31.10.2024 Let there be light.

 ~o~

  Thursday 31st 51F/11C. Overcast. Dry but increasingly windy from the west.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night.

 Physio class in town this morning. I'll drive there. It saves lots of traveling time and makes shopping much easier.

 The display cabinet really wants to be in the living room. I could move one of the two grandfather clocks. Or, it could stand beside the TV as an accent light. In place of the present table lamp and mirror. Either option would block access to the side of the dining table. Which task the clock presently performs so admirably, yet darkly. The tallboy, standing beside it, shares the dark wood finish. Diminishing, instead of increasing the light levels where it is so desperately needed. Neither clock is running. So they are both purely ornamental.

 I like the dining table where it is now. After two decades of it dominating the far end of the room. Yet was rarely used. Except for collecting more junk. Old habits die hard. 

 This is probably all very boring for most of my readers. However, I am desperate to find something interesting to do. Other than watching YouTube videos and escaping on my e-bike. My days were once filled with some project or another. Now I struggle to find interest in anything at all. The house has remained largely unchanged since my blitz with a white paint brush and laying a few tiles. I have more of those to do but procrastinate.

 The living room walls remain strictly hovel. Bare rough cement to the south. Bare and damaged plasterboard to the north. All three, external walls should insulated. I am still waiting for the Nobel Prize winning. Affordable, low skill, insulation for domestic buildings. Getting to Mars, before the world burns, is allegedly more important. 

 8.00 There was light drizzle as I walked briskly to the far end of the drive and back. About 400m. I've had my shower. Time to go.

 10.30 Back from physio. Feeling stronger and fitter each time. I bought a cheap 3m long, LED strip for the display cabinet. Complete with PS and remote. Also a couple of wooden door knobs for the pine, recycling container cupboard.  

 The image [above right] shows the effect of hanging 3m of LED lights down the edges of the shelves. I would prefer the LEDs were hidden from direct view behind a strip of some sort. The doors are separated by a wooden moulding. I could attach the LED strip to that. Though this would halve the light output and make it more directional. The LED strip can be cut between diodes if needed. 

 The second image [left] shows the single strip running down and hidden behind the centre bar. Temporarily clipped so that the doors can't close. I think it looks better than the visible LEDs. Even at its brightest setting the white light is very blue.    

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. I forgot to take a picture.

 

 ~o~

30.10.2024 Old display cabinet.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 30th 50F/10C [8.20] It started off overcast but sunshine is promised from early morning. Breezy from the west.

 A self seeded Norway maple provides autumn colour. It used to be bent double by growing under the vast horse chestnut. It seems to have recovered since being freed. As an attractive tree I have allowed it to grow.

 Up at 7.00 after a restless night filling the fire bucket at hourly intervals. I deliberately avoided coffee after dinner. So it must have been the water content of the salad!

 The room has an odd "chemical" smell this morning. Electrical overheating? I went around with my infrared camera looking for hot spots. There were none. Something which went into the stove last night? A contaminated wood briquette? Dunno.

 9.00  Going for a walk. A grey sky and a building breeze. I limited myself to exploring changes on the neighbour's shared drive. A land inspector [surveyor] has been busy and erected numerous stakes around a small field with their logo. To what end? This field [large lawn] lies between two houses. Will the field be sold? Is sold? It is big enough for another house but for Scrapman's crap. It would make any buyer extremely nervous.

 There has been some earth moving and a new rough track produced. Without obvious reason. It's all a mystery where Scrapman is concerned. He started one of his rebuilding projects and then it stopped dead. Half finished and the roof still open to the weather years later. Numerous trees growing out of it now! Nothing happens for years and then there is inexplicable change. Meanwhile what was once a modest pasture is covered in useless scrap.

13.30 Sunshine. I drove up to a distant charity shop which often has interesting furniture. It's where I found my new bed base. Today I found a vintage display cabinet. It meant driving back home and unloading the logs from the trailer. Before having some lunch. I piled the logs in the greenhouse using a wheelbarrow. Some tidying to do. Before the new logs can be neatly stacked against the house wall.

 I am now off again to collect the cabinet in the now empty trailer. I had better take some padding materials and rope. The cabinet will have to be sloping. Leaning against the raised front of the trailer. 

 15.15 Home again with my prize. It is nothing very exciting but a mere 125Kroner/£14 equivalent.  About 45Wx45Dx175cm high. Polished edges to the four, toughened glass shelves. Wood grain coated chipboard? Unusual chevron glass fronted on spring hinges. Which is what attracted me to it. That and the vintage door handles. They remind me of of our dining cutlery when we were kids. The mock ivory might clean up. Made in Denmark by the Hamlyn Møbleabrik. [Furniture Factory] Shopfitting cabinet? Medical?

 I want to experiment with different ideas. Before investing more serious money in a new display cabinet. Or cabinets. If ever. The concealed midriff light bulb doesn't work. LED lighting is much more practical and attractive these days.

 I had backed up the trailer to the rear entrance door. Then slid the cabinet into the hallway on its back. Now it is standing safely upright in the kitchen. Waiting for a decision on its most likely position. I am bound to change my mind. There is plenty of room for it but it is presently blocking the switches and sockets. Tempting, but it would be a waste to use it for shoe storage.

 17.00 Room at 65F/18C. Stove lit. More non-burnable kindling? The briquette isn't catching either! 

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. One of the yolks was broken inside the shell.

 

  ~o~

29.10.2024 It's all happening.. slowly.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 29th 53F/12C [7.15]  Overcast and misty. Light rain possible.

 Up at 6.15 after a mixed night.

 8.40 Back from a walk to the lanes. The mist was slightly patchy. At 200m some trees were just silhouettes. The roads were clearer to perhaps 300m. The overhanging trees dripped on me and the passing traffic. Blue tits, in the towering, roadside hedgerows, scolded me for territorial invasion.

 I have turned the coffee table. Which is supporting my large plants. At right angles to the wall. The Monstera was too large to see both windows simultaneously. Many leaves were resting against the blank wall. Moving the pot to the far end of the table. As far from the wall as possible. Provides more even light from both windows. 

