30.10.2023 Laundering my jackets.

 ~o~

 Monday 30th 50F/10C. A mostly dry morning followed by more rain. Windy from the southwest. It would have been our 56th wedding anniversary today.

 The moon was lighting the room through the lean-to greenhouse overnight. Usually it is too dark to see anything at all but I could see everything clearly at 6.00. I got up only once at 3am again. Thanks to the small glass of milk after dinner.

 It is 65F in the living room this morning. After hovering around 68F all afternoon and evening until bedtime. The slightly warmer overnight temperatures probably helped.

 Denmark has had its average annual rainfall already. Every drop which falls, from now on, is heading towards yet another weather record. October is already the wettest month ever recorded. [Since measurement began in 1874] Yet the spring was a drought. With crops showing signs of bleaching from stress. Continued flooding is reported for many places in Jylland. With roads unpassable around Vejle and other towns.

 8.45  It is much lighter this morning. Walkies!

 9.45 51F/11C. Overcast and windy but dry. The trees are visibly thinning now. As they drop vast quantities of leaves.

 The flooding on the back field is spreading but still very modest. There are much bigger puddles elsewhere in the locality. The drainage beck [in the foreground] is much higher than before. 

 Unfortunately I can't see the 40cm pipe inlet. Which carries the beck though the dam. Somebody has clambered down the bank just there and left very deep footprints in the soft soil. I do not plan to copy their foolishness. It will take a long time to heal the damage. While the sewn grass is still becoming established on the banks of the newly formed drive. 

 There are large puddles on the newly raised and levelled field beyond the dam. Which bridges between the two, nearly parallel drives, old and new. The field is slightly concave and is collecting rainfall. Rather than letting it run away. All of this is very small beer compared to the serious flooding elsewhere in the country. I am only monitoring it to check how serious any flooding is likely to be. Following the major earthworks which bisected the former, already marshy field.

 10.05. Sunshine! I have put the Gore-Tex jacket in the machine on the Synthetic 40C cycle. [To laundry instructions] It stank so badly of laundry perfume. That it was giving me hay fever! My nose has been running ever since I brought it home. Where it as been hanging in the living room to air or dry. I went near it just now to check the thermometer and my nose exploded! I have worn it on my walks and kept being enveloped in perfume. Even the neighbour's guard dog was barking too. It didn't recognise my usual scent. Over the overwhelming stench of industrial strength perfume.

  13.00 55F/13C. Bright sunshine is lighting up the autumn colours. I have been to town in the MM. I needed consumable spares for the hearing aids and made an appointment for a follow up, hearing test on Wednesday.  I also bought some special, down detergent to wash my Patagonia jacket. An elderly gentleman stopped to chat about the Morris. The Moustache e-bike will have a 5k km service while I am in town on Wednesday.

  14.00 The jacket has gone into a large bucket of suds to soak for an hour. I have the greenhouse inner doors open to warm the house with the sun. All the internal doors are open to help spread the free warmth. This will also help to air the house without the heat loss of opening windows. The greenhouse is  not airtight and does not build up damp.

 15.30 It has clouded over so I shut the greenhouse and all internal doors. The kitchen had risen from 57F to 63F. [14-17C.] The bathroom and rear hall had risen from 55F to 61F. [13-16C]

 The down jacket has had an hour to soak in the special detergent. I have now given it several gentle rinses with luke warm water until the water was clear. Each rinse involved very gentle squeezing but little bodily movement in the water. To avoid damaging the internal structure or seams. The weight and drag of the water makes the lightweight jacket vulnerable. I am now leaving it to soak in clean water for an hour. 

 Meanwhile, the Gore-Tex jacket is almost dry after being out in the wind and sunshine. So I have brought that in. The horrible smell of laundry perfume is difficult to detect now. I still have some waterproofer left after cleaning and reproofing my winter, Ventile jacket. I will treat the Gore-Tex jacket with that next. To reduce the rapid wetting of the jacket surface. Such wetness destroys the breathability of the garment. Rain should bead off the outer material for as long as possible to avoid sweating.

 Dinner was chips, eggs and sausages. I cooked the eggs separately. In a small frying pan on a low heat. It seemed to work. My best fried eggs so far. I can't imagine any of  this is healthy!

~o~