2.01.2023 And there was [more] light.

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 Monday 2nd 8C/46F. A wet morning is promised. Denmark set a new January high temperature record since official measurements began in 1874. 

 Up at 6.15.  Upstairs is showing 21C/70F this morning. The stove was allowed to die down by 11pm. The lounge has dropped to 18C/64F overnight. The kitchen is at 15C/60F. 

 The lounge, pine ceiling captured in poor light.
Taken while leaning back in an armchair.

 This was after sharing the warmth from the lounge stove all day. [Intervening hall doors left wide open] The 500W oil-filled radiator was left on but under thermostat control. No hurry to light the stove this morning.

 I still have a sealing job to do on the glazed, double, greenhouse [hall] doors. There is too little overlap with the frame to allow a proper seal. Though the glass is double glazed to reduce heat loss. A curtain is drawn over the doors at night. These tall, hardwood doors were bought from a recycling yard over two decades ago.

 The original [panelled] front door stood here when we bought the place. This door was well under 6' high and had a 50mm/2" gap underneath! Much the same as the original back door. Which soon become the entrance door. The original front door becoming enclosed by the [recycled] lean-to greenhouse. Whose sliding doors could never be considered as a serious means of entry. There was never any parking near the front door. So this area soon became a full enclosed garden. With towering hedges. Which I quickly and severely trimmed in height and depth. Once my wife no longer controlled such matters.

 I need to start working on the house again but need a plan to try and fix my priorities. I have been doing jobs which appealed to me at the time. Or which had the most obvious visual or interior lighting benefits. There being little point in doing anything at all. Not if it remained as dark indoors as it once was. 

 So lots of white paint and bright white architraves and skirtings gave instant upgrades. In both light and appearance. White roller blinds have added their own improvements at night. It's all about reflecting what light is available. Whether natural infall from small [cottage] windows. Particularly during typically overcast conditions. Or from the choice of internal lighting. 

 Table lamps, with shades, usually offer the softest and most flattering light IMO. Bare or bright artificial lights simply cause our eyes to adapt by closing the irises. So most of the light is simply wasted in a blinding glare. A lampshade protects the eye from direct light and provides a comfortable wash on walls and ceilings. Wall lights can work too. Provided the bulb is completely hidden and the light directed. Either upwards or downwards for maximum spread. Clear glass shades are a complete nonsense!

 White ceilings make the most sense. White, or light coloured surfaces reflect the most light. So a single table lamp in a corner of a room. Can fill the whole room with useful light. Now add glazed, internal doors. The light from a single, low wattage, LED bulb can now reach even further within the home. 

 The kitchen becomes easily negotiable thanks to the distant table lamp in the corner of the lounge. Not only that, but the halls and bathroom are safely lit as well. The dim, but still useful light, gives a relaxed and safe environment. For moving effortlessly between all of the rooms. Without constantly switching on blinding, overhead lights and destroying one's natural, dim light adaptation. Only if you need to read something, Or do fine manual work. Is it necessary to find a light switch. 

 During the day, the light is constantly reflected and scattered through every room and surface. Not just from the nearest window but from all of the windows in  the house. 

 Having sunlight in winter is a rare and magical addition to the home's ambience. The sunlight is free to seek out every nook and cranny. As it travels unimpeded through every internal [glazed] door. Further reinforced by the light from every window. As the sun naturally brightens the landscape outside. 

 I am not advocating sitting in the dark. Far from it. Though the TV, phone, laptop and PC monitor will all add their own light. I left my mobile phone on last night when I went to bed. To my surprise it was bathing the entire attic with light! This is despite a UV darkened, pine boarded ceiling and dark sloping surfaces. Imagine how bright it would have been if all the surfaces were white! 

 The balcony gable end is all glass. Two tall, fully glazed doors close it off from the rest of the attic. The light which comes through these doors floods down the open stairwell. Further adding to the light levels at this end of the lounge. And so on into the entrance hall and the bathroom. 