 13.30 Returning from visiting my friend. Shopped on the way and on the way back. Lots of asphalt, road resurfacing going on all over the place. Including a previously, very rough cycle path in the village.

 18.30 I have lit the stove. 65F/18C was not warm enough. I have had several messages. A heart monitor, which was discussed at a previous hospital visit. Can be collected on the 20th December from the hospital in Odense. This is in preparation to the possible later fitting of a pacemaker. My heart was showing increasing false beats at a previous check.  

 The national bereavement service rang. To say that it is unable to provide a psychiatrist outside Copenhagen the capital. Luckily, the local bereavement counselor will be visiting me in early December. Not a qualified psychiatrist but an excellent and long experienced therapist. She provided vital support after my wife died. 

 It had been agreed that I was no longer in need of regular sessions. With a follow up arranged for early next year. I feel the need for another session. To try and escape from my depression and ongoing survivor's guilt. Which keeps disturbing my sleep. I cannot lie in bed once I start thinking about my wife. My days are an endless escape from reality. As I doze away my remaining time. Or pedal away the days. Instead of continuing my projects and fulfilling my responsibilities.

 Dinner will be salad. I bought the ingredients earlier today. With a couple of sliced boiled eggs I think.

 

 ~o~

 

28.10.2024

 ~o~

 Monday 28th 49F/9C. Dark grey overcast. A long, wet day is promised.

 Up at 6.10. I need a bigger fire bucket! In the absence of a suspect I am framing the tin of Heinz tomato soup. This is a topical joke. For those who are awake.

 Physio exercise class today. What can possibly go wrong? 😂

 I finally managed to shrink the self aggrandizement image of our hero at top right. Resized to 150 pixels instead of the Google default 312. My beard, in real life, has shrunk too. The self portrait was the result of investing in a new cam and LED video light. Intending them to be used on WhatsApp for video chats. The camera and light have since enjoyed almost zero exercise.

 11.40 Returning from physio. Where everything went fairly well. Followed by a long chat with one of the physiotherapists. She has talked me into contacting the Danish national bereavement council. Where they can provide psychiatric help in the absence of such a local service being available. 

 The therapist is worried about my continuing depression, guilt and sleep disturbance over the loss of my wife. It was nice just having somebody to talk to. I feel I have a lifetime bottled up with no other outlet than my blog. Yet feel guilty for burdening others with my story. The exercises and stationary cycling have greatly improved my physical condition. There is still little or no socializing. 

 I lit the stove early because the room was only at 63F/17C. Not really warm enough for watching YouTube videos. Nor TV later.

 Dinner will be chicken, mushrooms and boiled potatoes. Now I can see into the future.

 

 

 ~o~

27.10.2024 Not a lot.

 ~o~

  Sunday 27th 53F/12C. Dark grey overcast, damp, wet and windy. Rain promised for this morning. Brighter later.

 Up at 7.40 6.40 after an unusually quiet night. It must be all that cycling. Or getting up far too early yesterday. I forgot to set the clocks back. As you do. When you are a lifelong clock watcher, collector, builder, repairer and restorer of clocks.

 I had a walk to the lanes. Cool but not cold. Nothing unusual to report. I was tempted to walk to the woods but was afraid I might become ill with nobody around. Which was a bit silly. Because nobody is around while I am at home. Or out on my bike. Or even in the car.

 13.10 Lunch over. First sign of sunshine. 

 I spent an hour this morning exchanging a 1/4 of the aquarium water and cleaning the tank. The plants are showing bright green leaves after being coated with ugly brown algae for weeks. Not uncommon because of the explosion of nutrients in the water. Before beneficial bacteria can establish themselves. These would consume nitrates and stabilize the water chemistry. I have removed one LED light strip and will reduce the amount of food I give the fish.

 I need to go shopping. 

 But didn't.

 I remembered to take the dustbin along the drive in the pitch dark. The stars were bright.

 Dinner was sardines on toast with halved tomatoes. Followed by a whole tin of tomato soup. There weren't enough rolls left to have one with the soup. I shall be in town tomorrow for physio. So I can easily buy more rolls. I seem to have been eating rolls all day long.

 I finished off the day by washing up. An all too rare occurrence. I still have no explanation for a missing fork. There are four knives but only three matching forks. I have been looking for another fork in the charity shops but am unlikely to find anything similar.

 

  ~o~

26.10.2024 Getting rid of more stuff.

 ~o~

  Saturday 26th 51F/11C [5.30] Another cool grey day with light winds?

  Up at 4.00. Worrying how to get rid of more stuff. Brexit makes selling anything to the UK [eBay?] all but impossible. The UK is the only real market for some of my collections. Zero interest in Denmark. Thousands of English language books. I can't even give them away! I have tried. 

 English electric master clocks and dials? It's a narrow interest subject outside of Britain and the US. Even inside the UK. My astronomical telescopes and accessories? An even smaller market. Sheds full of tools? Will it all go in a skip when I am gone? Or when I get put in a home for antique people. 

 I saw quite a large, antique lathe on a pickup truck yesterday. Sheer coincidence, but it reminded me of all the things I once valued so much. Yet no longer use for my countless interests and hobbies over a lifetime. I gave away the easy stuff to assorted charity shops. They have no way to handle my lathe or umpteen boxes of tools. 

 There is no online auction service, like eBay, in Denmark. A fixed price, non-bidding website means I have to judge the market and price very low for a quick sale. Probably handing a nice profit to any buyer. If they know how to place it. My Danish clock collection I sold was the same. I was glad to see them go after hoarding them all around the house for years. I gave them away for peanuts per clock. Only for the buyer to sell a single clock. For far more than he gave me for my entire collection of forty rare clocks. 

 Then there is my late wife's collection of china and Scandinavian glass. I promised myself that I'd set up display cabinets, but to what purpose? Nobody but myself would ever see it. They'd just make me terribly sad that she never saw them properly arranged. Every time I glanced at them would remind me that she is no longer here. Everything I own now fills me with melancholic nostalgia. 

