31.12.2024 Last, but not least.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 31st 44F/6.7C. Overcast and windy with showers.

 Up  at 7.30. I woke at 4am and then drifted until 7.30.

 I have to shop before the supermarket closes early for New Year. A bit more tidying of the all IKEA instructions and packaging was required. There's a whole trailer trip to the recycling yard if it all had to go at once. 

 I have been refining playing with the kitchen layout drawing produced by the IKEA app. Currently in the 17th iteration. 4130mm x 2860mm = 14'6" x 7'2". 2360mm = 7'. A good size for a solitary master chef.

 Now I really must go shopping. No bread rolls left for lunch!

 11.45 Returned well laden with shopping. No chicken, so I bought organic, beef sausage.

 13.00 My nice neighbours visited with their little dogs but did not
come in. Because their feet were wet and muddy. They left me with some delicious, home made biscuits.

 14.30 The lady from the next village has just left. Her "brief visit with something left on the stove" turned into an hour. She liked my glass cabinet & lighting. 69F/21C in the room.

 Dinner was sausage, tweggs and chips. I preheated the oven for 10 minutes at 250C. Then gave the chips 20 minutes on the top shelf at 200C. While I fried the sausage slowly at 4 and then the eggs. 

 A few fireworks and rockets went off this afternoon. Presumably to entertain the children. Without their having to stay up until midnight. I am watching "Killing Eve" on Netflix. An excellent series with a very strong cast. 

 It's blowing a gale with loud gusts. Up to 50mm or 2" of rain is possible.

 

 ~o~

30.12.2024 Awash?

 ~o~

  Monday 30th 46F/8C. Continuing grey but windy. The promised storm has been reduced in severity and snow added to the mix. Or heavy rain if we are lucky.

 Up at 6.10 after another quiet night. I was awake at times but just drifted and dozed. As the large red numbers on the digital clock stepped inexorably but silently forwards. I haven't had a morning walk for a while. Let alone taken the bike out. The weather has been too miserable. 

 Hopefully my walking briskly around IKEA. Has made up for the lack of formal exercise elsewhere. Then there was the breathless assembly of the oven cabinet. Running [?] up and down stairs looking for tools. Oh, and the fruitless digging for sewage drainpipes under the lawn. And, the log movements from trailer to greenhouse stack. Digging up stone slabs. The list goes on and on. 

 65F/18C falling slowly in the room. The mild weather is having a benign effect on indoor temperatures.

 14.40 Light rain and gales under a heavy overcast. I have brought all the firewood into the greenhouse. I didn't want to struggle through snow to get more logs from the trailer. I collected the recycling bin from the end of the drive while I was out there.

 The DMI has issued a heavy rain warning. Up to 50mm/ 2" is possible. 

 Dinner was fish fingers, with pasta, peas and tinned tomatoes.

 

  ~o~

29.12.2024 Let there be [smart] light?

 ~o~

  Sunday 29th 42F/5.6C. Continuing grey and drizzly.

 Up at 6.45 after yet another quiet night. I was dreaming about stacking camp beds. My wife was scornful. A chilly 60F/15.6C in the room. I'll have to light the stove. Then tidy up. The sheer quantity of packaging and literature involved in IKEA purchases is prodigious! 

 10.00 A more comfortable 69F/21C in the room. I have been playing with my IKEA lighting in the glass display cabinet . The "Styrbar" remote control now works from right across the room. To dim and switch the lights on and off via the PS/driver box. The magic in this, is that I can adjust the overall brightness. To achieve that air of mystery. Which was provided by the single overhead bulb but lost with the addition of all the extra LED lights. Now I can still enjoy even lighting throughout the display case. 

 A single Styrbar remote can control multiple PS/driver boxes. Alternatively, it occurs to me, that a second remote could control a second driver box. To provide control over individual lights. I am still experimenting with strip and spot lights for downward shelf lighting. To lift the brightness of the middle shelves of relatively, dark coloured glass.

