31.07.2024 A jolly jaunt.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 31st 53F/12C [6.00] Bright with another sunny day promised.

 Up at 5.30 after a fairly quiet night. I ride might be a good idea today. I haven't mentally adjusted to demolition of the observatory. So need to distance myself to regain my motivation. I am not even sure how I will go about bringing down the dome. The work involved in unbolting the gores would be hazardous and time consuming. Which would require concentration and a willingness I currently lack. 

 It is a very different situation compared to the enthusiasm and optimism. Of overcoming such difficulties in construction. I literally dragged the heavy gores up a tall ladder on my back in pairs! Taking it all back down is a very negative pastime. Like clearing up the litter. After playing solo at a wildly successful concert. There's no bragging rights to undoing what one has built against all the odds. 

 Perhaps I should let the local crane hire lift the dome down with a telescopic front loader. It would be compact enough to drive down the long and narrow drive. Where a lorry, reversing, with the usual crane behind the cab, would really struggle. It would be worth the expense. To have the dome brought down in one piece by experts. The time saving alone would make it worthwhile. The dome could be parked out of the way. To be attended to when I was in the mood. For a chainsaw massacre!

 6.45. Time for a walk. 

 7.35 Back from my fairly brisk walk to the lanes. It was almost fully overcast and misty at first. I could hear the excavator whining from across the fields as I started out. When I reached the site it was backfilling the huge drainage trench. Which it had previously dug. The trench followed a circuitous route. That ended at a drain cover on the verge. 

 Two cats were yowling loudly at each other behind a field hedge. Still staring each other out the last time I saw them. Clouds of sparrows were moving between the trees again. Upwards of fifty per flock. It always amazes me how birds can all disappear instantly into a hedge or tree. While traveling at high speed. Their reaction times must be incredible to avoid injury.

 13.30 73F/23C I returned in the Morris from visiting my English friend. It was very pleasant sitting outside in the breeze.

 16.00 71F/22C. I have mowed all the grass at a lower level. 6/10. This time with the grass collector in place. The trailer is already half full. Hot and sweaty in the sunshine.

 18.00 More mowing and weed clearing. Then I moved more timber and wood away from the shed.

 I have to use up the chicken and mushrooms today. I need a variation. What about pasta and tinned tomatoes?

 

  ~o~

 

30.07.2024 Mind that deer, oh dear!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 30th 50F/10C [6.15] Bright. A sunny day is promised with 24C/79F.

 Up at 5.30 after a quiet night. My hips and lower back are hurting. All that clambering in and out of the observatory front wall from a stepladder carrying heavy weights! I really should go for a walk.

 8.00 Back from a 45 minute, brisk walk to the lanes. The bright sunshine was lighting up the cobwebs on the oil seed rape field. A young deer was trying to force a way through the dense roadside hedge. Returning to the road several times before choosing completely the wrong moment to cross the road. Just as a builder's van came hurtling around the blind bend! The deer sprinted and just made it past the van and into the field across the road. 

 Further on, a digger and a tracked excavator were improving the drainage on a vast field. The excavator driver was busy using a GPS 'UFO' mast to check his levels. Then a Lotus 7 type, open sports car went past being driven enthusiastically. Possibly a Caterham 7? 

 Next up was a dark Tesla being driven fast and very badly. As they typically brushed the apex, where I was standing, on a completely blind bend. Thereby denying themselves a better view of the road ahead and a local headline.

  I had heard their tire roar on their approach. So I'd hopped up onto the narrow verge just in case and just in time. Why is that they can always afford the car but will never pay for driving lessons? I wonder if they had a valid license? Despite this the traffic was lighter this early in the morning. I usually go a bit later. The low sun ruined most of my attempts at taking pictures.

 8.40 64F/18C. No immediate plans for today. I'll have early morning coffee while I decide. No bread rolls! I'll have to toast some frozen bread.

 10.45 70F/21C. Hot, sweating and tired. I have moved most of the timber leaning against the shed. Now stacked [fairly neatly] at the back of the newly raised area of the parking space. Hopefully the stack won't be in the way for a while. I hate double handling.

 There are still a lot of variations in ground level. Which would be expensive and time consuming for me to raise with more gravel. The stuff is heavy and sticks together. Making working on it very labour intensive. I'll see how it looks when the observatory has gone. It may be worth having a gentle step down to the expanded area. The heap of gravel is still sitting there. On pause, while my health problems were fixed. 

 17.30 Returned from a shopping trip into the village. It was unpleasantly warm in the sunshine at 23C/73F. I saw two Teslas in amazing, translucent colours. One orange and one plum. For want of a better description.

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce with tomatoes on toast. 

 

 

  ~o~

29.07.2024 Peacocks.

 ~o~

  Monday 29th 53F/12C [5.00] Clear and brightening. A dry, sunny day, reaching 21C, is promised. With a NW breeze.

 Up at 4am. Memories woke me and then boredom with just lying there wide awake.

 8.00  I couldn't stay awake so I went back to bed for an hour. 

 9.00 64F/18C. Bright sunshine. Morning coffee. I have yet to do anything useful!

 11.30  I lack motivation today. I spent half an hour pulling up Rosebay Willowherb. Then strolled around looking for nothing in particular. The front garden is packed with butterflies again. Dozens of them. Mostly peacocks feeding on masses of Oreganum [?] plants. Which must have self-seeded all around the garden. They are everywhere.

 16.45 71F/22C. Hot sunshine. I am dripping with sweat after clearing the observatory in readiness for dismantling. There is still lots more to do. The massive, home-made, telescope mounting will need the chain hoist and opposed ladders to lift it down. It is all very depressing!