 It all has potential value to the right buyer. If I leave it all behind, untouched, it will be a huge burden to those who follow. A house clearance at an auction house would be lumped into home furnishings. Half a dozen bored pensioners looking for a bargain on a rainy afternoon. 

 8.30. I went back to bed for an hour. Which became and hour a half. Going for my walk.

 9.15 And back again. There was patchy mist to add to the autumnal backdrop. Soft white lines followed the folds in the fields. Invisible lines of geese passed audibly overhead. As crows and others shouted over territorial gains. Pheasants punctuated the soundscape appropriately. No danger of invisibility on the roads so far.

 I feel the need for another ride. If not now, then when? A dry day, not too cold and little or no wind. I am charging the other battery while I get ready. Bogense is a suitable target. Up on the north coast of Fyn. A harbour full of boats, yachts and tourists. More charity shops to browse. About 35km each way. Assuming I don't detour. As is my wont.

 15.15 Back from a 94km ride. It was sunny throughout until the last leg. When the wind started to pick up. I kept the sun behind me on the outward ride. Just following my nose as the lanes suggested to me. Then I faced the sun all the way back. It must have worked because my route was a neat oval on the map. 

 I started feeling the saddle from about 50km onwards. Not crippling but uncomfortably hard. It may have been because I was wearing the cargo trousers over my padded shorts. Wearing bibs might also have been more sensible. Given the length of ride I had planned. I had applied the Assos cream before I left. 

 It was odd how the air suddenly felt colder from 40km. As the landscape noticeably sloped off towards the north coast. Then the temperature evened out again. I stopped on each hour long enough to eat a sub-micro Corny bar and drink a tiny carton of organic apple juice. I should have been more patient and made my usual, cheese and honey lunch rolls to take with me, but didn't. 

 I saw lots of cyclists out training. Or just enjoying a ride. Including a bunch of about 30 in the same uniform. Mixed male and female riders. All belting around a junction in tight formation.

 It was amusing to watch two male pheasants making threatening head bobs at each other. They had a bare field of perhaps two kilometers by one to play on but chose to compete for that little space. Xi Jinping and Putin writ large.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and chips.

 

  ~o~

25.10.2024 Another 20km.

 ~o~

  Friday 25th 50F/10C[7.30] A dark, grey start to the day. A mostly cloudy day with light, southerly winds.

  Up at 7.00 after a quiet night. 

  8.40 The light winds are having no problem moving the trees about. Time for a walk. 

 9.30 Back from my walk. Cool but not cold. Wind hardly noticeable. Plans for today? Don't wear sunglasses!

 12.30 Back from a 20km ride to the shops and back. Heavily laden, I hadn't been shopping. The sun came out. So I had to ride back without sunglasses. An annoying headwind too. I am doing it all wrong! I should have gone in the car. Only joking. The Contec saddle top is still doing well. Even without padded shorts. I am continuously surprised by my increasing fitness. Albeit aided and abetted by the e-bike.  

 Another lazy afternoon on the computer. Passively watching YouTube.

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes.

 

 

 

  ~o~

24.10.2024 Urbanising the Trykit trike.

 ~o~

  Thursday 24th 49F/9C [6.40] Cloudy but dry with light winds.

 Up at 6am after waking at 5.30. A quiet night with only three trips to the fire bucket.

 A busy day ahead. Physio exercise class in town. Then deliver the trike to the bike shop for conversion to flat handlebars for more comfort. Then onto cooking class. Thankfully I have the car back to cut travel times.

 For the trike I'll need new brake and gear levers for an "urban" conversion. I am unsure whether I'll need a new rear gear changer. There is an 11 speed, wide range Shimano/Sram cassette fitted but with Campagnolo 'Athena' gear changers front and back. Indexing was never perfect at the rear using Campag Ergo levers. The flat bar gear levers must obviously match a Shimano rear gear changer and cassette. 

 No need to stick to 11 speed if [say] a 10 speed set-up is easier. That would mean the cassette must be changed. Road and MTB gear changers and levers aren't the same thing when it comes to cable pull ratios. The actual number of gears adds further complication.

 I'll have to take the Trykit slide hammer just in case. To partially remove the Trykit rear axles. So the Trykit 2WD free-hub can drop out. It's only a matter of releasing the outer spring circlips in the back axle bearing housings. The wheels are self extracting with a large hex key. The cassette is fitted to the splined, Trykit 2WD [two wheel drive] free-hub as normal Shimano practice.

  Whoops! I managed only a couple of kilometers before the petrol pump gave up again. So I had to call the rescue service [again] and the car is now back at the workshop [again.] There is a back order on Morris Minor fuel pumps from the UK. So it could be ten days or more before I see the car again. Luckily the rescue service dropped me at home. So I have my e-bike for shopping and transport.

 14.30 Or not. The Morris Minor expert doesn't drive his own car in the winter. So he donated his own fuel pump to my car to get me mobile again. What a nice gesture! After returning him to his workshop in my car I went on for a spin to Odense. Where I bought a very short, straight, handlebar stem for the trike. 

 The idea is to swap this in place of the long stem on the drop handlebars. Hopefully bringing comfort from the shorter reach to the brake hoods. It still felt as if my nose was on the front tire. The trike felt incredibly light after riding only the heavy e-bike for so long. 

 I hadn't lost my ability to ride a trike. It just felt incredibly rough on the gravel and potholed drive. The large pedals would actually bottom on the ground if the were turned the wrong way. I didn't dare go out on the road in the speeding traffic. Not without the rear view mirror.

 Dinner was a salmon pasty with peas and boiled potatoes. I deliberately overcooked the pasty after previous struggles to cook thoroughly.

   

 ~o~

23.10.2024 60km + Morris repaired + trike.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 23rd 47F/8C [9.00] Clear and bright. A sunny morning is promised.

 Up at 8.20 after dozing for ages.

