28 Feb 2023

28.02.2023 Nine week postal service!

 ~~

 Tuesday 28th -1C/29F. Clear and bright with a white frost on the grass. Showered and dressed. Early morning coffee. No walk today. I am supposed to be leaving for Tuesday's cooking class! Stove lit, but it will go out in my absence. 

 The sun shone brightly all morning. The cooking class was a bit different today. We were only six so we split up into teams as usual. There was not much active cooking but we produced three plates full of "sandwiches" on rye bread.

 With various sauces and salads as dressing. I made Italian Salad and the hamburger on rye bread with lettuce and fennel. Very tasty. The images show the other two plates. Mine was the first plate to be eaten and was gone before I had a chance to photograph it.

  A lovely calendar was waiting for me on my arrival back at home. It had been sent by my sister on the 14th of December 2022. Today is the 28th February 2023. So it took nine weeks to get here.

 
I drove into town in the afternoon. The chain bike shop website claimed it had the helmet I wanted in stock. It didn't, but I was able to confirm I needed a Large. The Medium would fit but would sit on top of my head like a bad haircut. The Large [in another similar model by the same maker] wrapped itself around my head exactly like it should. To provide side protection and remain in place in a tumble. I decided to place an order. It should only take a couple days to reach the shop. 

 I deliberately chose the dayglo [?] high visibility yellow-green. It was that or white. White can easily disappear against some backgrounds. Like an overcast sky. I don't want my head disappearing anywhere thank you very much. I want to be a hi-vis carbuncle on the road. One which can be seen for a thousand yards. Even when the observer is driving by a remote control app on their mobile phone. While pissed out of their [own] skull.  I don't want my skull pissing out anywhere just because they "didn't see me!"

 Dark clothing and helmets on cyclists should be automatic cause for prosecution. You just can't expect sanity or even lower common sense in these matters. Not after Sky's foul-mouthed, asthma-prone team members sported black kit. Leaving every brain dead, weekend warrior to automatically assume stealth mode. I'd automatically negate their insurance as well. [If any.] Or give a free pass to anybody who hit them in a road accident. Or even hit them afterwards. Dimwits will always be dim. Same with their clothing.

 Which brings me to the choice of clothing on an e-Bike. The rider is being motor assisted. To reduce the load on their legs while pedaling. That doesn't mean that they are just sitting there and turning the pedals like some cartoon figure. Some exercise is always involved where movement is involved. Depending on the e-bike settings, inclines and effort being applied. 

 Exercise means warmth is being generated in the cycling bod. Which means the e-cyclist can't wear a bin bag. [Cycling jacket.] Or the e-cyclists will sweat profusely. So the e-cyclists clothing must breathe to remove moisture from perspiration. A standard cycling requirement. Which falls foul of many modern jackets disguised as waterproofs but making better bin bags. Which is exactly where they belong. If truth be told.

 At the same time, higher road speeds are very likely to be involved. Speed greatly increases wind chill. The dreaded, icy cold shower when one descends quickly after a hot climb. Particularly when wearing non-cycling clothing. i.e. A cotton T-shirt! So the e-cyclist needs better protection than a normal cyclist. Wind proofing clothing but without the inevitable water proofing. Just to avoid sweating. 

  No dinner. I ate at the class. The evening seems strangely long without cooking.

 

~~

27 Feb 2023

27.02.2023 Wot no blog post? E-bike exploration.

 ~~

Monday 27th -1C/29F. White frost. Sunny day. No walk. I drove for [many] miles looking for a specific electric bike in seven different bike shops. 

 I have decided that I am getting old. So I need some help climbing the hills while pedaling. I am hoping to use much less time driving my old 1996 car. Simply because it is easier than getting breathless at 6mph climbing the local hills. 

 The effort required to regain my former cycling fitness is a hurdle to further riding for pleasure. I will still get a good workout. Because I will need to pedal to move forwards. It will just be so much easier to climb hills and my comfortable riding range should extend enormously. 

 The bike is heavy but claimed to be all-terrain and has long [but unspecified] range. It can easily handle mild, off-road excursions. For when curiosity gets the better of me. Jumping off banks on mountain bike parks may be pushing it a little too far. Not that this inhibited certain people on YouTube! Effortlessly climbing a 1-in-4 on cobbles was also noteworthy! On road tires too!

  I have ordered the E-bike online. After failing to find the model I wanted at any of the dealers. There was a massive discount online for last year's model. This year's prices were well beyond my pocket! I believe bike sales were very disappointing last year. Following considerable enthusiasm during Covid. So large discounts are likely on 2022 models if you look around.

 I quickly dropped any hope of buying an E-MTB. [Electric mountain bike.] Gorgeous as they are and I'd love to own one. Sadly they are completely unsuitable for my mostly, road-going needs.  Electric Mountain bikes [MTBs] are legally limited to 25kph or 15mph motor assisted, pedal driven speed. The pedals must turn to allow the motor to assist. This is the legal difference between an e-bike and an e-motorcycle.

 E-MTBs are intended for controlled off-road riding with lots of grip for climbing steep inclines at low speeds. Descending is another matter and one can freewheel above the legal motor assisted speed. However, the low maximum [legal] speed on the flat would make longer road trips achingly slow. I can still average 10-12mph on my loaded trike on slick high pressures. Even when badly out of form.

 So after much online "homework" I had a rather fixed "shopping list." For all the things I really wanted  in my first new bike since I was a teenager. The trike was my only new machine since my parents bought me a racing bike at 16. Almost exactly 60 years ago.

 Now I wanted full suspension front and back. For greater comfort on today's potholed lanes and roads. 200mm/8" disk brakes. To ensure I had enough power to stop safely from these higher speeds. I rarely manage 30mph on the trike. Not even on big descents while pedaling furiously in top gear. Axle bearing friction, I suppose. I never discovered why old ladies could simply ride away from me going downhill. While they were sitting bolt upright in a flapping coat on fat, low pressure tires. While I was hiding behind the handlebar stem on aero [triathlon] extensions. I never made any sense but probably meant I must be working much harder on the flat too.

 I really wanted MTB styling in my new e-bike. With fat, but much smoother, road tyres. Knobbly MTB tyres are soon uncomfortable on smooth tarmac. As are narrow high pressures! 

A powerful Bosch performance motor would be needed for the "45km/t" [kph] higher speed standard. 

 The "45kph" [28mph] maximum legal speed bike is called a Speed-Pedelec in Denmark. It is basically an electric moped. With much tighter restrictions on build quality and very strict rules against modification. An approved "45" helmet MUST be worn at all times. These helmets are pricey [ABUS are £150+ equivalent] but have much higher safety standards over typically cheap bicycle helmets.