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and two fried eggs. I cleared day's worth of washing up afterwards.

 

  ~o~

28.07.2024 Less is more!

 ~o~

  Sunday 28th 57F/14C [7.45] bright overcast. It should remain dry until next Friday.

 Up at 7.00 after a difficult night. I was being bitten by a buzzing gnat at 3am. So I had to go upstairs to find a clean, single sheet. To be temporarily rid of the summer duvet. Which was far too warm to hide under. I treated the bites/stings with Kart Cornflower water. Which seems to calm the irritation quite quickly. Cold water and hand soap has no affect at all on me.

 I am aching all over. Probably from yesterday's ride. I am accumulating too much mileage. To try and improve my fitness after the operation on my arteries. I need to recover my optimism for survival after suddenly discovering my mortality. I had descended into sloth and depression. Not helped by the record wet weather severely limiting my outdoor activities. When I really needed to be much more active.

 No point in a ride today. I need to recover. The lawn badly needs my attention. While the observatory dismantling is going much too slowly. Mostly due to my conservatism in trying to save as much timber as possible for recycling into other projects. 

 I shall now use a bayonet saw to cut through the bases of the uprights. Freeing them from the steel-work which fixes them to the buried, concrete anchors. I can then drop the posts from the top. Without worrying about separating the pairs of 2x4s [50x100] screwed so firmly together. They can stay that way for storage. Or be separated at leisure from the safety of the ground.

 10.00 64F/18C. Sunshine. Morning coffee and a rest. Making much better progress on the observatory dismantling.

 11.00 More of the same.  It is hot and tiring work climbing the ladder repeatedly.

 12.00 69F/21C. Hot sunshine. I need another rest. Sweating profusely in my t-shirt. Making even better progress now. I am tying a rope to the bases of the uprights and just pulling the structure apart. There is no point in saving the ends of the timber. When hidden screws cannot be reached. 

 The afternoon was spent working on taking down the larger observatory. Still leaving the internal, original untouched.

 17.30 67F/19C. Bright sunshine with a breeze. I have come in from mowing the grass. It is still hot. As am I. The drive is done. Three runs over the middle. Two runs each side. Then I turned my attention to the grassed parking space. Only managed one stripe on the western lawn and the batteries died. Now on charge. Pending another go while the grass is still dry. I ought to get the strimmer out... 

 I had early dinner instead. Which was beans on toast. Then went out again to finish cutting the grass. It was still warm.

 

  ~o~

 

27.07.2024 Faaborg 72km.

 ~o~

  Saturday 27th 58F/14C. Bright but cloudy.

 Up at 7.00. When 1,00, 2.20. 3.10, 4.30, 5.00 and 6.00 all seemed a little early. I may have to get a trolley for the fire bucket. Or one with a steel handle. The handle literally napped off an earlier, all-plastic example. When a [presumably Chinese] factory tried to reverse engineer a real bucket. 

 8.00 I am not sure what to do with today. The forecast is 20C warm, dry, sunny periods and a very light westerly breeze. Stay at home and work on dismantling the observatory? Or have a ride in perfect conditions? The latter always raises the issue of where to go. I have been to so many places. So many times. In the car and on the trike. I stare at Google Maps and wonder. 

 I have decided to ride to Faaborg via the rural lanes. About 30km each way if I don't wander too far off the route. Beautiful, hilly countryside with views out over the sea from on high. I shall apply the Assos chamois cream. In the hope of reduced saddle soreness. My lunch rolls will travel with me and I'll buy more Corny sub-micro chocolate bars on the way. Plus some more micro cartons of organic apple juice.

 14.10 Returned from my 72km ride. It was mostly sunny but increasingly cloudy on the way back. The chamois cream only helped to some degree. I reapplied it in the hope of escaping from the pain but this only lasted for a short time. 

 The countryside was as beautiful as I remembered. Very hilly, but this hardly matters to an e-bike. All managed on one battery. Leaving me with 21% charge as I arrived back at home. 

 I rode mostly in Sport mode. Using Turbo for the long climb up Svanninge Bakker. Which was no fun at all. As the marked off cycle lane was only a few cm wide in places. With the traffic desperate to get past without having to slow. Or having to cross the double white lines.     

 The oncoming traffic showing no desire to give them room to overtake. As they sat in the middle of their lane on auto pilot. With their brains switched off. Mouths open. Until arrival at their destination. I took the first useful exit which presented itself.

 16.00 71F/22C. Sunshine. Rose from a 45 minute recovery nap.

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. I needed something easy.

 

 

  ~o~

26.07.2024 Soggy!

 ~o~

 Friday 26th 64F/18C [8.15]  Overcast and windy. Lots of rain expected. Denmark has already broken the record for wettest year since they started measuring. Some places have had a year's rain in one month.

Up at 7.20 after a night of filling the fire bucket at hourly intervals. My back is aching but that seems to be normal. A walk usually fixes it after a few hundred meters. 

 The rain has put a damper on most of my activities. Though the DMI's radar shows I have about an hour before the leading edge of the deluge arrives. So I should go for my morning walk. Now!

 10.30 Raining hard. Too wet to continue dismantling the observatory. I didn't time my return from my walk. It remained dry but grey and breezy. I only walked down to the bottom of the neighbours' shared drive. Took a few pictures and then walked back. A few hundred meters each way. A kilometer in total distance. My aching back is cured again.

 Another day browsing and watching YT videos. I have to go shopping to get more rolls for lunch. So the Morris will get another outing.

 The goldfish are doing well in their larger home. They are very active and often swim up to the glass. In the hope of my movements will result in another snack. The fish keep pulling up the plants and trying to bite them. Goldfish growth can almost be measured by the week. If they have enough room. 