 The LED strip lights rather overpower the spots for brightness. Yet provide more even lighting. While, simultaneously, the strips can be more easily hidden behind the glass ornaments. Thanks to their linear form factor. The spots are slightly too bulky to hide easily but provide a more pleasing down light. Albeit far more localized.

 Dimming the strips alone on a separate power supply might solve this. By subtly dimming the strips to match the overhead spots. I have had a new idea. Leave the spots at full strength but dim only the strips. I have two power supplies/driver boxes to play with but only one remote control. With the intention of lighting the glass cabinet in the kitchen with the spare. Individual dimming didn't work. I prefer overall dimming. With all lights controllable on the one PS and remote. 

 Of course there is a home control app. Including smart lighting. Sadly the Dirigera "gateway" access box is foolishly priced compared to their other lighting products. 500kr is £56 in ye olde monie. It controls other stuff of course. Which I don't have and are never likely to. It's a lot of money just to adjust the mood lighting in a single display case! So, no thanks.

 16.00 44F/6.7C. Heavy overcast with a cold breeze. I have been toing and froing with a wheelbarrow. Collecting logs from the trailer and stacking them in the greenhouse. This was safer, for my health, than trying to push the loaded trailer. 

 Then I dumped the IKEA cardboard packaging in the shed. Before lifting a large, stone slab from the greenhouse threshold. It was causing problems with opening the sliding doors. So I had to undermine it. To let it sink well clear of the door track. It has been a nuisance for years. Though that greenhouse door was hardly ever opened in the past. Until I cleared the greenhouse and started stacking firewood against the house wall out there. 

 I took one of the recycling bins along the drive. To be emptied early tomorrow morning. It was drizzling, breezy and very dark. Thank goodness for LED torches!

 Dinner was supposed to be poached eggs on toast. My mind wandered. I had a frying pan heated and oiled before I realised my mistake. It was too late to go back to Plan A and it made a pleasant change. 😋

 

  ~o~

28.12.2024 Whoops!

 ~o~

  Saturday 28th 38F/3C.

 Up at 6.15 after another quiet night. Aching all over from yesterday's IKEA assembly.

 I will have to get an electrician to move the several sockets. Where the new oven cabinet will stand. Some came with the house. A new one is on a surface mounted box and will push the cabinet out by three inches or 75mm at an absolute minimum. While presenting a potential fire hazard by being immediately behind the oven itself. I had that one installed quite recently for the old fridge position. An oven wasn't even on the horizon at that point. Then I discarded lots of storage furniture and moved everything around. 

 Another major problem is the insertion height of the oven. The oven is 57cm high and the cabinet only 56cm from the top of the drawer front up to the inside of the top panel. The drawer itself is all fresh air behind the towering drawer front. So it is only the drawer front which is limiting oven access.

 Oh dear! I missed the specific instructions for the bottom drawer. So I had used the wrong holes [of three] in the quick release, click-lock, metal brackets. This lifted the drawer front by well over 1cm. Fortunately IKEA show how to dismantle the drawer at the end of the instructions. It took only a few minutes to correct the problem. The top slides could then be lowered to match the IKEA instructions. 

 8.10. Job done. Never assume. Check twice. I had to stand the cabinet on some scrap pieces of wood as feet. The drawers are now at their correct level and the clearance above the top drawer edge is 58cm high. As required by the oven.  

 Now I have to add the metal shelves and their support angles strips for the oven. This will help to stiffen the carcase. Since there is no other cross bracing without the supplied shelf. Which I did not plan to use. Which may well be another mistake on my part. Could it separate the drawers? It is shown as a support for the oven position in the instructions. For which duty I shall use the metal shelving. 

 There is no cross-bracing with the steel shelves. There is no attachment to the edge supports. Which suggests, to me at least, that I ought to use the white shelf for stiffness. Then just lay the steel shelving on top of the white shelf as long term, heat protection. 

 9.45 Oven shelf fitted. The oven case rests on plastic rails out near the bottom edges of the case. So the raised edges of the thin steel shelving won't affect the height or clearance. I had better make another shopping list for IKEA.  

