~o~
Tuesday 2nd 42F/5.6C. Heavily overcast with rain. Expected to last until well after lunch. Two streams are approaching the house down the drive. Not actually flowing per se. More like a continuous puddle. Reflecting a leaden sky at a low angle of incidence. Contrary to my initial, but tentative observation, of thick mist. The greenhouse is fogged up on the inside. Quite unusually so. This may simply be the result of the DMI's claim of 96% humidity.
Up at 6.45 after a restless night. I woke, dripping in sweat. Such that I had to divest of my long thermal underwear. That'll teach me to heat the room to 22C/71F by bed time! I had let the stove go out much earlier than usual. More out of respect for the climate. Than any particular desire for near nudity.
Though I must say that I like the increased freedom. Which also prevented the duvet from closely following my every twist and turn. The high coefficient of friction. Between cotton bed sheets and my legging "synthetics" may be further exacerbated by a static charge. My shuffling usually results in the duvet clinging to my legs. With an almost rack and cog like adhesion. These things are best avoided. In one, to whom insomnia is so prevalent.
I am expecting my English friend to make a rare visit to Chez Hovel. Such interruptions, to the normally hermit lifestyle, are wont to light a fuse. Leading to a frenzied attack on the accumulation of dust and detritus. Once lit, the firecracker of activity. Does not easily disguise the wanton abandonment of even the most lax of domestic standards over several months.
There are those of us born to a life of rigid discipline in these matters. While others shuffle ever downwards on the descending hierarchy. Between the merely slovenly and the outright hoarder's hell on earth. I have no illusions, whatsoever, that I belong well down that ladder to overnight, daytime TV fame.
To my utmost horror. I found myself wearing my stronger reading glasses. Entirely by accident but nonetheless, strangely welcome. In an odd, but shameful sort of way. The electric kettle and its longtime partner, the toaster. Nay, even bosom buddy. Were hideously disfigured by a wholly inexcusable layer of grime.
In my defense, I must allude to the recent clearing of the offending kitchen windowsill. Of my wife's considerable collection of dark, glass ornaments. Each, to a fault, displaying shades of smoke and a lack of mirrors. The resulting brightness from their recent absence was my undoing. In combination with the said, magnifying reading glasses. It took me a full quarter of an hour and various attempts. To be finally rid of the unsightly squalor.
I even resorted to abrasive paste. To produce little more than a dull shine. On the errant, chrome and stainless steel of these innocent, domestic appliances. Quite incidentally I managed to reduce a considerable volume of toast droppings. Both within and without. Such that a dustpan might be best employed. To carry the over-tanned burden to the waste food container nearby. Finally freed of this hideous overburden, I must return to frantic, vacuuming, dusting and showering.
11.00 Panic over. The stove window is cleaned. The stove lit and I can relax a little. There is even the sign of increased brightness without. And so by turn, within.
The promised deluge has now been extended to 20.00. While the temperature will drop steadily, hour by hour, to an overnight frost.
14.00 72F/22C in the room. My friend has just left. We had a good old natter as always. A band of heavier rain is passing just south of my location. Time for a spot of lunch.
Salad is cold and it is cold outside. What about curry? I haven't had curry for ages. I had rather gone off it but bought another jar of Ben's Medium. Just in case. I had better get the rice on. It takes 35 minutes.
Dinner was indeed chicken and mushroom curry. I made too much rice and would have preferred a more runny, curry sauce. It went down well and that is all that matters.
~o~
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