 I enjoy their company and having something to talk to. Being able to leave them to their own devices saves me worrying about a warmer pet.  The water remains crystal clear. Probably thanks to the internal power filter. I'll give it another week or two and then the water should be safe with only the under-gravel filter running off the air pump. 

 13.00 Back from the shops. Only raining lightly now but everything is very wet. The roads are saturated. The weekend should be drier. With more normal summer weather next week.

 18.45 The sun came out. I have the first frame down from the observatory. The search for more screws goes on. So that the other frames can come down. It feels a bit [h]airy up there with nothing outboard of the makeshift planks and boards to stand on.

 Dinner will be salad.

 

 ~o~

25.07.2024 Demolition man!

 ~o~
 

 Thursday 25th 58F/14C [7.30] Bright. A dry day with slightly lighter mostly SW winds.

 Up at 5.40 after another difficult night. Bad dreams and lying awake for ages.

 I may be repaired enough to go for a ride today. Too many long ride had taken their toll on my undersides. Depending on my plans for distance traveled I can try out the chamois cream. As usual I haven't a clue where I might want to go. My destination is usually chosen entirely on a whim.

  7.50. A walk first.

 9.30 I returned from a walk up to the forest by the steep track. I traversed the ridge. Where I saw three hares and three deer. Lots of "wild flowers" on patches of "set aside." A Red kite soared over. 

 My usual direct descent route was blocked by an impenetrable hedge. So I had to backtrack all the way I had come. Rather cloudy with fleeting patches of sunlight on the landscape. 

 11.00 67F/19C. Sunny. Still looking at potential routes for a ride. I need to shop too.

 12.15 70F/21C. I decided to stay at home and work on dismantling the observatory. It is hot work in the sunshine. Only four more sheets of cladding plywood removed so far. Reaching the fixing screws from ladders behind the observatory is proving a chore. With the oak trees getting in the way. I had better have a rest and early lunch.

 16.30 70F/21C. Warm with sunny periods. Demolition of the outer observatory building is going steadily. Most of the plywood cladding boards have been taken down. There are always more screws to undo. Many of them hidden by the noggings. 

 These horizontal braces were added after the full height frames were pulled upright. I used a lot of 150mm/6" screws to hold the frames together. With 10mm galvanized coach bolts near the top for extra security. 

 No ill effects apart from tiredness and aching all over. Now that I have stopped for a rest and a cup of tea. And a nap.

 I should have gone shopping. It will just have to be toast again.

 18.15 It started raining lightly but only briefly. 

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast.

 

  ~o~

24.07.2024 Excused boots.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 24th 60F/16C. [8.00] Bright overcast. A mostly dry and sunny day is promised. Up at 6.30 after a night of weird dreams.

 8.00  Let's start with a walk.

 9.00 And back again. Not much to report. Sunshine, windy, traffic quiet. Fields raked after harvesting. A Red kite crossed the road. Greenfinches wheezing in the hedgerows. Everything is very overgrown. There are even brambles coming out of the verges and heading across the asphalt.

 12.30 67F/19C. Almost continuously sunny. Time for lunch.

 15.00 68F/20C. Bright sunshine. The garden is packed with butterflies.

 Dinner chicken, mushrooms and chips.

 

 

  ~o~

23.07.2024 It's torrential!

 ~o~

 Tuesday 23rd 61F/16C. [9.00] Heavy overcast but still dry. With the threat of thundery showers.

 Up at 7.20 after another, rather interrupted night. Aching again with no valid reason. Except inactivity?

 14.00 A cloudburst with thunder! 

 18.00 Very dark overcast, windy with rumbles overhead. Tipping down!

  I have avoided an afternoon nap to try and correct my sleeping disruption. 

  Dinner was cheese on toast. Not grilled.

  Bored with Netflix.

 

  ~o~

22.07.2024 Currying favour.

 ~o~

  Monday 22nd 62F/17C [9.30] Early rain should give way to sunshine after lunch. Assorted wannabe F1 drivers have come unstuck due to aquaplaning on the motorway after heavy rain. You see them every time it rains. They blast past. Imagining they are completely immune to all dangers. Until they kill some poor, innocent bod.

 Got up at 4.15 after lying awake tormented by memories. Went back to bed later. To further disturb my sleep patterns. Or, rather, lack thereof. 

The pain from my injuries. Following my cycling clown's antics at the traffic lights, is easing. My knees are brown from exposure to the sun while cycling in shorts. Who would have thought?

 I have to shop. Given the weather at the moment I'll go after lunch. 

 And did. In the promised sunshine. The Morris is misbehaving. The engine not picking up as it should. Returned with the larder suitably replenished.  

 Dinner will be chicken and mushroom curry. The Ben's curry sauce was back to being thick again. I used the whole jar.

 

  ~o~

21.07.2024 Much ado about nothing.

 ~o~

  Sunday 21st. 66F/19C. [7.30] A long, hot, breezy, sunny day is promised. It may reach 28C/82F this afternoon. A risk of thunderstorms not far to the west.

Up at 6.45 after dozing on and off for hours. My back and hip hurt. I am hobbling around like an old man! A walk might be sensible. Or not. I'll be lucky to make it down the drive to the road.

 9.15. 73F/23C. Back from the lanes. The pain eased off as I plodded. The sun already hot. Making the shade more comfortable thanks to the cooling breeze. Assorted white butterflies foraged on the overgrown verge. The two, dark brown, birds of prey were sitting out on the same field again. Amazing eyesight that they saw me while looking straight into the sun. With only my head showing over the nearby, unharvested crop. Yet again they moved over to the next field beyond and hid behind the hedge. Time for morning coffee.