 13.30 Back from IKEA. Strangely patchy mist on the way home.  

 The short strip light I bought yesterday is perfect for the bottom of the glass cabinet. I rested it on its side to flood the lower half of the cabinet. Without shining up into my eyes. The phone camera greatly exaggerates the brightness. I need to make a template. To mark the position of the LED spots under the top panel of the glass cabinet.  

 Now I have drilled the glass cabinet's top and bottom woodwork. To allow the IKEA plugs to just pass through. Making the wiring invisible. I may make a collar for the IKEA spots to avoid laterally spreading light. The next image shows an additional, experimental strip light in the centre facing down. To flood the centre section with light. I would have to drill the backboard to hide the cable. 

 I also bought some handles for the drawers of the oven cupboard. Which I think look the part. While avoiding any risk of catching my clothing if I brush past.

 Dinner was salmon pasty and chips. 10 minutes preheat at 250C. Then 20 minutes on a baking tray on the top shelf. 

 A severe storm is forecast for Denmark on New Year's Eve.

 

 

  ~o~

 

27.12.2024 IKEA time wasting.

 ~o~

  Friday 27th 41F/5C. Grey.

  Up at 7.30 after a quiet night. Expecting my cabinet parcel from IKEA this morning. After which I shall deliver my guest to the train station in the city. Then on to the hospital to return the heart monitor. Before going on to IKEA to examine their LED lights. 

 8.30 66F/19C in the room by all three digital thermometers.

 9.15 I moved the loaded trailer in case the delivery vehicle needed the space. IKEA parcels arrived in a huge van. Struggled reversing down the narrow drive. Stopped halfway and then carried them. Brought indoors as requested. Standing up in the hall. I had to move it. The tallest is 39kg heavy! Instant nose bleed! Stopped with pinching. I will have to be more careful.  

 14.15 Returned from the city. Delivered my visitor and the heart monitor. Bought a load of LED lights from IKEA. Got home to find I had no connecting leads for the short strip lights! The spots came with nice long leads but there were none for the strip lights. I'd bought two connector blocks for nothing. They contained low wattage PS/drivers and are being discontinued. While the Trådfri LED PS/drivers have multi-blocks supplied in the box. I bought one of each. 10W and 30W. Grr.

 Another point of confusion was the oven cabinet I'd bought. It did not contain a metal shelf for the oven. This has to be bought separately but is not mentioned in the oven cabinet description. I could not believe that one is contained in the packaging. Because it was so thin. 

 When I went to pick a metal shelf from the self pick area it was in a very thin box! So one could indeed be hidden away in there. And was! The original cabinet has full length, hefty angles to support the oven. No crosspieces. The extra has full metal shelves supported on doubled angle strips.

  I had no time to open the packaging before having to leave. Due to its considerable weight it needs careful thought. Before I decide where to do the assembly. There is not much room in the kitchen. More space in the living room but harder to drag the competed cupboard into the kitchen. I'll just have to use my sack truck.

 Then there is the problem of the messy electrics. A projecting double socket is right where I want the cupboard to be snug into the alcove corner and against the wall. Then there is plastic conduit on the back wall. Which will force the cupboard out more than desired. 

 15.30 40F/4.4C. Overcast and getting dark. The LED spots are really quite nice. Very light, low profile, warm white, bright, but not harsh. I bought three, intending to fix them to the top inside of the cabinet. In place of the present LED screw in bulb and rather clumsy fixture. 

 The spots actually work rather well resting face down on a glass shelf. To illuminate the centre section of the tall display cabinet. They do not work at all well facing upwards because of the glare. That's why I bought the 40cm strip LEDs. Then discovered the lack of connecting leads. They use proprietary plugs and sockets. So it's back to IKEA tomorrow. Another 60km round trip. [40 miles]I am too tired to go back today. Their delivery service is achingly slow and expensive! 

