~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?
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~
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