 17.00 81F/27C. It has clouded over. Risk of evening cloudbursts has spread over Fyn. The day was spent resting and doing homework online. YouTube homework. 🙄 Though I did catch up on day's worth of washing up. Just to avoid starvation.

 Dinner was mackerel on toast. No pictures. You know what that looks like.

 

  ~o~

20.07.2024 84km.

 ~o~

  Saturday 20th 60F/16C [at 7.00] Clear and bright. With 26C on offer for late afternoon. A warm and sunny summer's day at last. Easterly winds would make an ideal day for a ride. Except that I can still feel the damage I did on my last [100km] ride. All my remaining saddles are uncomfortable. Where do I go from here? I could rebuild the Con-Tec using the B67 steel work. Perhaps my memory of the comfort offered by the Con-Tec is false?  

 I am afraid it was. I went back to my April-May posts of last year. I was getting saddle sore on longer rides. Even when I wore my best bibs with the thickest padding. It is mostly due to friction but mixed with sit bone pain from contact with the hard saddle. You'd think the thickest padding would help here. It doesn't. Nor did the heavily padded vinyl saddle. Though that was dirt cheap by most saddle standards. The problem is that I know I will get saddle sore if I use the well-worn B17 on a longer ride. Back to the B67? It should offer the best compromise of width for the upright riding position. Spring suspension to reduce impacts on the sit bones.    

 Up at 6.15 after waking at 4am. The lower back pain should soon fade.

 8.15. 67F/19C. I have refitted the Brooks B67. It had more Proofide treatment a couple of days ago above and below. Now polished off. It never seems to soak in anyway. I have used a builder's level to set it horizontal and re-tensioned it. Level make it look nose up. So it can't be easily judged by eye. Now to consider the choice of shorts or bibs. Sitting on the B67 in ordinary clothes feels hard. So I need some padding before I even leave the drive. Thinnest padded bibs I think. Minimum sweating on a hot day.   

 9.00 70F/21C. I am trying to do it right for a change. No rushing off without preparation. Showered, morning coffee and make the lunchtime rolls to take with me. Plenty of apple juice in mini-cartons. Corny chocolate bars. Check.   

 9.15. I am going to ride to Odense.

 14.15 Returned from an 84km ride. I  headed east on rural roads and lanes at first and then rode north into the city. Where I visited numerous cycle shops. The Brooks B67 wasn't too bad for the first half and then became progressively worse. I had stopped and adjusted the nose upwards a little. Which helped. After looking at expensive bibs [£300 equivalent!] in a huge shop I bought a pot of Assos chamois cream. The first cream I have ever tried.

 On the way back the saddle soreness was getting worse and worse. So I stopped in a gap in the hedge and quickly applied the cream directly to my neder bod. The cooling relief was immediate but rather short lived. I had probably waited too long. Or had been too mean with the cream.

 Later I stopped suddenly at a red light and fell over! Too slow to lower the dropper post. Idiot! No serious injury except to my pride. Scuffed elbow. Bent reading glasses in my jersey pocket. Pain in my left buttock now I have stopped pedaling.

 16.00 78F/26C. Woke from a nap. Warmest day this year. My left buttock and elbow hurt! Silly old wotsit!

 Dinner was salad. My back hurts!

 

 

 

  ~o~

19.07.2024 How wide?!!?

 ~o~

  Friday 19th. It could reach 23C/75F today. Up at 4am after lying awake for hours.   

  8.20 64F/18C. Warm and solid sunshine with no wind. Back from a walk to the lanes. Two large brown birds of prey were preening on a field two over. Despite the distance they were nervous and moved another field away. Where they settled on the stubble to preen again. The traffic was light. Probably a result of the national holidays. I rode 40km yesterday only to find the only bike shop was closed. Then I had to ride back again.

 Chump cultists, Dumber and Dumbest, are wearing ear dressings. In sympathy with their Martyr and Saviour. They can thank their gods He didn't lose a bløødy leg! History will recall that a piss poor shot didn't change history. Or, that an expert shot hit the intended target but was extremely careful to avoid injury. The alleged sniper was then sacrificed to avoid unanswered questions. Leaving even more questions unanswered. Like: Why a large square dressing? When a finger plaster would do.

Today would have been a much better day, than yesterday, for a ride. As I am still suffering from saddle soreness I am in no real shape to ride into the village. A drive? Whence?

 10.30 Well that was interesting. I swapped the vinyl over to the well worn, tied B17 from the trike. A  few tours along the rough gravel drive produced an odd result. The B17 wasn't offending any of the delicate bits from yesterday. They still hurt when I sit on layers of cushions at the computer. Which may well prove [or not] that friction is/was my real enemy. 

 I gave the B17 a coat of Proofide inside and out. Too early to suggest it has had any effect. The leather flexes but is as hard as any other Brooks. It certainly felt hard when ridden. Much more so than the vinyl or the B67. 

 I have run out of coffee. Which means a minimum 20km round trip to buy more. I shall give the B17 a try. Just to see where it hurts. Then consider refitting the B67 again. For reference, Moustache fit the Brooks C17 as standard. A saddle which I find so hard that it can't be taken seriously. A remake of the naked, plastic, Unica Nitor. On which I suffered horribly as a teenager. Back in the 1960s!

 12.00 73F/23C. Home again after 20.2km. There is no doubt that the B17 relies entirely on supporting the sit bones. There is no sense of cushioning. Nor of friction. That said I was not in real pain. More, local discomfort at the pressure points. I was wearing normal clothing. Boxers and thin trousers. I raised the saddle slightly, tried tipping it nose up slightly and shuffled about. I think a longer ride would be required to gain any benefit. 