 The e-bike is not in stock at the online dealer despite claims to the contrary on their website. The bike should be delivered in within a couple of weeks from "remote storage." It will be fully set up in the delivery box. So should be fully rideable from scratch. Though I will need a lot of practice riding up and down my 200m, of potholed and rough gravel drive. Before venturing onto the busy "main" road. 

 Casualty rates are much too high for the elderly moving onto these e-bikes from slow pedal powered bikes. Which is probably why the rules are so strict. France is setting vast fines [€30k!] for riding "tuned" [i.e.De-restricted] e-bikes. 

 I am hoping my enthusiastic riding style on the trike will equip me with suitably fast reaction times. I am already aware of the countless risks from wet roads and poor road craft. I see it in countless other cyclists every single day.

 I will need to familiarize myself with riding on two wheels again. After a decade of only riding on three. Albeit with some quite unnecessary enthusiasm on the corners and roundabouts. 

 The complex levers on the straight MTB style handlebars are completely new to me. There are even handlebar remote control levers for the suspension. As well as several modes for motor assistance. Plus the very different brake and gear change levers. I wonder if there are e-bike classes for beginners? There are classes for everything else in Denmark.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. I ate lunch very late after my long outing. So had no real appetite. The yolks looked a bit odd but were perfect. Just runny, as I like them.

~~

26 Feb 2023

26.02.2023 12 more miles II.

~~
 Sunday 26th -1C/29F. Any early cloud has cleared to blue skies and sunshine. A light frost with hail standing out starkly on the dark molehills.

  The Trykit trike fitted with a small Carradice saddle bag. I was fed up with dragging the huge yellow, PVC bag around. It has amazing capacity for shopping but stiffens in the cold. The yellow bag and the supporting rack weigh quite a bit too.

 The sunshine did not protect me from the eye wateringly cold, northerly breeze. Then I had to remove my hat and gloves on the last leg as I turned my back to the wind. 
 
 A perfect day for a ride again. Spoiled by the wind. 5m/s with 10m/s gusts amounts to 10mph and well over 20mph respectively. I went anyway. The hilly route first and then through the forest. Before exploring the nearest shopping village. There are some areas which were completely unknown to me. I would see them from the main roads but never strayed far until today. A quiet Sunday morning was the perfect opportunity. I even went off-road. Only the last leg was exposed to the icy cold, northerly wind.

15.00 3C/38F Sunshine warming the greenhouse. Not enough to open the doors but the lounge went up to 22C/71F.  Now I have the boring laundry to catch up with. I was watching the soil rising from a molehill outside the bathroom window. I was tempted to go out and commit an atrocity. Like the atrocity the mole is doing to my lawn! Then I decided I wasn't cruel enough to kill it directly. I shall rely on a trap instead. A bit like buying meat from the supermarket. To pretend you couldn't kill a pig, a cow or a chicken with your own, bare hands.

 I should be preparing myself for Sunday dinner making. I just hope I have all the parts to make a whole. 
 I decided I didn't want Sunday dinner. So I fried the chicken slowly and added pasta, peas and tinned tomatoes. 


~~

25 Feb 2023

25.02.2023 Netto still shoplifting its customers!

 ~~

Saturday 25th 1C/33F. Overcast breaking up to watery "golden" sunshine. Streaming the length of indoors like some ancient megalithic structure. More sunshine is promised for later. I am going for my walk. It is both windy and cold. So I will have to wrap up well.

 9.15 It was lucky I did dress for the cold weather. The wind kept trying to find my weaknesses. My hood remained in place until the last leg. When the wind was behind me. I stopped to listen to a siskin singing on top of a roadside tree. Without the hearing aids I would not have heard a thing. Fortunately my aching back was relieved by the exercise.

 I am struggling with the stove again. The logs must be too damp. They are mostly up around 25% moisture content. They take a long time to catch light and often sulk. Even when the air supply is wide open. The logs get two to three days drying in the lounge before being used. It doesn't seem to be long enough to make much difference.

 The sunshine makes me want to ride to the shops. To fill the gaps in what is loosely termed "my larder." The northerly wind is averaging 8m/s. With gusts to twice that. So 18mph average to 35mph gusts. 

 The lower temperatures and wind are making it more difficult to keep the house warm. There is a clear differential between outside temperatures and indoors. Today's sunshine did not help.

 ________________

 I drove to the shops in another village after lunch. There is a wider selection of supermarkets grouped together than locally. 

 There I was cheated, yet again, by Netto supermarkets. I was one of three customers waiting patiently with their receipts to ask for a refund. To point out that Netto had overcharged us when we made our purchases. In my own experience this is common sight at Netto checkouts.

 The staff had the nerve to shut down my till after laboriously resolving the price differences. While two more customers were still waiting with their receipts. Who were then told to go to the back of the very long queue at the only checkout left open!! How is that for deliberate avoidance of responsibility for overcharging? Are they being ordered by management to cheat on prices? Or to avoid repayment as much as possible? Or am I being too cynical?

 Regardless of which branch I visit there is attempted robbery, by Netto, every single time. The prices on the checkouts are always higher than on the display labels for the goods I buy. Presumably this must also be true for many other Netto customers. It can't be a coincidence that Netto cheats on only the items which I buy! Other customers waiting for a refund is proof enough [for me] that other items and other customers are involved.

 Few of Netto's customers will go to the trouble of stopping to read the tiny price list on their till receipt. The system is to serve them and push them out of the shop with the following customers. There is nowhere to put one's shopping down to laboriously check the receipt. It also assumes the customer will remember the display marked price of every single item they bought. The Danes are renowned for not complaining. So Netto must be onto a real winner!

 I have my own experience of this sharp practice [let's call it a scam] when shopping at multiple branches of Netto. Netto sells products not found in all the other supermarket monopolies. Otherwise I would avoid Netto like the plague! In my own, repeated experience, Netto simply cannot be trusted

 The careful Netto customer must be prepared set aside time. To check their receipt and then wait patiently in line for disinterested staff to correct any errors and refund the difference. Involving multiple key strokes and repeated scanning on the till. For every incorrect item! Ask me how I know this?

 It seems very strange to me that there is no consumer protection in Denmark. Even 30 years ago it made newspaper headlines. When giant UK retail chains were fined huge sums. For repeatedly charging more at the till than the price labels on their displays. 

 There will be 540 Netto stores owned by The Salling Group in 2023 after Aldi pulls out. Multiply all those differences in display/till+ prices x its 11 million customers x numbers of items purchased. It all adds up to "a nice little earner." [A UK English expression for ill-gotten gains.] Every council in the UK had consumer protection officers. Within its Trading Standards Department.