 It is all cumulative. Provided every surface supports natural reflection with minimum losses. This is also true, to some extent with heat. Radiant heat is reflected and scattered to more distant surfaces. Smoothing out temperature differentials remote from the stove in the lounge. 

 To which end I finally come down to the lounge ceiling. Half of which is UV darkened, pine boarding. Which I put up myself years ago. Imagine how much more light would be scattered if I made the effort to paint that ceiling white? It would mean clearing half the room and lifting the "Indian" carpet. The rewards would certainly be tangible. Not least in both halls, the kitchen, the stairs and the bathroom. 

 9.00 Still darkly overcast, misty and raining. Stove now lit. I might as well enjoy morning coffee. Instead of waiting until after a walk.  

 10.00 Mistier than ever. I decided to paint the inside of the home-made, rear [main] entrance door. The bare, pine boards had been almost black for years. So it robbed light from the hall. 

 I made no attempt to do more than cover the bare wood with white paint. Opening the door back against the shed wall gave me enough light to work by. It was too mild to worry about outside temperatures. I closed the door again once I was finished painting.

A first coat of  white paint on the back door. Photographed from the kitchen doorway by natural light. My shadow can be seen reflected in the newly painted door. It is difficult to avoid perspective distortion. Taking such images from half height helps.The dark line above the door is a sponge sealing strip.The door frame has yet to be painted.

 This door has to be replaced anyway. It is poorly sealed and being of natural wood, shrinks and expands with humidity. Exposing air gaps around the edges at times. Or sticking at others. It would regularly sweat. Or even be covered in sparkling white frost, on the inside, in cold winters!

 The original back door had been under six feet tall. It caused me repeated head injuries. Every time I forget as I went in and out. Eventually, I was able to raise the lintel and board the hall ceiling. Then I built a taller, braced, plank door. Out of thick, secondhand, T&G, pine floorboards.   

 I have had all the internal doors open to warm the hall and bathroom. Temperatures are climbing quickly. The lounge and upstairs remaining at 20C. It is still very dark and overcast but the rain has stopped. The mist is clearing too.

 I am going shopping after lunch and will get a new paint roller while I am there. So I can do the lounge ceiling. The smaller rollers I have now tend to spin fast and spray. I have long handled brushes for doing the moulded recesses between the boards. 

 12.40 Enjoying an early lunch. I have already cleared one half of the lounge of furniture and rolled back the carpet.

  17.40 Shopping completed. Returned to paint the boarded ceiling. I used a length of broom handle on a narrow paint roller to allow me to work from the floor. Half the grooves have also been painted with a long handled brush. My shoulder is really aching now! I had better stop before I do too much damage to recover easily overnight.

 Working with the hot stove beside me was unpleasantly warm. The room and upstairs have been at 21+C all day. With all the internal doors open I had the kitchen up to 18C/65F and the bathroom reached 18C/64F.

 The ceiling will have to be rolled again tomorrow. Perhaps a third coat after that. It is highly visible so needs to be evenly white. The beams will also be painted white. While the network cables will have to be tidied up too.

 I was too tired to cook and hadn't bought any frozen stuff yet. I want to confirm the freezer cabinet is behaving itself first. I am getting the room temperature up to a sensible level 15+C and avoiding heating the freezer with the mini-oven. So I made beans on toast. 

 23.45. 40F outdoors. Bed time. Despite my allowing the stove to go out much earlier the temperatures have remained steady indoors all evening. My digital thermometer, beside my computer chair is showing 72F/22C!

 This would only be true if the outside conditions remain mild. The fabric of the building is soaking up the excess heat. If it were colder outside the heat would soon escape. The heavy layers of rockwool in the roof space also hold onto the heat. This is very noticeable in summer heatwaves. When even opening all the windows has no effect on indoor temperatures. They remain static even when I put a big desk fan in a window. In a desperate attempt to push the hot air out! 

 In future I shall sleep downstairs during hot weather. On the bed I shall place in the NE corner of the lounge. As previously mentioned: At other times I shall make the bed into a year-round desk. 

 

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