 After studying the LED strip packaging more carefully. I discovered a printed black rectangle. Marked Excl. and showing the mains plug and lead, PS/driver and low voltage LED connecting lead. All three are extras. NOT included with the boxed item. I'll have to watch out for that if I use IKEA again.

 17.00 Making progress. Working on two folding workbenches in the room. Cardboard surface protection. The instructions clearly show two people required for comfortable/safe assembly. The next step is to add the top and bottom to one side. So things get heavier and more awkward.     

 17.10 Carcase assembled. Backboard ready to be pinned. An awkward axial rotation onto the open face of the cabinet. No problem at all in practice.

 17.30 Back pinned in place after checking for squareness. 

 18.30 First, medium drawer assembled. Easy when you know how. I need a rest. My back is aching from leaning  over. I'll raise the bench onto its legs before proceeding with the second drawer.

 19.15 Second, larger drawer assembled. Same drawer front. Deeper [taller] innards. I had better have a snack and a cup of tea. There is some chicken left. 70F/21C in the room.

 The two drawer front are 40cm high. Which doesn't leave much room for the oven. Which is 58cm high measured over the naked casing. Perhaps the drawer front overlaps the bottom edge of the oven's glass face plate? No, there is some clearance under the facade. Which is just as well. Or the drawer might strike the oven. 

 The top of the oven plate will slightly overlap the cabinet top. The oven shelf is adjustable but the oven will be quite a tight fit. The advantage of the metal shelf is thinness. A chipboard shelf would use up much more vertical room.

 The next step is fitting the drawer slides to the insides of the cupboard. The screw holes are pre-drilled but must be carefully chosen according to a complex plan. Depending on how many drawers there are. The drawer instructions say which holes to use.

 9.00 I had to adjust the screw holes for the drawer slides. Otherwise they overlapped by a centimeter. They close perfectly now with soft closure. Almost completed. All I need to do now is place the metal oven shelf at the right height. Then think about feet. I have had enough for today.

 

  ~o~

26.12.2024 Mosaic.

 ~o~

 Thursday 26th 43F/6C. Grey.

 Up at 8am after another quiet night. This is becoming a habit.

 8.50 64F/18C in the room. Stove lit. [But see below!]

 The mosaic was a Christmas gift from my house guest. Skillfully hand made from a combination of small mosaic tiles and pieces of deliberately broken plates. Measuring 40x30cm [16"x12" in olde money] the mosaic is now sitting in pride of place on my vintage coffee table.

 10.30 For all my attempts to share accurate room temperature readings. I have failed miserably! I had the large, digital thermometer sitting on my bedside table. Where it was far enough away from the stove not to be affected by radiant heat. 

 My failure was that I had it set to "Out." Where a small sensor terminates a long length of wire. To be used to register outside temperatures of course. The problem was that the sensor has been hanging down the back of the table. Resting against the cold wall bricks. On setting the display to "In" the registered temperature shot up to 71F/22C! Here the temperature of another sensor, inside the body of the digital thermometer, is displayed. It was no wonder I was sweating after a couple of hours of the stove being lit! 😥

 I have been researching suitable LED lights to use in my display cabinets. IKEA do some shallow, round "puck" lights. With a colour temperature of 2700K they can be descried as warm white. Hopefully providing a more vintage look than "hard" blue-white LED lighting. 

 I shall have to see them lit, in the flesh, before buying. They also do quite short LED strips in diffusers. Which might be more appropriate for even lighting from the bottoms of the cabinets. 

 The trick is to block any direct light from shining upwards into one's eyes. While still providing a nice spread of light. The larger the initial area of illumination. The better the light can reach around items in the immediate vicinity. To brighten more distant items through the intervening glass shelves.

 The image alongside greatly exaggerates the variation in light levels. To the naked eye the lowest shelf seems just nicely illuminated. 

 Some collectors use lights across the front edges of their cabinet shelves. So that the items on each shelf enjoy perfectly even and high levels of illumination. I am not keen on this idea. Because it denies the shelves their invisibility. Another negative is the displayed items can no longer seem to float in space. A third is the volume of the lighting units themselves.