 My sit bones are about 11cm apart. Probably considered narrow. The general advice is to add 4-5cm to gauge the desired overall width of a saddle. Say 15-16cm. That means the B17 is slightly too wide. Yet, when I hold a tape measure against the widest part of the saddle 11cm is very near the outer edges. 

 The red tape is centered on my sit bones.

 Any flexure of the leather is going to be strictly limited. Because my sit bones are almost resting on the curved metal frame. The pressed steel bit through which the rivets fit. So, by my fuzzy logic, the advice is completely wrong. Or, I need a wider saddle to enjoy any benefit from flexure of the leather. B67 anybody?

 Because of the shape of most saddles, the widest part is not always the most comfortable. Most saddles are curved across their backs. So, most riders will be perched further forwards and the sit bones completely unsupported. The saddle will usually be trying to push their sit bones apart. The rider's weight will be resting on the fleshy part of their crutch. However, a wider saddle risks increased friction. Soft bits of the rider's flesh may be folded and squashed. Between the saddle and the pelvic bones. None of this makes much sense! Yet a vast, global industry produces billions of saddles. Most of which are uncomfortable beyond a short trip! 

 I have just been watching yet another YT "influencer" talking about the latest saddle fad. 3D printed mesh. In theory the thickness of the mesh can influence local resistance to compression. The asking price starts at £200 equivalent to double that. 

 Nobody seems to have noticed that they mostly have an under-tray. Which will limit to potential benefits of ventilation. But, would keep the water from the naked tires spraying up from below. They are mostly aimed at the naive Weekend Warrior. Most of whom carry excess kilos on their bods and in  their wallets. Yet will pay thousands to save a few grams on the bike.   

 Dinner was chicken, eggs and chips. Washed down with my last tin of organic beer.

  ~o~

18.07.2024 100 not out.

 ~o~

  Thursday 18th 55F/13C. Bright overcast.

 Up at 5.10 after a quiet night. I have put the e-bike on charge for another ride. The fish are fine. Their water crystal clear. 

 No sign of the flying ant outbreak in the greenhouse from yesterday. Where did they all go? There were thousands on the brick floor before I went for my ride. They were being guarded by thousands more normal ants.

 8.00 Warm morning sunshine on my walk to the lanes. Though the dark clouds to the west looked rather menacing. I just made it home in sunshine but it soon clouded over. It is completely overcast now. The forecast remains dry with a 20C/68F peak. Cloudy morning with a westerly breeze. I was hoping for better. Riding under an overcast in sunglasses is miserable. 

 10.20 62F. Still overcast. Riding to Ringe. 

 15.30 70F/21C. Returned from a 100km ride. Nasty saddle soreness. Mostly friction. Despite wearing padded shorts. Headwind all the way home. Am I having fun yet? Shopped on the way back. 

 The heavily padded, vinyl saddle is obviously not the best choice for me. What to use instead? Brooks B67? I already know it doesn't work. B17? I'll move the well worn, laced one over from my trike. Just to see how it goes. It is supposed to be for a more leaning forward position on a bike. I am sitting bolt upright. What could possibly go wrong? I gave away all of my lifetime collection of saddles.

 Dinner was bananas in organic mini-milk. Followed by cold sardines on toast. With a glass of apple juice to wash it down. I am bound to be dehydrated. Water with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt? Followed by a second glass without salt. I feel better already.

 

 

 ~o~

 

17.07.2024 Another Coop closing?

 ~o~

 Wednesday 17th 58F(14C- Overcast with showers promised.

 Up at 5am after going to bed at midnight.

 6.40 All four aquarium plants are now inserted into the gravel.  I acclimatized the fish into the bigger tank over 15 minutes in a floating plastic container. The temperature between the two tanks was identical to 0.1F. [69.8F/21C] 

 The water in the large tank is now perfectly clear. I added small quantities of the new water to their container and monitored their behaviour. There was no gasping or signs of chemical stress. I had left their original tank full in case I needed to bring them back. Once released into their new home they were soon foraging on the gravel bottom. 

 They are now exploring their spacious new accommodation. Still no signs of panting or hanging at the water surface. They are sticking close together. I like the simple dimmer for the LED lights. A turn of the control knob avoids switching on an off from full brightness.

 9.10. Just a short walk to the lanes. Mild and breezy. The few, blue holes in the clouds provided moving patches of light on the harvested fields. A slow, electric motorcycle went past. I don't know what else to call it. The rider wasn't pedaling despite climbing a hill. I am not sure there were pedals.

 It is becoming brighter. I wouldn't mind a ride if I could decide where to go.

 12.30 I looped around several villages for 27km. There was a bit of a headwind going. Crosswind later. My legs were tired but I stayed in Sport mode on all the climbs. Rather than using Turbo. The DDK vinyl saddle is proving variable in comfort. Neither awful nor pleasant. I was wearing my ordinary clothes today. No padded racing shorts.

 It is no wonder the Coop is closing so many shops! The staff clearly don't know who is paying their wages yet. Hint: It's the customer. Nobody else is daft enough! I was the only one left in the short queue with only one item on the belt. 

 The staff on the checkout decided they would change over anyway. Chatting away to each other with all the time in the world. No greeting as the new face flopped down into the seat. Casual passing of my item. The price did not match what I had seen on the shelf. So I just walked away. I have been shopping there for 28 years. Longer than many of the staff have been alive. 

 18.00 67F/19C. It will be and was salad for dinner.

 

 ~o~

16.07.2024 Please form an orderly queue.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 16th 59F/15C. Heavy overcast. Showers promised for this morning. 

 Up at 5.30. Lower back pain again. Soon forgotten.

 My English friend will be visiting later. 

