14.04.2024 Taking it all apart again.

 ~o~

  Sunday 14th 44F/7C. Very windy with possible showers. Up at 4.30 after lying awake for ages. No escape from my miserable thoughts.  The kitchen stinks of rotting bananas in the recycling bag/basket. It was only a quarter full. Emptied into the wheely bin outside. New bag inserted. I must find a better basket!

 7.00 Time for a walk.

 7.30 Watery sunshine. A fleece jacket was not remotely warm enough in the westerly wind. Lots of birds singing and calling. Including a yellowhammer. Which crossed to my side of the road and huddled into its down jacket as it watched me. The "harrier" was soaring near the road. I stopped to watch it through my binoculars. It ignored me and continued on its slow, forward path. The noisy thrush is still shouting in the shelter belt. 

 The gravel is still there too. Taunting me to fix the levels. I may ignore it and go for a ride instead. But where? North or south makes most sense. Every inch to the east has to be repaid in compound interest. In fighting the headwind coming home. Not a great day for cycling. There is always the Morris?

 8.00 Morning coffee while I make a decision. I'll stay at home and work on the gravel. The clouds are racing over. Giving short sunny periods.

 9.00 The self compacting gravel is reasonably level now. It will rise and fall as vehicles are rolled over it. The car wheels can only reach repeated tracks. So ruts are inevitable until a solid surface is achieved. I like granite chippings for their cleanliness and stability. The common pea gravel just rolls everywhere and is dangerous to cycle over. Slabs are also fine for limited sideways movement in carports and garages.  The self stabilizing sand&gravel is poorly resistant to heavy rain and drips. It also carries on footwear as red sand. So cannot be left naked in the longer term.   

 10.00 What to do next? Start dismantling the observatory? I can take the cladding plywood off the larger building. The smaller building is still intact inside it. Then I would have better access to the area behind the building. I can work from the second floor to dismantle the 14-sided, outer timber framework. I might change my mind about taking down the building when it is back to its original size. It didn't seem to loom so much as the later expansion. 

12.00 Almost continuously sunny. Partial cladding removal. I need to tidy up to continue. I am dropping the plywood panels straight down. Which is safe provided there is nothing below. The timber leaning against the building would block a straight drop. Probably hitting the stepladders and causing an accident or damage.

 I tidied up the timber around the observatory. Then had lunch at 13.00

 15.00 Mostly overcast. I needed a nap to catch up on my lost sleep and recoup my strength. Just for once I set the alarm to avoid my typical overshoot. It went off a quarter of an hour early! So I only had half an hour.

 

  ~o~