slightly. I deserve a cup of tea!

The images show my progress. The roller hardly touched the grouting. Making the brushwork essential and its effects dramatic. The last image was taken before the sheen had gone off. The paint is supposedly matt when dry.    

 The camera doesn't seem to capture the texture straight on. Which is very obvious to the eye. So I took a picture at 45º in natural light. The windows are on the right but it is overcast outside. It looks as if I have the wall well covered. It may not need another coat. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow. The walls in both halls looked finished but still needed another coat to remove the patchiness. Which had only appeared overnight. The wall may only need paint rolling to flatten the surface.

 I finally went shopping. Only to be told that the recalled beans are fine. Neither staff member knew anything about the recall. A phone call to the boss confirmed that identical beans to those I had just returned were safe. Despite having identical dates and bar codes to the warning on the news. 

 The Danish Food Ministry is also warning people not to eat the batch with the following date. 30.11.2025 Bar code: 5705830004314. To return them to the shop or throw them away. I returned them for a refund. All very odd.

Dinner was chicken and mushroom curry. It was okay but needed more fluid/sauce with the meat. The overall effect was a bit dry. The mushrooms were almost indistinguishable from the diced chicken. So I probably won't bother again.

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