  I intend to ride over to see my friend. 50km round trip. About 30 miles in olde money.    

 14.30 It turned out to be slightly more. While at my friend's place I received a message that my car could be collected. Whoopee! It was the fuel pump which had packed up. I could hear it clicking away all the time and had guessed it might be a problem.

 So I rode straight to the workshop from my friend's house. Rather than going home first. It was 30+30km for 40 miles equivalent. The Contec saddle top was comfortable throughout. Thank goodness.

 I was riding remarkably strongly. Albeit in Sport mode. There were some seriously long and steep hills to climb! Most of the Nyon 1350 computer screen vanished halfway back but the bike kept going. The bike battery had gone right down to 21% but whether that was the problem I don't know. All I have is the top line of  information. The rest of the screen is blank. Very odd! 

 Fixed! I held the On/Off button down until the screen said Goodbye! When I switched it back on the whole screen was fine. It recorded my ride and displayed the details.

 Now I have to load the bike carrier onto the Morris tow hook. To go and collect my e-bike. I am just having a late lunch before heading out again.

 Having collected the e-bike I started stripping the Trykit trike. Ready for the flat handlebars. Already fitted. Removed rear rack and bag. Computer housing, cadence sensor and magnet. SPD pedals. I saved some money and time. By fitting the old Moustache flat/MTB pedals onto the trike. 

 The old, sun bleached, Brooks B17 'Special' has been put back on. I have left the paired, Tektro TT brakes front and back of the fork crown in place. Whether flat handlebar levers can manage the pull ratio with these stirrup brakes I have no idea yet.

 Nor whether I'll need a new 11 speed, rear gear changer. I fitted Campag changers front and rear with Campag Ergo levers but still with a Shimano/Sram 11 speed cassette. The Campag cassettes have a smaller diameter hub. Which won't fit on the Trykit 2WD free hub. A left over from my Shimergo experiments. The 11 speed was supposed to match across the different maker's products. You'll find a load of different posts on Shimergo if you do a search of my blog in the box above. Some on the Trykit trike. Others on the violet Higgins "Ultralite." 

 I had a trial fitting of the trike on the carrier. With the chainwheel resting in the centre of the wheel track it was perfectly stable. With the help of the carrier's top tube clamp of course.The carrier projected far enough that the trike's left rear wheel did not quite touch the car.  

 The carrier and frame clamp wheels both lock. Making bike or carrier theft extremely difficult. I always add a highly visible, ABUS U-lock. [Or two] Just to ensure nobody is ever tempted to try. I'll drive the Morris with the trike loaded to town tomorrow. Then deliver the trike to the bike shop after physio class. The bike shop opens at 10am. Just as the class finishes. So just right. 

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast with halved tomatoes.

 ~o~

22.10.2024 It's aways a headwind!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 22nd 50F/10C [8.30] Overcast? Or just very cloudy. 90% cloud? Is speckly a real world? Let's go with speckled. Winds light to start. Building and going westerly later.

 Up at 7.15 after another difficult night. I was too cold to start with in my T-shirt but hoped to warm up. I didn't and had to get up and find a jumper to sleep in.

 When I did sleep it was on/off. With long periods of half awake dreaming and reliving memories. Lesson learned? Light the stove in the evening! Whatever the lying bedside thermometer says. [68F/20C]

 I may get a visit from my friend later. Or even this afternoon. The usual tip isn't looking too shabby at the moment. I might belt round with the vacuum.

 I've had a nice comment from Paul asking about a PDF for the Longstaff 2WD unit. I couldn't help but there may be somebody still reading my daily rambles who can. He sounds as if he is busy on trikes and racing pedal cars. So please drop a comment below with a direct link to the PDF. Or contact details if you can help. Thanks. 👍

 Talking of comments: I get dozens of spams [Plural ?] from Indian and Asian businesses trying to flog product in my comments. All such corruption in the comments will be deleted. They will never [ever] appear unless I approve them. So why bother? Why should I give you free advertising space for completely out of context garbage? Does your own business website allow complete strangers to advertise their own garbage? Thought not. 

 Firefox is still unable to allow me to comment or reply to comments on my own blog. I have to open Chrome. 

 9.00 I ought to have walk. To enjoy the increasing autumn colours. Is a Sycamore a Field Maple? Or vice versa? I ought to look it up. When I get back!

 10.00 Back from my walk. The sun came out and the cloud vanished. Crystal clear to the horizon. Lots of puddles in the drive from overnight rain. 8mm. 

 I heard only one bird singing. None were visible. Not even the local sparrows. It seems I am seeing the Norway maple locally. The sycamore has more rounded leaves. It was a common tree in the UK when I still lived there. In the last century.

 I feel the need for another ride. Not too far. 

 13.30 A 34km ride today. Returning into a strong headwind! The battery was right down to 4km reserve when I arrived home. Otherwise a lovely ride in bright sunshine. Lots of birds. Including several birds of prey. Perhaps they don't get up early?

 I called in at the Morris workshop. The car is in a queue. So I haven't a clue when I'll get it back. My friend couldn't come over. So I shall ride there tomorrow. Another 50km. I had better wear padded shorts.

 I had to cancel the delivery of my trike to the bike shop. To convert to flat handlebars.

 Dinner was fish finger and chips.

  ~o~

 

21.10.2024 Laundering one's Moustache.

 ~o~

  Monday 21st 55F/13C [7.45] Cloudy and very windy from the SW. Very mild for the time of year.

 Up at 7am after another wakeful night.

 Physio exercise class in town. I have to ride there. The Morris being in intensive care. Headwind going. Relaxed return.

 10.40ish I returned from physio. I was feeling great after working deliberately hard against the strong and gusty wind on the way there. I had allowed 40 minutes. 13.6km in 35 minutes made me five minutes early. 

 After the initial 15 minutes of exercise bike intervals I worked my way around all the machines. Aiming for 6x15 repetitions on each. At load settings which caused a real burn as each set concluded within an overall five minute margin. After that it was back on the e-bike to ride home. Helped by a tail wind or gusting behind my right shoulder. 