 I may even be prosecuted in Denmark for "merely mentioning" a "potential crime" online. There is clearly no consumer protection from vast, cheating, international retail monopolies. Or it would not happen so regularly, over so many branches, spread over a geographical area. But plenty of laws [allegedly] to silence their victims. From publishing their own experiences of repeated  [potential] losses at multiple outlets. 

 If there was any consumer protection, in monopoly run and owned, retail Denmark, there would be "mystery" shoppers. It's not as if they would have to go far from their centrally heated offices. To be cheated at their local Netto. Based entirely on my own extended experience at multiple branches buying multiple, different goods, over time.  Isn't it lucky that nobody in Denmark reads my blog? 😉

 It is ten days since I last had chicken and mushroom curry. Luckily I bought some more organic rice. Curry it was, but I forgot to take a picture! There were too many mushrooms. I felt I should use up the pack. I may try it without mushrooms next. To better enjoy the slow fried chicken.

 

~~

24 Feb 2023

24.02.2023 Divorced from my former reality.

 ~~

 Friday 24th 3C/38F. Dark overcast and windy, with rain forecast all day. 

 9.30 The rain moved on. To leave a clear patch behind it. So I had my walk anyway in brief glimpses of sunshine. Though I shortened my route at the junction to the lanes. There was an eye watering headwind. So I turned around and retraced my steps. While dodging the tire spray from the traffic. 

 Exactly as I predicted, the road was littered with twigs from yesterday's hedge slashing. Everything was very wet. With the gravel drives almost continuous puddles.

 14.00 7C/45F. Lunch over. I was bored with the dark skies early on. So I went for a drive in showers and occasional sunny periods. Taking in a series of charity shops. Which my wife and I would often visit in turn. As we drove further away from home through a string of rural villages. Three of the shops have now gone. I saw nothing to tempt me into buying anything. Nothing to remind me of that receding past.

21.00 Dinner was fish fingers. Not with pasta and tomatoes because there was no pasta. Not chicken curry. Because there was no rice. So I had fish fingers with beans and sieved, tinned tomatoes. It was delicious. I mopped up the plate with a bread roll. 

 My family members have have kindly forwarded lots of family pictures. By digital means. Multiple lifetimes captured on a chip the size of a postage stamp. Probably going right back to the late 1960s or early 1970s. 

 It all felt very strange stepping from one picture to the next. While I could identify most of the characters it all seemed so unreal. Or perhaps surreal. Somehow I could not place myself as present in their company. Not looking as we all once did. We were all so much better looking than I remembered. Each preoccupied with living our tangled lives. Making the best of the chances and conditions we had been given. No clue as to how it would all turn out. 

 The endless struggles, mistakes and miscommunications. Tied by biologically programmed love but each trying to find our own feet. Forging our own identities without being very aware of it at the time. Cast onto a small, but ever expanding stage. Desperately avoiding being just an extra. Wanting to really matter.

 It is fortunate that we are not  given the power to go back. To right all the countless wrongs. Accidental or otherwise. Life would become infinitely more complicated. Each attempt to make things better would produce a whole cascade of change. Not always for the better. 

 Given the knowledge I have now I could have made a much better job of being me. Given my wisdom, from accumulated experience, I could have done so much more. Been kinder, less judgemental, more open, far braver and much less intimidated. 

 Most of us are denied foresight and it must be counted a blessing. It keeps us on task and remaining firmly in character. More self-disciplined. More reliable. More productive. More useful. More sensible. More valuable. Would a wiser person still be me?

 The frustration and misery of failing memory may ultimately be a gentle kindness. To cushion us from the searing pain of loss. To distance us from the sudden, inexplicable loneliness. To quench the tears when we still had unspoken plans. To live together forever. There was no room in our saga. For such an unlikely ending. It just wasn't in our scripts.   

 

~~

23 Feb 2023

23.02.2023 Another ten miles.

 ~~

 Thursday 23rd 5C/42F. Very heavy overcast and very misty. 120-150m complete invisibility.

 9.00 The stove is reluctant to light again. The kindling being recalcitrant. My back is aching more than usual. Going for a walk to count rear fog lights.

 Traffic was very light. Probably because I was walking outside the usual rush hour.  Only 7 out of 35 vehicles I saw had their rear fog lights lit. My hearing aids make it much easier to hear and spot the small birds in the roadside hedgerows. They also make it easy to hear whether the traffic coming from the front or the rear. I soon forgot about my back.

 14.00 7C/45F. I am going for a ride to do some shopping. The hedge slashing tractor was out. Which means even more twigs and branches for me to kick onto the verge on my walks. The recent storm had caused hundreds to be blown onto the asphalt. 

 15.30 I took the hilly route via the forest on the way there. Then came straight back into a headwind.  The extra four miles of the forest route involves some long climbs. So it is costly in time and breathless effort but priceless in its scenery. The sun came out on the last leg but I felt rather tired today. Only 10 miles.

 Those of you following my culinary mischief. Will be delighted to know I have invested in salmon pasty futures. Last time I surrounded a frozen pasty in frozen chips in the mini oven. They came out cool and greasy. After which I had a slightly upset tummy. So I blamed this on my cooking faux pas. It is time to try again. The pasty will be baked on its own this time. While I conjure up some boiled potatoes and peas.

 I didn't buy any more HP brown sauce. It was 40 kroner a bottle! Which £4.74 in Olde Money! I may be daft as a brush but I'm not completely demented! I am already paying 28.98kr or £3.43 for ARLA butter! So I can't afford luxuries like HP brown sauce! I'll leave it to the oligarchs. To go with their caviar on the poop deck.

 The boiled potatoes were bland with only butter for company. I wanted brown sauce.

 ~~

22 Feb 2023

22.02.2023 Running rings around my logs.

 ~~

 Wednesday 22nd 38F, overcast, slightly misty with possible showers. Woke early but stayed in bed until after 7am. Back aching. Museum day.

 I spent the morning demolishing corrugated cladding on a shed. The long fixing nails were holding fast. Then I was painting again. 

 The circular log rack was delivered a day late while I was away. The dealer hadn't passed it onto the delivery service. The rack had remarkable capacity, as hoped, but the workmanship was awful. 

 I'll need paint thinners to remove the illegible label. I was surprised that I could lift it when full loaded. I'll try to limit myself to storing logs in the rack. Without any excess spilling onto the floor. Which rather defeats the objective.

Dinner was picture perfect poached eggs on toast. Captured with my phone camera as usual.