 I wonder how many hours and attempts it took. Before Chump decided which dressing looked best on TV.

 No walk today. I was busy tidying, vacuuming and cleaning. 

 10.40 62F/17C. Raining hard!

 12.30 My friend has just left. 

 My fish-keeping spares parcel has arrived. Everything works as expected. I bolted the new 93cm White LED light into the aluminium flashing to act as a simple, lightweight hood. The adjustable, damper is useful to avoid sudden loss or gain of the bright light. Then I partially cut the new, channeled, plastic lid material. To allow it to hinge upwards for easy access to the front of the tank.

 The water is clearing nicely. I have introduced some plants and donations from the garden pond. To speed up neutralization of the tank's tapwater. A newly filled tank has to cycle through ammonia, nitrites and then nitrates using natural bacteria. Which don't exist in fresh tapwater. The plants were unceremoniously dumped in the new tank from the old. The exposed roots and leaves will introduce beneficial bacteria. 

 The [temporary] powerful internal filter is turning the water over rapidly to speed up the process. The filter material should contain bacteria and spread these widely throughout the tank. Causing the bacteria to start feeding on the ammonia. This process may have been responsible for the initial mistiness of the fresh water. The result of a bacterial bloom.

 Failure to chemically cycle a tank properly can stress the fish. I am being as patient as possible before moving the two, rapidly growing goldfish into their new home. Tests of the expensive "starter" fluids has proven they have little to no effect. Taking as least as long for a dosed tank to mature. As leaving the tank alone. To build up the beneficial bacteria naturally. Averaging about a month to six weeks or even more. 

 I have bought a new but inexpensive air pump. Which draws the water down throughout the gravel base. The idea is that bacteria will build up on the gravel and treat the water continuously as it flows downwards. Before being lifted back up again in the two, bubble driven, tubular columns. Which are connected to a slotted tray covering the bottom of the tank under the gravel.

 I must go shopping.      

 Returned from the village shops. It rained lightly.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and fried eggs. With a bread roll.

 

  ~o~

15.07.2024 The Golden Goose is deceased.

 ~o~

 Monday 15th  58F/14C. Heavy overcast and breezy. There was torrential rain roaring on the greenhouse at bedtime.

 Up at 6.20 after a restless night.  

 The TdeF is producing its usual highlights. As a result of France throwing open the gates of its lunatic asylums for the event. We have one portly, brain dead dummy suddenly springing to life. To throw crisps at the leaders. Yeah, right. Another supreme athlete, wearing flip-flops, decided he could outrun Pogacar on a bicycle. Only for the unlikely footwear to bounce off Pogacar's wheel. What charges could the loony have faced had he brought down the Yellow Jumper?

 I have no real idea who is winning. Not that it matters. It's surely only a matter of time before today's heroes are found out for cheating. It's always the same story. Clean, until proven guilty. Covid is still throwing a spanner into the spokes. I thought that was all over bar the rumours and recriminations. 

 The irony is that cycle manufacturers are all going broke. Only they could afford the thousands of pounds it costs for every single accessory. Desperately needed to perform as a Weekend Warrior. They killed their own golden goose. It was crushed by fragile, over-hyped, overpriced tat. Masquerading as built-in obsolescence. We must all pray fervently that they never have an eTour-de-France. 

 In breaking news: The big fish tank has achieved parity with the air temperature in the room. 67F/19.4C. So that's alright then. The mistiness is persisting but thinning slowly. Despite my having dosed the tank with "Starter" fluid. It is still premature to move the fish in yet.

 My walk was seriously foreshortened due to an upset stomach. It seems jogging is no longer beyond my powers. Which is just as well!

 12.20 Returned from town in the Morris. Where I bought some 4mm thick, transparent, twin-wall polycarbonate sheet. To make a new, lightweight, aquarium cover. Plus a length of aluminium channel flashing. To make a neat and compact cover for the new LED light. The shiny aluminium will help to reflect the light downwards into the tank.

The heavy metal cover, which came with the tank, is simply not needed. The toughened glass shelves I found yesterday are a potential risk to the tank. If they slip while being handled while wet. Their considerable weight is a serious hindrance to tank maintenance.

 I am still working out how best to use the plastic sheet. To allow easy access to the top front of the tank for cleaning and effortless feeding. The central crossbar of the aquarium frame will support the middle of the sheet. If I should cut a narrower strip for easy, tank access. 

 I have now cut the sheet to fit neatly into the rebate in the the top frame of the tank. A simple hobby knife was all that was required for cutting the thin material.

 The lightweight, LED assembly can simply rest on the new top cover. Which will reduce losses to evaporation and avoid fish practicing their sky diving. The new LED lights are no longer a serious shock risk. As were the previous, mains operated, florescent tubes. With their heavy ballast unit requiring increased cover stiffness for safety. All now obsolete.

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. I looked at the packaging. The oven ready chips contain only potatoes and sunflower oil. Does that make them toxic?

 

  ~o~

14.07.2024 Not home alone.

 ~o~

  Sunday 14th 58F/14C. Heavy overcast and rather breezy.

 Up at 6.30 after being awake at 4.45.

 Whoops! Chump can now claim more in common with Hitler. Survivor's guilt [as if] and a bad hair style. He is still using the Nazi clenched fist. The rumours are already flying online. How could somebody holding a rifle lie openly on a roof? Within a short distance of Chump the Ranter? 

 Cultists are blaming Biden. Others are asking about the US security services. People were shouting about seeing the gunman but being ignored by the police and security services snipers. One policeman can be seen wandering aimlessly around the base of the alleged perp's [final] resting place. Without even unholstering his gun!

