14.11.2023 Do I need an ark?

 ~o~

 Tuesday 14th 48F/9C [at 8.15] Heavy overcast. Overnight rain should clear soon. Then grey, dry and windy until this evening. Up at 7.30 after getting up three times in the night. High water content of salad?

 The back field is already suffering from the drainage beck overflowing its banks. This is the "absorbent soil" the council mentions. In its response to my query about local flooding following the major earthworks.

 8.30 A grey tabby cat is hunting on the back lawn. Sitting and listening for movement in the leaf litter. 

 Time for a walk. There is something wrong with the Sorel insoles. I am going to experiment with alternatives. The right foot feels far more uncomfortable. As if walking barefoot on gravel. Is this what is causing the sensation of cold and damp only on the right foot?

  I have an excuse for a ride to another village to the north. Which would expose me to crosswinds. Rather oddly there is no sign of a breeze. It should already be gusting to 11m/s from the west. 

 9.15. No perceptible wind. The heavy, overnight rain has left lots of puddles on the drive and minor flooding on the fields. The speeding lorries were dragging huge clouds of tire spray. I just looped along the neighbours drives to photograph the increased water levels. The drainage beck has already overflowed its banks and turned brown.  

 The natural pond is tripled in size. With lots of outlying, connected puddles. Only the protruding grass gave the illusion of separation. It is difficult to see the new inlet to the pipe from above. Though it looks to be running at about half its diameter. Rather than the third depth only yesterday. 

 The new pasture [image left] was flooded over a large area. Not to any great depth but already lapping the edge of the old drive. As the geographical low point locally, it would need quite some drainage system. To carry the water away to the beck's old inlet drain. Assuming it could cope.

 This is still early in the winter. So there is plenty of time for the expected rainfall to increase the flooding. This autumn has already been record wet. I saw lots of standing water out on the fields on my ride yesterday. Not the flooding one sees on the news but damaging to crops and pasture. 

 Rather than rush of for another ride I did some small chores at home. The bottom of the postbox now has gained a raised galvanised net on the inside. To keep the post above the rainwater. Which blows into the exposed, metal box. Leaving the increasingly rare post sopping wet. I do check every day just in case. Everything is done online in Denmark. So it can easily go a week. Without any physical post being delivered.

 The trailer tarpaulin cover was filling with water too. So I bailed it empty. Then added new buttons where the originals had fallen off. The elastic rope, which tensions the edge of the cover needed all the help it could get. Missing buttons allowed the rope to slacken off. Under the immense weight of the collected rainwater. Meanwhile I continue to try and stay on top of the laundry. Even though the indoor airers are fully loaded. 

17.00  I went shopping in the MM as it became dark and drizzling. The demister/screen of the heater is very poor. No discernible warmth or airflow blowing up the screen. The blower fan is in the engine bay. With a long, corrugated hose feeding the heater assembly under the dash. Fishtails should blow air up the screen but don't. The control is very simple. A metal flap. Three positions stop the airflow, allow air to the screen or to the car. 

 One problem I discovered early on was welding spray [?] on the inside of the windscreen. Trying to use a squeegee was like running it over coarse sandpaper. A ceramic hob, razor blade scraper removed the grit from the windscreen. I ran my hand over the glass and it was now free of adhering particles. The squeegee now worked as it should. The next problem is directing the air to the screen. Otherwise I can't see out for condensation! 

 I have watched numerous videos on the Morris Minor/Mini heater. Though these were earlier models with a motor onboard the heater. The basic design remains the same. The simple flap and assorted corrugated hoses directing the air appropriately. Or not. As in this case. More homework required. The Haynes manual doesn't cover the heater. Which is odd. The forums have numerous posts on improving the heater.

 Dinner was chicken and mushrooms, a fried egg and baked beans. Along with a buttered bread roll and followed by an apple for desert. I had to use up the chicken so diced and fried the whole pack. Burp! 😋

~o~