I even managed to rescue a few tomatoes when most of them had gone furry in the pack. Which reminded me that I haven't had any salads for a long time. Which means I haven't eaten any salmon either.


~~

21 Feb 2023

21.02.2023 26 miles/42km. MIT-ID log-on broken again!

 ~~

Tuesday 21st 41F. Clear sky with only a few, small smudgy clouds. Up at 6.30.

 8.10 The sun is shining the length of the attic as it rises over local hurdles. I should have gone for my walk by now but have been sidetracked by answering contacts on my computer. 

 9.15  5C/42F. Bright sunshine but a cold wind. I walked to the village to avoid a cold headwind in the lanes. Lots of traffic and common birds. I see a surprising number of EVs considering how few are sold in Denmark. It ought to be a good day for a ride but the NW wind puts me off. 

 10.30 44F. Sun being blocked by increasing cloud. I replaced one of the rear tires on the trike. A Schwalbe Durano Plus 700Cx25. The tread had worn flat over time. Which means the excellent puncture protection may be thinning. The Durano Plus was a revelation after having hundreds of punctures with alternatives. I fitted a new inner tube and dropped the old one into the saddle bag as a spare. 

 I am going for a ride regardless of the wind. This will sound completely nuts. I keep seeing images of a village lane but I have no idea why. It is only about seven or eight miles away but  not on any regular route. Except by car, when we were driving to Jylland, years ago. Only a visit will help to settle the matter. It is a nice ride entirely by narrow, but hilly country lanes. That is once I escape from the main road after a couple of miles.  

 14.45 8C/47F Rather cloudy. Lunch over after returning from a 26 mile ride. The village I keep seeing in my mind's eye held nothing whatsoever to latch onto. It remains a complete mystery why I kept seeing it. 

 I continued exploring the local lanes and then looped back towards home. I had deliberately ridden into the wind for the first ten miles. Which allowed me to relax more for the final legs. Several old houses had been demolished along my route. I seemed to be going quite well despite little mileage of late. My phone app said I averaged 10mph while moving. Which is not bad considering how hilly it was.

 The Danish secure national contact and identity system, MIT-ID [MY ID] log on, is broken again. This is the system where officialdom and businesses can send you secure text messages. There is a three stage log on after the previous two stage log on, using numbers from a printed card, proved to be insecure.

Contact MIT support by phone?

"We are so extraordinarily busy that we are going to hang up on you straight away. Because the universe will end before we have time to answer all the calls. From the millions of people who can't log onto MIT-ID!"
Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

Their website says everything is working as normal. Just as it did last time they had broken their own system.  

"If you want more information log onto MIT-ID."

Yeah, Right! You couldn't make it up! 🙄

Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and egg and with boiled potatoes. The egg stuck like glue to the pan. The chicken and mushrooms were perfect.

  ~~

20 Feb 2023

20.02.2023 Talking is good.

 ~~

 Monday 20th 44F. Up at 6am. I have an appointment with the hearing aid centre. Followed by a visit from the lady from the council.   

 8.00  Heavy overcast and windy. 

  Visited Assens in the car. I now own my first set of hearing aids. I consider the control app at least as important as the quality of the hearing aids themselves.

 15.30  Lunch over. First sign of sunshine. The council lady was here for ages. We had a good long chat.

 19.00 There was a pretty sky earlier. Pinks, golds and oranges. I made Sunday dinner yesterday. So Monday's dinner should be toast. Followed by tomato soup and a roll as usual. I had mackerel 9 days ago. Poached eggs much more recently. Cheese on toast with tomatoes too. The mackerel wins.

 

~~

19 Feb 2023

19.02.2023 Wall to wall sunshine.

 ~~

 Sunday 19th 1C/33F. Light frost, promise of sunshine. Up at 7.00. I can feel my back from yesterday's patio demolition. A walk should fix that. Old farts aren't supposed to swing sledge hammers and picks for hours. Most professionals use a mini-excavator for digging the tiniest off holes these days. So I doubt many young people can manage a hard day's work any more. 

 Having spent man years excavating impenetrable ground I must have retained some physical memory of fitness. Our derelict cottage in Wales was buried up to the eaves when we bought it. Or rather, it had been built into a hillside in the space available. There were sheep on the roof when we went for the viewing. 

 I excavated over 15m x 4m x 2-3m depth in an ancient glacial moraine. Where every single teaspoonful had to be picked, shoveled and wheelbarrowed at least 30m away. There were rocks up to half the size of a car. I moved them all using a length of narrow gauge rail and steel scaffolding poles as my levers. 

 I went on to scythe a 20 acre field full of thistles. Before removing all the surface rocks. Using only a wheelbarrow. All of them trundled across the rough field. To raise the level of a marsh adjoining our rural garden. Where I was eventually able to make a level lawn. The marsh was raised enough to plant hundreds of trees. I also dug several large ponds in pure clay festooned with reeds. All using only a pick, shovel and a wheelbarrow. 

 I wore out several builder's shovels, a pick and numerous builder's wheelbarrows. We could not afford to hire an excavator and driver. I started digging when I was 40 years old. It took me several years in all. We also rebuilt the cottage in the meantime. Retaining only the field stone walls. Which were up to meter thick. The great mass of stones above the cavernous inglenook fireplace was held up by an ancient, bog oak. Still with its bark and full of knots. A visitor claimed it was originally a medieval pub on the ford.

 9.30 Back from my walk in bright sunshine. Under an almost cloudless sky. There was some soft cloud bunching low in the east. I climbed the hill above the lanes to view the distant sea. Only a little haze. Watched my first singing skylark of the year. Rising from a roughly ploughed field. It does not bode well once the crop sewing gets underway. I have seen skylarks for several days now but none of them were singing. There were several fieldfares in a hedge. Though they soon left. They are always nervous in their behaviour. Rarely staying in one place for long.

 10.00 I think I will ride to the village to do some shopping. There is only a light, south-westerly breeze.

 12.30 5C/41F. Clear skies and bright sunshine. Just back from an 11 mile ride to the shops. The GripGrab gloves were fine today. I meandered along the lanes. Rather than taking my usual hilly route. I have restocked with chicken and vegetables to practice my Sunday dinner cooking. All the internal doors have been opened to let the 21C/70F greenhouse warm the house.

 13.15 Lunch is over as fluffy clouds begin to cross my view. 

 21.00 Sunday dinner was almost perfect. I gave the chicken pieces 40 minutes at 150C. They were already brown and beginning to crisp on the outside. I had boiled the potatoes and then added half of them to the chicken tray. The 20 minutes in the oven was not enough to brown or crisp them. They were little different to the boiled potatoes. 