 11.30 59F/15C. Windy and rather overcast at times. While wearing cotton cargo shorts the Contec saddle top feels as if I am sitting within it. Rather like one of those antique, pressed steel tractor seats. The Brooks B67 always felt as if I was perched on top of a block. I may need to tighten the tension a little more for the Contec.

 After bringing in the laundry and putting it all away I turned my attention to the e-bike. It was encrusted with farmer's brown mud from my recent rides. Anybody would think I had been mountain biking! So I parked the bike in the middle of the parking space. Where else? Then used three brushes, two large buckets of free rainwater and over half an hour to clean it all off. 

 Now I have to invest another half an hour of my little remaining lifetime in washing up! It took only 20 minutes? Am I getting good at this? Surely not?

 The electricity power supply company has sent me a large envelope containing a hot offer. They say that: Starting from over £10,000 equivalent, I too can have a heat pump system installed! Save up to 60% on your heating bill? Are they serious? Do they know the price of logs and secondhand furniture? No government subsidies? Not even for old farts? Haven't they heard about climate change? 

 Pay back period? Apart from the wood stove, I am using two small, oil-filled electric radiators. Just to keep the frost off the plumbing. No more. I don't spend much time in the bathroom or kitchen. So, I would be deeply in debt to the electricity company just to have a warmer kitchen? And, how would I pay for the massively increased consumption of the heat pump?

  60% savings on bugger all would take centuries to pay off the £10k+ heat pump. Allowing for deliberate energy price inflation. Not to mention the millionaire lifestyles of the energy brokers. 

 Meanwhile, improving "Chez Hovel" would immediately set off alarm bells at the local council offices. Where official house values are calculated against quality and features. So my rates would shoot up! Despite the hovel being no more attractive to reluctant house buyers.  All, in all, what the British call "a nice little earner!"  

 Now that I have clean crockery and cutlery again I can make some toast.

 Dinner was three poached eggs on toast. There were three eggs left and well after their "best by" date.

 

  ~o~

20.10.2024 More about my leather saddles.

 ~o~

  Sunday 20th 53F/12C [8.50] Heavy overcast. A grey start and increasingly windy from the south. The trees and hedges are thrashing about. Sunshine is promised after lunch.

 Up at 7.45? My sleep patterns are all over the place!

 9.00 Going for a walk.

 9.30 A cool breeze but the cloud is breaking up. With the promise of some sunshine. Scrapman has been moving his collection of giant garbage around. It's amazing how one [alleged] raving lunatic can ruin so many people's lives and property values and get away with it for decades. He buys up properties for small change at forced auctions. Then uses the gardens/grounds for collecting any old crap. Which he leaves mostly untouched for years. So that the weeds and brambles take over. 

 Cars, lorries, tractors, shipping containers, large boats, site offices, etc.etc. are all stacked next to people's homes. He takes the roofs off the properties and removes the windows. Then leaves an ugly skeleton for years for the neighbours to enjoy. Complain, and he will park something huge and hideous, like a factory boiler, right against your hedge! 

 I wonder where I could go for a ride?    

 12.30 Returning from a circuitous, 24km ride around the area. Though some of the the lanes were plastered in mud. Thick, wet, liquid mud and mixed with gravel at times. The Moustache has very close clearance mudguards. Which meant the mud building up on the 2.7" wide road tires was making scraping noises. I decided to speed up the cleaning process and walked the bike along the grass verge. Later I noticed areas where the mud had built up on the frame. I shall have to rinse it all off.

I deliberately explored side roads which I have never ridden or driven before. Some were marked with "No through road" signs. I even found short cuts between all too familiar main roads. Other roads were the result of industrial estate establishment or expansion. I rode several kilometers of rough gravel drives associated with a stately home/farm. Which the Moustache managed well but noisily for the contents of the rear panniers. I shopped on the last leg on the way home. 

 No padded shorts today. Just pants and trousers. The Contec saddle top continues to confirm its considerable comfort superiority over the Brooks B67. I can't readily explain why. Both are made of fairly thick leather. They feel similarly flexible when freed of their coil sprung, supporting frames. Both are much the same size. I can't even blame the frame. The Contec Exclusive Classic Touring leather top is now sitting on the Brooks B67 frame.

 The Brooks has firm lines embossed front to back and a textured overall finish. The Contec has none. Just smooth leather and very firm "lacing" underneath using rivets. I punched and tied the side flaps of the Brooks to stop it splaying foolishly when seated. The Brook's splayed side flaps would rub when I pedaled. It was turning into a triangular plate! I know from long experience that Brooks saddles will quickly become shapeless unless laced or tied.

 Despite the smooth, overall finish. I do not and cannot easily slide about on the Contec. I have to lift off to adjust my position. Had the Contec frame not broken I would still be riding it and saved the silly money that the B67 costs. The Contec was selling for about £65 equivalent at a village local bike shop.[LBS] but they gave me a serious discount. The B67 cost me about £90 equivalent online. Prices are lowest at the Holland Bike Shop 775 Danish Kroner and much higher at 90 Euros at Amazon.de. There don't seem to be many Contec dealers. I tried many different bike shops for a replacement frame but nobody stocked Contec.

 Frame breakage aside, I'd say the quality of the build is higher for the Contec than for the Brooks. The fancy finish on the Brooks leather is let down by the very old fashioned frame design. The tension adjustment nut rotated the whole rod. So despite cranking the special spanner there was no tension change! I have several Brooks spanners from a number of Brooks B17 purchases over the years. The Contec has a hex socket in the nose of the tension rod. Making adjustment easy and foolproof. 

 Dinner was a mushrooms, chicken, peas, boiled potatoes and gravy from the last of my Bisto gravy powder. I am looking for a stockist in Denmark. The English shop is daylight robbery. Buying from the UK, post Broxit. Would risk £20 of Danish post office customs clearance charges. On top of the purchase price and post and packing. Which charges, by the way, include gifts and printed paper rate parcels.

