7.11.2023 Boots'Я'back!

 ~o~

 Tuesday 7th 47F/8C. Very cloudy and windy with showers forecast. Some heavy. Up at 6.15 after a disturbed night. I was drinking non-alcoholic beer and water at the concert. Which certainly did not help. I had no dinner but did not notice the difference.

 It was cold indoors [61F] and late by the time I got home. Too late to struggle with non-inflammable kindling. I had to fetch a winter duvet from upstairs. Which was warm but felt very heavy.

 The promised showers mean I shall have to drive to the cooking class. Rather than ride the e-bike. 

 07.30 I had better light the stove to put some warmth into the place before I leave. The stove door had to be left ajar to get the kindling to burn. It was spitting and bright sparks were rising though the gap. Fortunately the stove is now well alight. 

 08.00 65F/ 18C in the room. I have used one ring rack of logs so far this winter. Which meant I had to restock from the greenhouse. The rack gives the logs a chance to dry further indoors before being used. The logs re-absorb moisture when conditions are damp outside. Exacerbated by lower temperatures and little or no sun. The greenhouse is drier and warmer than outdoors but has no drying wind. Nor rain to wet the logs.  

 It should all aid drying at this time of year. It is ironic that the logs are driest in summer. When they won't be used. I am careful to segregate new stock from old [and drier] when stacking in the greenhouse. The limit is the height of the widow sills. I don't like to block the precious light through the windows with logs. Nor double stack in depth. Because it takes up so much more room. Which would mean I'd have to tidy the greenhouse. And nobody wants that!

  08.50 69F/20C. Warm enough for a quick shower. 

 15.00 I have returned from cooking class. With a detour into the city. I had a phone call to say my brand new, Sorel Boots had been replaced as faulty. So I went to fetch them. As I was already much nearer the city than I am at home.

 The MM went well enough to easily keep up with the legal traffic. There were loads of speeding [CTRs] Crash Test Retards overtaking me and pulling in again. Which dirtied my windscreen repeatedly. Just so they could gain one place on the road [illegally] in a miles long chain of vehicles. All travelling at the same speed, except for them, for a few seconds. I followed a police car for some distance. Another police car went past at 100mph with blue lights flashing.

 17.30 I tried to light the stove again. The [old] kindling did not take with the first fire lighter block. Trying again using slivers of beech and birch. 

 Reached 20C/69F by bedtime.

~o~