 The Real News Headlines: The water in the big fish tank is clearing slowly but still misty. Probably dissolved gases. The water temperature has risen to 63F/17C in the 68F/20C room. 

 I turned off the filters overnight. Now I need to set up a separate circuit to ensure they can be left running. They don't consume much power but there aren't many power sockets available in the room. I have no intention of heating the tank. So the long term draw will be just a few Watts for the air pump. Which powers the under-gravel filter. 

 Plus the lighting. Presently two 30W florescent tubes. 60W? Ouch! LEDs might be more "climate friendly." I'll have to investigate the options: Aqualight has an inexpensive system with one 92cm LED strip for a 1/4 of the power consumption of the tubes. Hopefully one white LED strip will be bright enough to replace the two florescent tubes. I'll have to invest in a power supply with enough capacity for more than twice the load. Just in case I need two strips. I just found a 15W LED strip only 60cm long and it easily lit the tank. So a longer strip will be even better.

 No doubt this is all very boring for my average cycling [?] reader. Though there is definitely method in my madness. I now have two cheerful, highly active companions. Who constantly react excitedly to my presence near the tank. So now I have something to talk to. Usually in highly derogatory terms at their speed of growth and girth. Not to mention their insatiable greed. Without the responsibility of a cat or dog to worry about. Fish don't usually chew the furniture. Nor sharpen their claws on my [cough) designer armchairs. So I hope you will forgive my rambling detours.

 8.20. Time for a walk.

 9.15 Despite the initial pain in my lower back I tried to keep up a good pace. Making it further than my usual turning point in the lanes. The wind was decidedly cool. Bright but overcast. A few birds in the roadside hedges and trees. Warblers, chaffinches and something odd sounding. Which I did not recognize. 

 Somebody is doing up a rather sad little house in the lane. This will add further interest on my morning walks. Perhaps it will push me to go slightly further than usual. Just to keep an eye on progress. I will use any excuse to keep myself occupied, active and interested. Or my morning walks can become rather devoid of variation. Other than the changing crops, weather and light. 

 I still don't have the willpower to go further afield. As I did so often in the past. I would scramble through the forest where there were no clear tracks. Climb steep banks and paths. Where only occasional foresters would roam. Returning home to share my sights and sounds over morning coffee. As I played a slide show. Of my latest collection of sometimes literally hundreds of photographs taken that morning alone.

 11.00 63F/17C. The sun is trying to break through. As the trees and hedges rock wildly in the wind.

 The lady from the village called and we chatted for a couple of hours. 

I actually remembered to take the recycling bin along the drive to be emptied in the early hours.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast.

 

  ~o~

 

13.07.2024 Bidenitus comes to us all!

 ~o~

  Saturday 13th 59F/15C. Heavy overcast and breezy. Dire warnings of  "100 year" deluges are being downgraded. There is still the chance of local cloudbursts but the heaviest rain is forecast to be mostly to the eastern and northern areas of Denmark. The forecasters admit they are struggling to pinpoint the likely, worst affected areas. Though Århus and Copenhagen seem to have most offended the weather gods.

 My insurance company has kindly sent an email full of useful advice. Though I don't currently own any waders. Nor have any pressing plans to dig a cellar. Given the high water table in winter. It would be more akin to deliberately installing an indoor swimming pool. My neighbour's plastic drainage pipe, under their massive new drive/embankment/dam, may give me cause for concern. Though we recently survived "the wettest spring" without urgent need of an ark.

 Up at 5.50 after a quiet night. My lower back was very painful on rising but slowly easing. 

 7.15 I feel the need of a walk before it rains again. 

 7.50 I made it to the lanes before my back stopped complaining. The traffic was light. As befits a Saturday morning. Where only the lower orders are required to work at weekends. It stayed dry with a cooling breeze. I had worn my brightest walking jacket. Just in case the habitual drunks were driving to the supermarket for a refill.

 I decided I must have a bad case of Bidenitus today. After reading the global news I really couldn't tell one genocidal megalomaniac from another. Not, and still walk at the same time. We don't need Artificial Intelligence. We just need far fewer of the lower intelligent. I know zombies are vital to do all the hard, physical work. But do we really need the elite to exercise? By repeatedly lifting huge sacks of our money? 

 I went shopping in the Morris.

 14.30 After lunch I started filling the bigger fish tank. 100x50x50cm = 250 liters. It is an older version of the Akvastabil Fusion. It is taking about five minutes per large bucket full. Filling, carrying and bailing with a 1litre plastic measuring jug. Though I was only filling the bucket half way. To avoid too heavy a load and spilling it. As I carried it repeatedly from the bathroom 10m away. No ill effects so far. Not even out of breath.

 15.00 62F/17C. The tank is now well past half full. I am checking constantly for leakage with a torch. The water is still murky and the glass covered in condensation. The tapwater is cold at only 58F/14C. The room at 70F/21C. 

 That volume of water will take some time to warm to room temperature. Fish cannot tolerate sudden changes of temperature. No do they like raw tap water. Though our deep borehole water is not chlorinated. There are countless tiny bubbles collected on the inside of the glass.

 I was given a bottle of aquarium starter fluid with the tank. This is supposed to neutralize anything harmful before the fish go in. Though it is advised that a tank be left to mature before any fish are introduced. I have started the air pump and have one stone in the under-gravel filter column working. I no longer have any accessories to connect up the second stone. Not that I remember seeing. It is nearly 40 years since I last kept fish.       

 I a not too sure about the garish background poster. Which came with the tank. I will probably cover the back of the tank with black cloth. The two columns are air lifts for an overall, under-gravel filter. I have fitted a cheap, internal filter I was given with the tank. Just to get some circulation going.