 The rest was fine. 20 minutes boiling for the sprouts and carrots in the same pan. The peas less than ten minutes added later to the same pan. The gravy need not have been so thick. I used two heaped spoons of Bisto in 1.5 small glass cups of water. Next time I shall make two full cups with the same amount of Bisto.

~~

18 Feb 2023

18.02.2023 It ain't pretty. It's my patio! 🙈

 ~~

 Saturday 18th 41F, heavy overcast with a cool SW breeze.  Up at 6.30.

 09.30 Back from my walk. Stove lit. Going to tidy more outside. The nice lady from the council is coming to see how I'm doing on Monday. I like to show I have made some progress between each visit. Just to ensure I don't get bunged into an old people's home. 😱

 I just broke up about 3 m^2 of the old concrete slab with the sledge hammer and a navvy's pick. I wheelbarrowed the remains across the parking space. To help to fill the low ground beyond. There was an old ceramic drain hidden just under the crazed concrete slab.

 Probably the way the rats and mice got into the house when the previous owner lived here. There was a couple of cubic meters of rats nest material in the kitchen cupboards and in the ceilings when we bought the place. 

 I blocked the drain from indoors very early on in our residence. The drain led out to a stinking manhole. Which I filled with gravel to close it off. Thankfully there were no further problems after that. Well, not with that particular drain. 

 11.00 It has just started raining. So I can have a well-earned rest! I'll have to barrow some self-stabilizing gravel onto the rough patio area. To fill the dents I have just made. If I smooth it out and level it then it won't look so awful! 

 I don't have any "cosmetic" gravel to tidy it up properly. For which I'll want sharp granite chippings. Not the usual pea gravel. Which rolls far too easily underfoot. Sharp chippings lock together.

 12.30 More concrete removed and barrowed away. Then I barrowed some self-stabilizing gravel onto the newly excavated area. After raking it over and stamping it ain't pretty. But it's my patio. 😂

 13.15 Lunch over. Sunshine. 

 11.00 2C/35F Dinner was poached eggs on toast. Bed time.


~~

17 Feb 2023

17.02.2023 Otto storm warning!

 ~~

 Friday 17th 7C/44F, very heavy overcast, rain, wind and mist. Storm warning from this afternoon until the early hours of Saturday. The trees are already rocking. Gusts are expected to reach 25m/s or ~56mph. 

 Up at 7am. It is too wet to continue tidying around the back of the house. I had such plans to start afresh. After slacking for months. Or wandering off on so many other projects. 

 9.00 Pouring down! I have restocked the lounge with the last, split logs from the previous trailer load. The greenhouse hasn't been particularly warm, sunny nor the air dry. So the moisture content is what it is. The firewood has been sheltered and warmer than outside. Which is the best I can do. Without stocking many month's worth in advance. 

 That might be possible if I stack two deep instead of only one layer leaning against the wall. Though double stacking would demand further tidying of the greenhouse interior. Not to mention a level of self discipline, in arrangement, not seen in my lifetime. The inner stack would not enjoy the same drying benefits of sunshine and warm air. The result certainly would not be remotely as decorative as one might hope. Log containers in the greenhouse might lift the decor slightly but I am not overly optimistic. 

 Stacking wood anywhere outside would demand proper protection from driving rain. Which increases the risk of wind damage to the structure itself. The upside would be some insulation of the house wall from winter temperatures. Simply due to the thickness of the logs. Though the leaky nature of log stacking would still allow considerable air infiltration. It would take only the slightest breeze for the cold air to penetrate to the house wall. 

 Huge piles of loose logs, stacked against the house, are anything but attractive. No matter how neatly it is done. Even having a few day's worth stacked indoors is a level of rusticity few would try to emulate. 

 A formal frame, to contain the logs more neatly, might help quite a lot. Though the storage capacity would be less than the present heap. The eye is far more forgiving of containment. 

 The 70cm Ø log rack appeals at quite a modest price. [Some dealers were asking three times the price for a very similar storage rack] It would hold a little less firewood than the bare corner of the lounge. Though allow much more air movement all around the logs. 

 More importantly it makes the storage into an eye catching feature. One which looks as if it was given some consideration. Rather than a crude stack. Which can only ever look like a crude stack of logs. See images above. 

 The log frame would demand more frequent refilling. Though, even this, would be less time consuming, per refill. In carrying countless baskets full of logs in from the greenhouse. Currently standing at 12, heavy baskets full. Just to restock the lounge corner from scratch. 

 So, restocking a log rack would be less of a chore. There it is then. It took only a full page of text. To convince myself into placing an order online. 😌

 Enough waffling. I had better catch up on the shopping before the wind makes life more difficult. 

 12.30 Returned from shopping. I managed to find several items which aren't usually stocked. The rain has stopped.

 13.00 Lunch over. It is brightening but the wind has yet to show itself. It should already be blowing 20m/s from the west. With gusts peaking at 26m/s after 17.00 for several hours. 

 Sickly sunshine is showing briefly through a hole in the overcast. Then there was a sudden gust. Just to prove it can. There is a tall and spindly windbreak of trees in that direction. 

 Damage is reported in Scotland. The image shows the DMI wind gust forecast for 18.00. Which seems to be the peak wind speed for our area today. Central in this image. [m/s x 2.2 = mph]

 14.15 That was odd. I just went out to check the post box. Going from the complete silence indoors of a rural cottage. To a howling roar outside was rather unnerving. We used to hear the wind all the time in the past. Just as we heard the traffic on the road hundreds of meters away. Neighbours slamming their car doors, day and night, year after year. What has changed? I replaced the single glazed window in the bedroom. With a smaller, triple glazed one. The whole house is quiet now.

 16.00 30m/s or 66mph was recorded north of Odense on Fyn. 

 21.30 The storm was a non-event as far as I was concerned. I was wearing my hearing aids but heard nothing. Dinner was fish fingers, with organic Fettuccine pasta and organic tinned tomatoes.

~~

 

16 Feb 2023

16.02.2023 Remote cooking.

 ~~

 Thursday 16th 4C/40F, overcast, rain and misty. Tomorrow's storm warning is still showing as well to the north. Up at 7.30 after a late night.  My back is aching a little from yesterday's log splitting. Cooking class today.

 As if by coincidence there was a news story today. About the huge number of drivers in Denmark. Who were fined for failing to show their rear fog lights. They could have added hundreds more to those I saw on my route today and every other misty day. Some weren't even using their headlights in 50m fog! Too lazy to switch them on. Or just too lazy to think about it? 