 This is where solid shelves fall down. Hopefully not literally. They are usually thick and block the light. Whereas glass shelves become almost invisible. While light passes cheerfully through the glass unhindered. The inverse square law applies to cabinet lighting too. The greater the distance from the illumination the darker things get. Unless one can somehow provide light midway in a tall cabinet. The center section is inevitably deprived of illumination.

 Glass cabinet sides help of course. Allowing external light to leak in. I wonder whether it would be possible to light the middle section from without. Without it looking too obvious. 

 12.40 44C/7C outside. 72F/22C indoors.  

 I've had phone message to say my IKEA cabinet parcel will be delivered tomorrow between 8 and 10am.

 Dinner was Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, broccoli and meatballs. I forgot the potatoes. Though I doubt there was room for them. We enjoyed the last of the museum, red wine.

 ~o~

 

25.12.2024 Merry Christmas!

 ~o~

  Wednesday 25th 43F/6C [9.30] Grey and misty. For the next three days.  

 Up at 7.10 after another quiet night. The goldpigs [goldfish] have been fed.

 Merry Christmas to all my readers. I am now the proud owner of a green, long sleeved vest and a matching jumper. Which go perfectly with my green hunting cardigan, cap and Ventile winter jacket.

 10.00  63F/17C in the room. The stove is lit.

 I had a nice chat on the phone with family members in the UK.

15.00 Brought in some logs from the trailer. I had run out in the greenhouse.

 It remained misty but relatively mild all day as promised.

 19.00 44F/7C. Dinner was chicken, Brussels sprouts, carrots, roast parsnips and potatoes. Washed down with an excellent red wine. A gift from the museum. My apologies for the colour of the home made gravy [sovs.] My guest is washing up, under protest! 😄

 

  ~o~

24.12.2024 Christmas Eve.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 24th 32F/0C. A cloudy day with possible sunny periods or light showers. Up at 7am after a very quiet night. 

  If the walls and ceiling weren't so ugly the room might almost pass as acceptable in a dim light. I love the atmospheric feel of the vintage, glass cabinet containing my wife's Finnish art glass vases. 

 Shown here with an over-bright LED strip across the base. I am searching for a more understated, subtle lighting scheme. LEDs offer compactness but need to be in period. Warm white perhaps?

 11.30 More cloud than sunshine. Returning from the village supermarket with a bag full of groceries. Who knew that parsnips were an essential ingredient to Christmas dinner? 

14.00 Some tidying and vacuuming upstairs has occurred.

 The stove is going well now that there is no shortage of logs. Creeping slowly up from 66F/19C to 68F/20C.

 17.00 41F/5C. A largely overcast afternoon as the outside temperature climbed slowly. I have just been introduced to curried sild. Herring in a curry sauce. Very tasty and a traditional Danish delicacy apparently. It made a pleasant change from my habitual marmalade. Spread on my 5pm, toasted bread roll with a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit.

 20.00 I made dinner again. Handmade meatballs from organic beef mince. Cauliflower and boiled potatoes. With a fruity red wine. The gravy was made with Brun Sovs og piskefløder. 50% gravy browning sauce and 50% cream. It was all fine, if a bit mean on quantity,  but I prefer Bisto. Not readily available in Denmark. I don't know why I don't just order some online.

 

  ~o~

23.12.2024 Through a glass, darkly.

 ~o~

 

   Monday 23rd 41F/5C. A wet and windy morning is promised clearing slightly from the NW.

Up at 7.10 after a quiet night but with weird dreams. 

 8.15 63F/17C in the room. The stove is lit with more scraps of wood and a briquette. I hope to be able to collect a trailer full of logs this morning. 

 9.40 That's good. The wood place is open from 10am. 

 10.00 Whoops! I just had chest pains after moving the trailer! 

 12.00 Returned from collecting a trailer full of logs. They were very generous. Even dumped their normal bucket for a smaller one. To ensure the logs all fell within the upper cage. I covered the load over with the fitted tarpaulin to avoid any loss on the way home. I have many weeks' worth of stove fodder now. A huge relief.

