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~