 Two lorries, in completely different places, had stopped diagonally across the road to make their deliveries. Too lazy to parallel park with the verge to save themselves a few more steps. In thick mist? Are they insane? One of them was on a blind corner. So I could not see the oncoming 7-axle tipper truck  approaching around the bend at well above the speed limit! I was lucky and escaped this obvious trap by sheer luck.

 14.30 5C/42F. Still very misty. Safely back from my cooking class. Where I made a large pot of leak and potato soup. It was very popular and everybody had seconds. It was delicious!

 I was just going to go shopping. Then realised I had already eaten. So I went outside and tidied up around the back/entrance door. With a final sweep to remove months of accumulated leaves. I really need to move the dustbins to a more sensible place. With at least one more dustbin on the way to improve recycling. I ought to make plans now. 

 This whole area badly need to be upgraded. It is still a horribly uneven mix of sand, gravel and concrete. The sandy gravel fills the sunken areas around the badly broken concrete slab. Which I have been [very] slowly demolishing. I want a flat and stable surface on the approach to the door. Something reasonably attractive would be a real bonus over the present mess. At the moment it is a hideous deterrent! The exact opposite of welcoming! 

 The old [and weak] concrete was obviously poured and roughly spread out. On completely unprepared ground in the dim, distant past. So the concrete varies in thickness by several inches. It has been badly crazed since we bought the place. My [late] wife covered it in plants. Now all gone. Leaving a complete and utter mess. 

 This north facing area doesn't get any real sunlight. Except in the early morning and then, only in summer. So it is prone to moss. Concrete slabs may be cheap and cheerful but they would soon become dark grey. Probably green, permanently damp, depressing and slippery. As is/was the remains of original concrete.

 Perhaps sharp, granite chippings would be more sensible? On firm ground they wouldn't roll underfoot like pea gravel. This would provide a smooth and even approach. Which could easily be extended. Right out over my [presently] soft, expanded, parking space. 

 Such a large, uniform surface would greatly expand the sense of space. While providing freedom of parking for several vehicles at once. Or perhaps a caravan, camper van, boat or even a table and chairs. Only the latter is likely under my custody. 

 I have a small table and chairs by the back door. Though they have never been used as intended. Except to help me change my footwear in comfort. Rather than hobbling about on one foot every time. Both my walking and safety boots use hooks and long laces. The soles are usually too muddy to allow changing into them indoors. 

 My Northwave winter cycling boots may have quick release and velcro but are still a struggle to take on and off. They have lasted extremely well and remain very comfortable. I mentioned them as far back as Jan 2015 on my blog. Though may have bought them earlier than that. Northwave always had a wider fit than any other cycling shoes I have ever tried.


~~

15 Feb 2023

15.02.2023 Split that log!

 ~~

 Wednesday 15th +1C/33F. Thick mist! 120m invisibility. Expected to remain overcast all day. The temperature upstairs fell from 68F to 64F overnight. 20C-18C. I woke up feeling cold and quickly swapped over to my winter duvet. 

 Up at 6.30. Farm museum day. With the temperature hovering around 2-3C I shall have to dress warmly but flexibly. Doing heavy work indoors demands a completely different outfit from light duties outdoors. I know this sounds patently obvious. It is all part of not being able to foresee today's tasks.

13.00 4C/39F. Still, patchy thick mist. I was driving as slowly as 20mph on the way to the museum. Now safely home. I spent the most time painting slats. To hide some modern, heating equipment. 

 Ironically, I was using approved antique, linseed oil paint. After that I did some gardening and moving books and historical newspapers over to the new library. 

 16.30 Still misty. I am going out to do some more log splitting before it gets dark. I was right about "Oregon." It is clearly printed all down the fiberglass shaft of the axe/maul/hammer.

 18.00 All the logs are split and the greenhouse stacked up to the window sills. The rest went back into the trailer for shelter. The big logs may need extra work but once split they fill more space. So, in a roundabout way, they represent better value. Than a trailer full of the correct size.

 I took the black bin along the drive in the dark. I completely forgot the green one last week! A storm is forecast for Friday. Though it looks as if the worst is crossing north of us.

 Dinner was chicken and mushroom curry. I fried the chicken and mushrooms longer, but at a lower heat. To make them more tender. It worked.

~~ 

14 Feb 2023

14.02.2023 Parallel universes?

 ~~

  Tuesday 14th 4C/39F, very heavy overcast. Up at 7am. Tuesday is my first cooking class this week. I have just released a salamander/newt which was crawling across the bathroom floor. Still no clue as to how they get in. This has been going on for years.

_____________

 A volunteer, Danish, lifeboat crewman has been fined 5,300 kroner [£630 equivalent.] For speeding on his way to an emergency call-out. A sailor had been reported to have fallen overboard. This was in November when the temperature was 6C/43F.

 The volunteer lifeboat crewman was driving at 52mph as he entered a 30mph zone on his way to the lifeboat emergency.  The lifeboat could not leave until the crewman arrived. The policeman, who stopped him. Despite being told it was an official emergency. Held the lifeboat crewman at the scene for five whole five minutes while he wrote out the ticket. Directly delaying the lifeboat's leaving. Every second counts where hypothermia is likely from immersion in cold water.

 Meanwhile, on another planet, in a parallel universe:  Mærsk, the global giant, Danish, shipping company, paid 0.25% tax on 117 billion kroner profit in 2021. [£14 billion profit equivalent] The following year, 2022, Mærsk made 200 billion Kroner profit after tax. [£23 billion profit equivalent.]

 It is not reported whether a Mærsk seaman was involved in the delayed, sea rescue call-out. Danish law allows a vehicle to exceed the speed limits in an emergency to directly save lives. Senior police officers have confirmed that the speeding fine was legal. The lifeboat crewman will also have to re-take his driving test.

 Danish language news stories: "Volunteer rescuer on his way to a man overboard incident gets 5300 kroner speeding fine. Myboat.dk"

  Frivillig redder pÃ¥ vej til mand over bord-ulykke fik fartbøde pÃ¥ 5.300 kroner - Minbaad.dk

 "Rescue action delayed by policeman- while he wrote out a speeding ticket to the rescuer. Northjylland.dk"

  Redningsaktion forsinket af betjent - ville først skrive fartbøde til redningsmand | Nordjyske.dk

 The lifeboat station leader said they already have recruitment problems as local jobs disappear. This case will make it less likely to find volunteers.  

  One rule for the ultra rich... another for volunteer lifeboat men? i.e. Those who regularly risk their lives for little reward.

 13.30 Safely home from my cooking class. I lit the stove because the house had cooled off.

 We made boiled pork with cabbage and apple salad. With persille and salted, roasted almonds for seasoning. Jacket potatoes with Timian and olive oil dressing. 