 

  ~o~

19.10.2024 Ouch & Aah!

 ~o~

  Saturday 19th 51F/11C [7.00]  bright start becoming more cloudy. Easterly breeze going southerly.

 Up at 6am after a night of lying awake for hours. Regurgitating memories. 

 I am still unsure whether I want to ride to the vintage car and spares fair in Fredericia. It is a 100km round trip. Last time I went in the Morris and enjoyed a lot of interest. I was even waved in to park with other special cars right next to the vast exhibition buildings. 

 The Morris is unwell. Again! Turning up, like a rag doll on my e-bike, isn't remotely the same. I'd still get to see the Morris Minor Club stand and other members. Admire the cars. Have a good stroll around the huge number of cars and spares stands and assorted junk. 

 I have ridden to Fredericia and well beyond on my trike a number of times. Though that was admittedly a few years ago now. Old age, health issues and the impending loss of assorted marbles, due to statins and statistics. Suggests I won't get many other chances to ride 100km. 

  I haven't managed a 100 mile ride since I was a teenager! That was on the bucket list for far too long. 85 miles on the trike was my last, best effort. About the same as my best on the e-bike so far. Imagine if I dropped dead on the e-bike? My obituary would read that: "He died in the saddle. Doing what he liked best." [While suffering from chronic saddle soreness!]

 It's not my getting tired from the extended exercise. So much the inevitable saddle soreness which I have to worry about.  After a bare few km the Brooks B67 soon feels like I am sitting on the metal frame! Not on a comfortable, suspended leather hammock of a century's careful evolution! The magical e-bike can provide all the help I need to keep moving forwards. Within reason.

 I have endlessly tried changing saddle height and tilt without relief. In desperation I have even wasted a fortune on a pair of Assos bibs. [Padded racing [?] shorts with stretchy braces.] The braces keep the shorts tight up under the rider's crutch. Hopefully avoiding all looseness and the potential for friction. From unwanted folds of cloth becoming trapped between the saddle and rider.

 I have tried numerous saddles without finding a cure. Sitting upright on the e-bike means I should use a wide saddle. To spread the loads more evenly. It really doesn't seem to help in my case. Being an old fart may well be the reason. No personal padding where it matters. I even imagined bits of loose skin were getting folded and squashed by my own weight. Now a rag, skin and bone man of a smidgen over 75kg in my cycling shorts. One kg per year? I'm 77 you know!

 I have tried the Assos with thermal long johns inside, outside and without. I have tried wearing poly-cotton cargo trousers over without benefit. Apart from extra warmth in cooler weather. I tried my extensive range of [recycled] cotton shorts. I have tried the expensive Assos [chamois] padding grease on myself and the thick sponge Assos padding. Perhaps they should mix cocaine in the grease?

 It really seems to be my pressure points [sit bones] causing the pain. Not friction between the padding and my nether regions. Nor any added or absent clothing. I have read online that age increases the risk of saddle soreness. A bit of an understatement for a change.

 I have tried all my old cycling shorts and bibs. With and without underwear, long or short. Nothing has offered pain-free cycling beyond a miserable 25km. The Assos have much firmer and thicker padding than any of my other shorts and bibs. Which was [foolishly in retrospect] what caused me to splash out. Despite the insanely expensive price tag. I should have bought a designer handbag and tried that as a saddle! Nothing else seems to help. 

 8.10 and I am still waffling and undecided. The second battery is on charge. Having dropped to 80% after yesterday's shopping ride. I average 1% drop in charge per kilometer. So, with a healthy reserve in each, will still need two batteries. That means I have to consider security. 

 Will I have to drag my two, fully packed panniers around the hall for several hours? Leaving them attached in an unsupervised, outdoor cycle rack might not be a good idea. Though I can padlock the bags to the bike rack itself. It would be disaster to come back out and find I can only get home with no motor assistance! 

 Nearly 10.00 I have changed the Brooks B67 leather top to the Contec "Exclusive" Touring. Using the B67 frame with a couple of minor changes. I dispensed with the miserably idiotic Brooks tension bolt at the nose. The Contec bolt has one of those newfangled hex sockets in the nose! Making saddle tensioning much less painful than the Brooks saddles themselves.  

 I also needed the Contec serrated lock nuts for the tops of the B67 springs. The screw size was slightly smaller than the Brooks. The spring size and spacing seem identical to the naked eye.

A quick ride down the drive felt fine. Noticeably more comfortable than the Brooks. From which I am still suffering from riding only 16km yesterday in civilian clothes. Tilt, height and tension are more or less the same. The Contec leather top is no deeper on the Brooks frame but smooth leather and the sides firmly joined and riveted underneath. With a much nicer, antique leather finish. Now that it has a few miles on it. I never liked the perfection or Brooks pimples on the e-bike. Too obviously a cycle saddle. The Contec looks like an old motorcycle saddle to my jaded eye. Both are much the same size in plan. With the Brooks only slightly shorter.

 Talking of which: I do not plan to ride to Fredericia after fitting the Contec saddle top. Too much of a risk if anything should break or fall off far from home. As happened with the Contec frame. One of the spring rails snapped at a bend. Despite the claims for quality steel in their advertising! The Contec might be a false memory of comfort. My longest ride to Børkop Cykler of 84 miles/145km was on the Contec.  

 I shall just have a tootle to the familiar charity shops. On the look out for kitchen storage furniture. It is almost too late for morning coffee and a marmalade, toasted roll. I actually feel hungry. Worms? No, getting up at 6am! 

 10.40! A light shower has not dampened my desire for a ride. My cycling jackets are waterproof as far as it matters.

 13.30 Returned from a 55.4km ride. I headed north but the most interesting charity shop was closed. Again. They have some odd opening days and hours. Probably a lack of volunteers. I turned round and headed home by the most circuitous route I could manage. Keeping, as much as possible, to the narrow, rural lanes. 

