~o~
Wednesday 24th 46F/8C. The forecast is for rain and gales all day. Up at 6.30 after a reasonable night. I had nothing to drink after 5.30pm. 63F/17C in the room. Wednesday should be museum day but the bad weather suggests otherwise. It is promised to gust to 25m/s and rain for most of the day.
11.15 44F/7C. Heavy overcast, raining and blowing steadily. Not ideal conditions for a walk. I can be comfortably waterproof but the wind spoils the fun. I am continuing my research into home insulation. Mostly via YouTube videos. It has reached 65F/18C in the room. Fairly comfortable while wearing a fleece jacket over my normal clothes. I can feel the warmth of the stove on my face from 2.8 metres away.
14.00 68/20F in the room. Still heavily overcast and raining on and off. I haven't noticed the gales from indoors because of the favourable NW angle. The deepest run of trees lies in that direction.
I am still watching YT videos about laying drives. The levelled and grassed parking space I made is not ideal. Though it does work most of the time. It lies below the drive and slopes away to the west. Driving cars gently uphill and onto the drive in wet weather is the problem.
The free compost I laid over self-compacting gravel is far too soft. The grass really helped to bind the soil but it still turns to mush when driven on after rain. So I need to remove the compost and build up the parking area with much more self compacting gravel. Then it needs to be plate vibrated to compact it properly. Before covering the surface with decorative gravel and using the plate vibrator again.
The "patio" area nearest the house is still partially broken concrete. It was originally laid roughly over an unprepared base of subsoil stone and whatever was lying there. The badly cracked and crazed concrete varied hugely in thickness and strength. I started using a sledge hammer and pick but it was very slow and very hard work. I am no longer as fit as I was thirty years ago! When I was excavating the rock hard ground beside the cottage in Wales.
I have my doubts over the foundations for the north wall of the present house. It seems as if the later, lightweight block wall was built directly over this rough, badly out of level, concrete patio. If I excavate under the wall things might get very silly!
The patio area could eventually match the entire parking area with firm gravel. For a far more cosmetically acceptable and practical walking surface. Paving labs are likely to become wet and mossy in the shade. Being situated on the north side of the house. As was the concrete before I started breaking it up.
Dinner was fish fingers and chips. Only to avoid having toast again. I washed up while it was cooking in the mini-oven. This is becoming a habit!
~o~
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