 15.56 4.5C/40F. Heavy overcast. Had an afternoon nap and then hand rinsed a pile of socks and spun them twice. Before and after rinsing. I may be using the wrong program [40C hand wash Wool] because there is still a residue of suds after the washing cycle. 

 A load of towels has gone into the machine now. I'll hang those outside to soften them. Not that it seemed to help in the past. I use 60C Cotton cycle for those. 

 18.00 The result of half an hour of splitting logs: Taken with my phone camera set to "Night" as dusk fell. 

 The heavy splitting maul is background left. With the yellow fiberglass handle. It is leaning against a knotty stump of chestnut.  The maul has lasted for 35 years of use and abuse. Regularly used as a sledge hammer on large rocks and concrete. The slight flexure in the handle protects the user from shocks. I believe it was made by "Oregon." Though I could be mistaken. Nothing shows up on a google.ADVERTISING.con search.

 No dinner tonight. I ate at the cooking class.

~~

 

13 Feb 2023

13.02.2023 Fake news.

 ~~

 Monday 13th 41F, heavy overcast. Promised to brighten later.  Up at 6.30 after a difficult night of dreams and crowded memories. I almost got up several times but somehow managed to fall asleep again.

 9.00 6C/42F I lit the stove and had a short walk. A shower and then shopping in the car. What an exciting life I lead!

 Have you noticed all the click bait, fake news headlines there are? About the objects being shot down over the US and Canada. No pictures means it didn't happen. So they waste a whole page of repetitive textual nonsense. All pure speculation without a morsel of real information. The advertising bureaus/pretend newspapers know even less than we do. 

 No doubt they are reading each other's editorials. To see if they can use a different form of words which sound like they have a scoop. When they really have bugger all. Except for a bit of name dropping. As different government spokespersons reveal more bugger all. Just to pad out the vapourware news articles. Anything to drag in a few more consumers of their unwanted lies/ads. In an online lies/ads market in free fall. Hoist by their own, ragged petards! And no, that is not a euphemism for journalists in general.

 15.00 Safely home from a visit to my English friend. Lunch is over. 

 17.00 Got logs and shopping. Paid three times, in three different places, using my phone payment app. The 21st century beckons, but is usually ignored.

 18.00 The BBC is monitoring my blog. They finally admitted that they haven't a clue what is going on with these [only recently] high altitude objects. Well, I suppose they couldn't very well stand one of their own reporters in front of the objects [to block the view as is best BBC practice] while they [the objects] are being shot down. So there really was no [BBC] commercial news to be manufactured out of it. 

 Am I allowed to have toast again? After yesterday's Sunday Dinner saga. Dinner was cheese on toast with halved fresh tomatoes. Followed by tomato soup and a bread roll.


~~

12 Feb 2023

12.02.2023 Greenhouse spring cleaning & Sunday Dinner.

 ~~

 Sunday 12th 5C/42F. Dark overcast. 250m mist. Up at 7.15. My back is aching. The cycling? I don't remember lifting anything yesterday. Hopefully I can walk it off.

 09.30 Morning coffee over. Today's walk was the standard issue variety to the lanes. Cool, overcast, mist clearing with almost no wind. No gloves required. Lots of small birds moving about in the roadside trees. My back pain has gone. I had better do some laundry. Because I have been slacking! First load has gone in. 

 10.00 6C/43F. I moved the remaining, long, low, stack of logs along the greenhouse. To place them beside the house door in a taller stack. It took only a few minutes and will avoid mixing the older, drier logs with the next load. Which probably ought to be collected tomorrow. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday being busy this week. A reserve ought to be maintained in case of a sudden return of winter. It takes up no house room in the greenhouse. So can remain out there over the spring and summer. Without causing any problems.

 Temperatures are already rising. Making continuous feeding of the stove much less important. It is a comfortable 20C/68F upstairs this morning. Without having lit the stove. 17C/62F downstairs. As I am not sitting downstairs this is quite acceptable. The kitchen remains well above critical levels for the fridge to keep functioning reliably. 

 The scruffy 7m/22' x 2.4m/8' lean-to greenhouse. Before cleaning off years of algae growth on the outside of the glass.

 Any sunshine will raise indoor temperatures thanks to the greenhouse. Even overcast conditions will give a boost to the greenhouse. Providing a much warmer, protective shield to the front of the house compared with outdoor temperatures. It also shields the house against the wind. I had such hopes for the greenhouse when I built it. 

 My reading in my youth was taken up with promises of a new ice age. Alternative energy, etc. Instead we got the complete opposite. The greenhouse reflected the difference. From ice cold in winter to searing temperatures in summer. It became a storage area. Like much of the rest of the house. White tarpaulins and shower curtains hung from the framework for decades. Like the tattered sails of an abandoned sailing ship run aground in a storm.

Now I am going to clean off the algae. Even if it is only a slight cosmetic improvement.

 After initial external cleaning. The glass roof still has [untouched] clumps of moss clinging to the metal framework. I need a stiff, right angle brush to make any impact on this. A high pressure washer might work. I don't have one. The debris inside the greenhouse is steadily reducing.

 The cosmetic improvement was hard to achieve. I scrubbed the glass twice with a stiff washing up brush. Using a mixture of vinegar and washing up liquid. Rinsed it all off repeatedly with clean water. Then squeegeed it off. Like a badly trained window cleaner.

There is still a film of algae on the glass! From two decades of being in deep shade. I have lowered and thinned the tall beech hedge in front. Then removed the towering conifers and privet hedges. These may have been intended to block the summer sun but had little effect on fierce summer temperatures. 

 Only over the last two years have I used professional grower's shade net with great success. Two layers were needed. Stretched over the greenhouse roof via ridge ropes and pulled down over the curved shoulders. 

 The greenhouse roof with the crude but simple moss removal tool. I stiffened the plumbing pipe with an aluminium pole. The stiff scrubbing brush still struggled to dislodge the moss.  

 The curved, clear, plastic "shoulders" are attractive, but a weakness in the design of the greenhouse. Being very expensive to replace and with poor resistance to the glass roof sliding downwards. In hindsight, silicone sealer would have been better for holding the glass roof than the glass clips.

 It took two layers of net to finally cure the soaring summer temperatures. 43C/110F and above, were commonplace in previous years. Making the greenhouse intolerable as somewhere to grow plants. Or to spend more than few seconds out there. Not even with a full, white cloth lining and both end doors wide open. With two layers of shade net and the double, end doors open, the greenhouse remained within 10F of ambient temperatures. No internal shading at all.