 The Contec leather top was ridiculously more comfortable than the Brooks B67. I stopped once to lift the nose slightly. Then left it as it was. The B67 has always felt as if I was perched on a small block of wood. While the Contec just felt like a saddle. I passed 50km before I lifted off to adjust my position on the Contec for more comfort. 

 It rained at 13.00 for about a quarter of an hour. My cargo trousers were soon completely dark with wet. I wasn't expecting rain. So hadn't taken my waterproof trousers. I wore the Assos bibs [shorts] underneath the trousers. I just kept going and began to dry off. The jumper I took for emergencies was never needed. The Endura rain jacket was warm enough over just a racing jersey. I didn't even bother with a thermal vest. There was only a very little sunshine during the entire ride.

 30% battery charge left from 100% at the start. That's a bit more consumption than my average. This may have been the temperature. Mostly using Sport mode with a little Turbo for the steeper hills. With an average speed of 22.4km/hr [while moving] it would probably take me around five hours of actual traveling time for 100km. 

 Based on today's ride I could get to my goal at 50km in good shape. It would take me longer to get back as I became tired towards the end. When I would be making much more use of Turbo. Even today's light wind was very noticeable as a headwind. Helpful though, when I had the wind behind me.

 Dinner was sardines on toast.

 

 ~o~

18.10.2024 Through a mist, darkly.

 ~o~

  Friday 18th 56F/13C [7.20] Thick mist warning but very mild. It could reach 16C/61F this afternoon.

 Up at 6.40 as memories of my wife came flooding back. 67F/19C in the room.

 Happy Birthday Tim.

 8.00 I was going for a walk but there really is thick mist. About 100m. Even the garden trees are soft and whitened at 20m.

 I phoned my mobile service provider and had several issues fixed. Effortlessly and in perfect English. I even have a cheaper service plan. Because I wasn't using a fraction of the original and not even enjoying the phone to the maximum benefit. [Through my own ignorance and phone settings] I had no idea what I needed when I bought my first smart phone. Superb service! I won't mention the name of the company in case the criminally insane can use the information in some way.   

 9.30 Back from a walk in the mist. It was steadily thinning. 300m visibility now. Only one driver aimed directly for my high-viz coat. They missed as I stepped onto the verge to avoid getting blood on my clothes. 

 I was witness to one of those extremely rare traffic events. A JCB digger driver pulled off to let the short commuter convoy pass. All of whom were showing fog lights. Grr! I forgot to take picture for The Guinness Book of Records!

 13.00 Returning from a ride into the village. Direct route going. Then back through the forest, by the hilly route, coming home. 16km. The mist has gone. The wind turbines were at a standstill again.

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms, eggs and halved cherry tomatoes. Helped down with a buttered, bread roll.

  ~o~

17.10.2024 Nyborg and bust!

 ~o~

 Thursday 17th 52F/11C [11.00] Bright sunshine and dry but still windy.

Up at 7.40 after another odd night of dreams. I have physio so I have to get a move on. Shower, breakfast, check the news.

 I was early at the physio building. The automatic doors were operating but no sign of life other than myself. After ten minutes the other members started turning up. Expecting a normal hour of exercises. Just on time the staff started appearing. I was just on the point of driving home. 

 Nyborg town hall gable end.

 After an hour of trying to fit in as many exercise machines as possible I left to visit the cycle shop. I have an appointment next Wednesday afternoon. To see what new kit is needed to convert my trike to straight bars. I can no longer tolerate being bent over on dropped bars. With my weight on my hands and wrists. 

 I have already fitted the bars from the Moustache e-bike. Though I feel I may need a much shorter stem and the bars may be rather too wide. I hope to ride the trike into the village to shop. 5km each way. With small hills on the direct route. Further if I go the long way through the forest. With lots of far more serious hills. 

 On the e-bike it is far too easy to use motor power. I have nothing to judge my real cycling fitness level. Being fully manual the trike will provide this information While remaining a useful shopping trolley due to the large bag on the rear rack.

 I plan to drive into the city. To look for kitchen storage furniture. Charity shops and/or IKEA may offer what I need. I prefer to see the IKEA stuff rather than shop online. I can look at washing machines too. It would be tempting to ride there if it wasn't so windy. Though there are charity shops outside the city with furniture. I would have to pay to reserve them. Then return later with the trailer. If I was sensible I could prepare my bread rolls for lunch and take them with me.  

 11.45 Lunch made. Off we jolly well go.

 8.00 Finally home. I made it to Odense in the Morris and then onto Nyborg. Where I saw a chap riding a green Pedersen. After which the car started misbehaving. The engine would cut out briefly. The problem was that it kept getting worse! I made it almost all the way home after several complete stops. In the end I could not progress any further. 

 So I parked up in a village. In a location that would be easy to find for the rescue service. I rang my insurance company and they organised the pickup. Luckily the driver was able to drop me off at home. After delivering the car to the Morris Minor expert's workshop. The proprietor reminded me that I was going to miss the vintage car show in Fredericia this weekend. Grr!

Too late to start cooking. So I made poached eggs on toast.

  ~o~

16.10.2024 Comet.

 ~o~

 Wednesday 16th 43F/6C [8.30] Another dry, sunny day but windy from the SE. Peaking at 11C/52F.

 Up at 7.30 after an average night of weird dreams and topping up the fire bucket.

 70F/21C at bedtime. 65F/18C this morning. 

 8.30 Going for a walk.

 Despite it being much milder the wind made it feel quite cold. 

 10.00 I am expecting a lady visitor from the village.

 12.45 53F/12C. Sunny but rather windy. My visitor has just left.

 I shopped in the car in the afternoon. 

 The comet was just visible in binoculars but much more difficult to capture with the phone camera. I went out several times. There was a lot of cloud and the cold wind. Checking my images later showed I could squeeze one image to make the comet visible. Mostly by reducing gamma and cropping heavily. Timed at 19.29[CET].  OnePlus Nord 2T 5G f/1.88 1/4s 5.59 mm ISO15866.

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes. Delicious!