 17.30 The tank is full and the water is already clearing. I have fitted the lid with its twin florescent tubes. It needs some metalwork to fit the front and back covers securely. The hinge location screws are inactive. Though they can be fitted in place. I'll attend to that later.

 Dinner is chicken, mushrooms and peas with boiled potatoes. I had to throw out an unopened bag of rotten organic potatoes. An unopened bag of two rotten organic lettuces and a rotten cucumber.

  

 ~o~

12.07.2024 82km = Flat battery.

 ~o~

  Friday 12th 58F/14C. Bright overcast. The morning should be sunny but becoming cloudy. Heavy rain warning for this evening, overnight and tomorrow. Given the forecast I could enjoy a ride this morning.

 Up at 5.50 after a reasonable night.  More weird dreams. Which make very little sense. Once I wake up and soon forget what they were all about. My back is aching from yesterday's exercise. I really ought to have a walk. I have missed several days. 

 8.00 A brisk walk to the lanes in warm sunshine. The wind was so light the turbines on the hill were quite still. Lots of big bales out on the fields following harvesting. Skylarks singing overhead. I wonder what happens to their nests? Is the stubble tall enough to protect them? 

 The local authorities have been in touch offering physio locally in the nearest town. I was required to fill out another lengthy questionnaire on my present health, exercise levels and eating habits. All done online of course.

 Today I shall ride to Bogense. Almost directly north. 35km each way. Which will make for a pleasant and manageable ride. Though I shall avoid the rural main roads if I can. Pretty as they are. With lots of undulations. The traffic is always traveling at high speed. Lots of alternatives via the narrow, picturesque lanes. I'll take both batteries. To leave plenty of reserve if I should decide to wander further afield. The north coast of Fyn has plenty to offer. The wind is light and doing cartwheels. So no need to plan accordingly. 

 14.30 70F/21C. Returned from my 82km/52 mile ride. The battery went completely flat within a few hundred meters of home. I had deliberately avoided changing to the spare to see how the 1st battery behaved. Riding without any power assistance was very hard work. I cold barely keep going in bottom gear on a gentle climb. Not so bad on the level and a gentle descent. 

 A very typical north Fyn beach. Though without the coastal path in this case. Much of the coast in this area is serving local, summerhouse estates. 

 The DDK vinyl saddle was variable as to comfort. Possibly due to my wearing a pair of denim type shorts over padded cycling shorts. Friction? I reduced the nose-up stance of the saddle slightly and that helped. A tilted saddle causes friction if the body has to constantly resist the slope via the only available, contact points. That said, the vinyl saddle was far better than the Brooks B67.

 The day was rather dominated by cloud. I would guess at about 80% sky coverage on average. Despite being pleasantly warm and bright it wasn't always sunny. The wind was mostly light enough to ignore. Perhaps a little more windy on the coast. 

 There are a quite  lot of dilapidated buildings and old farmhouses out in the countryside. Being near the shore doesn't seem to help to increase demand for properties for improvement. Where houses are left without inheritors they can remain as ruins for years. Modest public funds are available for demolition of the worst eyesores but rarely seem to be used. 

 The widespread use of asbestos. As a reinforcing material for corrugated cement roofing sheets doesn't help. Special precautions must be taken for removal and disposal. No doubt adding considerably to the costs. The roofs of vast barns and farmhouses were often converted to Eternit, asbestos-cement roofing. When thatch became too expensive. Thatch requires regular maintenance. Eternit was light enough to replace thatch provided the roofing battens were upgraded. Half a century or much more can easily pass. Without Eternit needing to be replaced. So its just sits there collecting moss and fading from its original colour. Presumably the risk to the inhabitants remains low until it is disturbed.

 Aerial photographs show that many rural buildings were still thatched in the 1950s. After that the majority seem to have been steadily replaced by Eternit. Which is still the predominate roofing material outside the Danish towns and cities. Though farmhouses were sometimes re-roofed to take tiles. Where the necessary funds were available. A much heavier and more costly material. Often requiring full replacement of all the original roofing timbers. 

 Thatch and the later Eternit were [and often still are] hiding logs in the round for rafters. There being no need for regularly sawn timbers due to the lighter loads. Decorative thatch, as is much admired in the UK, is almost completely absent in Denmark.   

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. With added fresh tomatoes.  SÆBY [Saeby] quality continues to fall. More sauce. Less fish.

 

  ~o~

11.07.2024 Third time lucky!

 ~o~

  Thursday 11th 58F/14C. A bright morning forecast but becoming cloudy. Possible heavy showers.

 Up at 6am after a fair night. Aching slightly from yesterday's "gardening."

 It was delightfully warm day with lots of sunshine. I tidied the timber which had been leaning against the shed and observatory for far too long. Then I spread some gravel in the dips in the car parking space.

 I have deleted my tirade against the freight firm. The local driver, in a much smaller vehicle, took on the task of delivery from the big lorry. When they met by chance in the village. He delivered the item literally to my door. A very pleasant chap. The two previous attempts were failures because the driver of their huge vehicles would not/could not go down the narrow drive.

 The smart new aquarium cabinet has been dragged into the desired corner and carefully leveled. Though it is very likely the carpet will sink under the combined weight of tank, stand and water. 

 The cabinet appears larger than I had imagined. I had no desire to grovel on my knees to admire the contents of the fish tank. Which would have been required with the tank manufacturer's own stand/cabinet at only 80cm high. 

 Now I just need somebody to help me lift the tank into place on top. I dare not try this myself. It is not only heavy but awkwardly large at 100x50x50cm. The new cabinet is 100cm high.

 A kind neighbour helped me lift the tank into place. 

 Dinner was fried chicken with pasta and tinned tomatoes. 

 

  ~o~