 Any shading must take place outside the glass. Once the sunshine gets though the glass it is far too late. UV converts to infra red and glass is opaque to the latter. The heat cannot escape by radiation. The four, large, roof vents had zero effect on temperatures. Even in conjunction with both, double, end doors being wide open. 

 I made mesh door screens when I first built the greenhouse out of two complete units. The fine mesh ensures most insects, birds, rodents and animals cannot enter. While providing a modest level of security against two legged rodents. 

15.00 8.5C/47F outside. I haven't lit the stove today but indoor temperatures have remained acceptable. All thanks to the unusually mild, outdoor temperatures. 19.5C/67F upstairs. 16C/61F in the lounge and kitchen. The intervening, internal doors have been open all day. I shall light the stove this evening. Which will rapidly raise indoor temperatures.

 Sunday dinner was almost perfect. I did not have enough hot plates despite putting the Brussels sprouts in with the carrots. I had to warm the gravy somehow and took the vegetable pan off the heat. Once the gravy was ready the vegetables were not. I had to boil them furiously for ten minutes to soften them. Meanwhile I was rotating everything else. 

 I had opted out of roasting the chicken and had fried it instead. So the chicken was becoming crisp on the surface due to the delay. Not bad, but becoming slightly tough. Rather than tender. I had nowhere to boil the peas unless I put those in with the sprouts and carrots as well. I decided against it.

 In summary. My choice of Siemens ceramic hob was very poor. It has two medium, one large and one ridiculously large ring. Only the huge frying pan suits the large ring. The ridiculously large ring suits nothing at all. I am not using 5 gallon casseroles and few others do.The hob has effectively three rings. One of which is only suited to very large frying pans. The smaller rings are still too large or my 1.2L milk saucepan!    

 So having enough saucepans is not the problem. I have bought two more since my wife died. The ridiculously large ring has never been used. It just wastes space on the hob. The rings on all the ceramic hobs at the cooking class are all the same size. Which means the rings don't care how large the saucepans are. A much more flexible and sensible arrangement!

 

~~

11 Feb 2023

11.02.2023 12 more miles.

 ~~

 Saturday 11th 7C/44F. Heavy overcast and the usual light mist. Up at 7.20 after a late night. Mild overnight resulted in maintaining indoor temperatures. [20C/68F upstairs] I removed the long underwear and slept much better under the summer duvet. Confusing forecast shows wind with strong gusts. There is almost no wind at all! The anemometer and vane are hardly moving and only at intervals at 08.00. A bit like me. I seem to be drifting without aim or purpose.

 My walk was abruptly halted as I stepped out of the door in my down sweater. It was drizzling. Back indoors to put on something more waterproof. My double cotton, winter walking jacket was soon fending off light rain. It pattered on my hood. As I braved the light headwind though the saddle at the junction to the lanes. Fortunately it was too mild to need gloves. Which I had helpfully forgotten. They are too bulky to easily stow in my pockets. The rain had stopped by the time I returned home.

 I can't explain it, but my hearing aids seem to have suddenly developed a strong sense of direction. Or is it me?  I was never aware of this before today. Often having to turn my head repeatedly from side to side. To try and locate bird calls or approaching traffic. 

 The latter was always a worry on the numerous blind corners. I could never tell whether the traffic was in front of or behind me. Now it seems I can. I feel much safer.

It is brightening up. The greenhouse is becoming self emptying. As I use up the baskets full of scraps of firewood. 

 What next? Grocery shopping by racing/touring tricycle. 

 13.30 9C/48F Lunch over. 12 miles/20km in all doesn't sound much. I took advantage of the increasing tailwind before pausing for shopping. After turning back into the wind it was much harder work. There was some sunshine but then it settled into dark overcast again. Average speed when moving 9mph. I wore the thinnest, fingered gloves by GripGrab and was comfortable thanks to the mild conditions. I seem to be getting my wind back on the climbs.

 Dinner was mackerel on toast. Followed by tomato soup and a bread roll.

~~

10 Feb 2023

10.02.2023 Mechanical gardening.

 ~~

  Friday 10th 2C/36F. Dark overcast to start but becoming much lighter now. [08.00] Up at 6.40. I am struggling for comfort. While dressed in long underwear under my summer duvet. It is difficult to judge the likely overnight temperatures. The underwear grips the lighter duvet like Velcro and throws it off as I spin like a top.

 8.10. Stove lit. Time for a walk. I need a change of scenery from my habitual walk to the lanes. So I had better go "the wrong way."

 10.25 4C/40F. I headed south along the busy road. Instead of my usual north. It was no fun walking against the speeding traffic. With the roads being so wet. Several route options presented themselves. I chose to climb up to the woods from the next village. It was a day for persistent vapour trails. 

 The fields were sticky enough to bog me down within a few paces. So I stuck to the rather rough "verge" between the prickly hedge and the first ploughed rut. Managing a direct descent of the shoulder of the prairie. Down to the main track and back to the next village to the north of home. 

 This meant covering some of my familiar route. As I passed the junction to the lanes on the last leg. I was gone for an hour and half.  It felt too warm for my gloves for much of the time. With just a cool SW breeze noticeable at intervals.  Earlier brightness and even some weak sunshine has returned to overcast. 

 I took a heavy duty hedge clipper to my wife's rose hedge. It was taller than me but did not flower last year. So it badly needed a boost. I brought it down to a uniform 60cm/2' high. Along with the massive stems of the single red rose guarding the outer end of the hedge. This neded hedge clippers and a long reach. It is viciously thorny on red stems! Then I ran the hedge clipper over the woody remains of my wife's flower garden. This was precisely how I remember her favourite TV gardener. Showing the way half a century ago. 

 There are ornamental grasses growing in a row but almost hidden by the rose hedge and overhanging fruit trees. These grasses ought to be dug up, divided and used more usefully and decoratively elsewhere.

 After that I set up a mole trap. Dark mounds were steadily advancing across the lawn. And everywhere else!! After digging foolishly deep it seemed the tunnels were actually quite shallow. I found a box of different traps hidden in the shed. Some of these will be used in the annual battle with nature. 


 My wife was regularly reporting having caught another of the little monsters. She always attached a cord and anchor. To stop them running away with the trap. If they were caught but not killed outright. More memories to haunt my dreams! 

 18.45 5C/41F.  I haven't a clue what I am having for dinner. Is a chicken curry every week one too many? If not, then I had better get the rice on. Failing that it's toast. Again. Cheese and tomato on toast? Decisions-decisions! I had cheese on toast only a couple of days ago! No tomatoes then. Does that count? I'll wash the rice.


~~