 

 ~o~

15.10.2024 First white frost!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 15th 36F/2C [8.00] Bright with small, pinkish clouds against turquoise to the east. All  day sunshine forecast with light winds. 

 Up at 7am after a reasonable night. I shan't be cycling anywhere far today. Much as I would like to. I can still feel the B67 saddle! I shall probably be visiting my friend today. So I shall go in the Morris.

 8.30 A walk first.

 9.15 Returned from my walk to the lanes. The first real frost. With snow white grass and hard black ice on the Morris. I emptied the 28mm of rainfall from the gauges to avoid potential ice damage. There was not a breath of air movement. A neighbour's chimney smoke couldn't decide which way to drift. Yet the local wind turbines were spinning vigorously. Which makes absolutely no sense at all. Perhaps the silly rumour, that the towers are full of batteries, is actually true? 

 I wasn't cold thanks to the absence of wind. My hands were a bit chilly but soon warmed up with intervals in my pockets. No doubt the low, blinding sun was doing its thing.

 Two cormorants went over without deviating. Geese and gulls will always change course. At the sight of my plodding figure below. Magpies were interested in a fresh, roadkill rat. Until I disturbed them by crossing their path. A huge, white, bird of prey was sunbathing in a distant tree. It stood out like a swan had crash landed!

 The MacSlobs had been distributing their toxin packaging again. A car was heading for me like a cruise missile. Only inches from the verge. So I quickly took to the grass. Only for the blonde driver to wake up and steer away with a smile and a wave. Of apology? Or admiration for my fast reflexes?

 The washing up has got away from me again. I am rinsing individual mugs, bowls and cutlery. Just to be able to continue eating. 

 13.15 Returned from visiting my friend. I very sensibly went in the car. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the leaves were brightly coloured on many of the trees.

 I had the room and kitchen up to 69F/21C from the greenhouse. IT fell back to 66F/19C later. So I lit the stove. Only one log later it is back up to 70F/21C and rising.

 I have to do some more tidying before my visitor arrives tomorrow. The hall coat rack looked rather untidy. I have ten jackets hanging there! All used at intervals. With half a dozen more upstairs. 

 Thanks to a nudge from my friend I have just seen the bright comet. I caught it just before the moon flooded the sky. All my pictures were hopeless. Camera shake! Despite borrowing a fence post to steady the phone.

 Dinner was mince with tinned tomatoes and chips. An experiment which worked well. I used a slotted spoon to spread the tomatoes on top of the mince. This reduced the amount of liquid. I ought to sieve the tomatoes next time. Probably try mashed potatoes with it instead of chips. I am not sure it wouldn't be too soggy. It would need the tomatoes to be much drier.

 ~o~

14.10.2024 eBay to restrict e-bike and battery sales.

 ~o~

  Monday 14th 47F/8.3C. Bright overcast. Promised to be dry and sunny. A moderate northwesterly wind going westwards after lunch.

 Finally up at 7.30 after more strange dreams. It seems I am learning to just lie there and doze.

 I am looking for storage furniture for the kitchen. So a tour of the charity shops is indicated. Failing that I shall have to fall back on IKEA. If I ride the e-bike to the city I can park easily. If I go in the Morris I can cover much more ground but may struggle to park nearby some shops.

 I saw a YT video claiming eBay is banning the sale of e-bikes. With many imports lacking European authorization, having severe fire risk problems and offering highly illegal speeds it may well be true. 

 Well, it seems eBay is restricting private sales of batteries and bikes from the end of October in the EU because of fire risks. The UK Independent claims there have been 155 battery fires in London this year alone. Almost double that of last year. Several deaths have been caused by battery fires. Including a woman and two children who died in a fire after a battery was bought online. 

 There is a danger of poor quality or incompatibility between chargers and batteries. YouTube has lots of "tuning" videos. Where a complete amateur recommends increasing the performance of e-bikes to highly illegal standards or power, voltage and speed. Tuning chips are readily available online for most popular machines and motor types.

 eBay is stipulating only authorized businesses may now sell e-bike batteries and products on their site. The insurance companies are claiming huge numbers of lithium battery fires occur. Perhaps as many as 1 in 9 UK residents have suffered fires across all types of products using lithium batteries.  

 8.45 Going for a walk to ease my lower back pain.

 9.15 Back from a short walk. I was doubled over to start with. Tried a few bending and toe touching exercises without benefit. Walking backwards didn't help. So I walked down and back up the neighbours' sloping drive and that did the trick. On my return I dragged both recycling bins back with me. The traffic was unusually light. It is quite possible that some shops will be closed for the holidays. Perhaps I should just go for a "fun" ride instead? 

 15.15 Returning from an 84km ride. I left about 11am for the coast near Fåborg. The ferry looked tiny from across the water. I had to change the battery when the first dropped to 25%. Twice I was caught in spray drift from farmer's spraying right beside the road.

 Yet again I suffered from saddle soreness. Which was eased by taking a break each a hour off the bike. I would stop and munch a micro Corny bar and drink a carton of apple juice. While I deliberately paced up and down. It seemed to work. At least for a while after each pause. 

 I think the problem is increased sensitivity to sitting on a hard surface. It may be that the flesh in my sit bone area has thinned. It may be folded and being squashed or just provide no padding. My use of the Brooks B67 after various failures with other saddles has not been very positive. I have tried re-tensioning and Proofide to no avail. The obscenely expensive Assos bibs are thickly and firmly padded. Again, this provided no greater comfort and was a complete waste of every penny.

 I can still remember saddle soreness from my teenage years. Back then the chamois was real and the shorts made of wool. All intended to absorb sweat. Not provide much padding. I rode a Unica Nitor saddle. For its lightness compared with the alternative, leather Brooks. None of the 30-odd saddles I have ever ridden over the years was comfortable after a few miles/kilometers. As a footnote: I cannot personally recommend eating Brussels sprouts the night before a long ride. Nor the human anatomy as an effective hovercraft.

 Dinner was free range, poached eggs on toast. From my nice neighbour's pretty hens.

  ~o~