 We dropped in on a village charity shop. Where I found a brand new, plastic mixing bowl. Just like the ones we use in the cooking classes. I had nothing large enough in which to whip the eggs for the omelette yesterday. Now I have. 15kr is about £1.67 in olde money. I was ripped off! They cost only 39kr for two from IKEA! Grr?  

 13.00 The sun has broken through. However briefly.

 15.30 All thanks to my interior designer, restaurateur, house guest. I finally have some of my wife's Finish glass on display. My visitor carefully washed it all. While I dried. The cabinet glass was cleaned of tobacco stains and streaks. Then the collection arranged in a far more pleasing manner. Than I could ever have achieved myself.

 It really needs more light to reach the bottom layers through all those glass shelves. Perhaps some LED spots set wide apart and angled inwards. There is nowhere sensible to fix self-adhesive LED strips. Though individually adjustable spots could be attached to the cabinet's front uprights.  Something I have seen on modern, commercial, display cabinets. 

 The single top light gives the cabinet a tantalizing air of mystery. Almost outdated museum-like. LED strips proved to be much too harsh. Despite the bright, even lighting. They stripped the contents of period authenticity. Probably 1960-70s.

 Photography required the cabinet's glass doors to be opened, the cabinet light switched off and a forced flash setting on the phone camera. Then slight trapezoidal adjustment in image handling software to get the cabinet sides parallel.  

 Dinner was sausages, eggs and mushrooms. I cooked. My visitor washed up.

 ~o~

22.12.2024 Bringing order to ingrained chaos.

 ~o~

  Sunday 22nd 38F/3C [8.15] A wet early morning clearing to sunshine is promised. The eastern sky looks clear with only a little cloud. Brighter than recent overcast.

 Up at 7am after another quiet night. There is an Intel graphics driver update [endlessly] installing on my PC.

 8.15 61F/16C in the room. I have lit the stove and will be using up all the smaller bits of beech firewood. It is not so convenient as split logs because it has to be fed to the stove at shorter intervals. Though there is no shortage of warmth. I can feel it on the back of my neck. As I sit at the computer several meters away. The trick is to use enough solid chunks of wood. To ensure reasonable longevity of the burn.

 I must tidy up and clean the place in readiness for my Christmas visitor. She will be staying for a few days. Just as she did last year and again in June. The latter was when I had my heart problems. Unfortunately, for her, she had to house sit. While I was being repaired in the city hospital. She is good at bringing tidiness to my usually chaotic hovel. Without the strong emotional bond to useless objects. Things can usually and more easily be recycled through donation to the charity shops. Than if I was left to my own devices. 

 The journey probably won't be much fun for her. As this is the busiest day of the year on the railways. Booking a seat is usually sensible on the Danish railways. I shall collect her in the car from the village later today. We can easily keep in touch on her progress. Thanks to free wireless on the train and the mobile phone network on the buses.

 It is an unfortunate coincidence that the kitchen is now in a state of complete uproar. Due to the very recent arrival of an oven and a washing machine. Without any sign of any tradesmen willing to install the plumbing and drains. Probably due to the Christmas holidays intervening. Poor timing on my part. I had hoped to have both items installed and working by the time my visitor arrived. The oven is now usable but still sitting nakedly on the cupboard. An IKEA tower cupboard to house the oven. Is due for delivery after Christmas.

 To add to the problems I had tried to stand the oven on my antique pine cupboard. There was nowhere else for it to go at the time. Which meant taking down my stacked, larder shelves from the wall above. Things went from bad to much worse. As I emptied the pine dresser and large trolley in the corner of their combined and accumulated detritus. Only to find that it all still needed to be stored somewhere. Preferably not on the kitchen floor. As much of it now finds itself!   

 9.15 Brightening to potential sunshine. I have just scraped the aquarium glass clear of algae again. Replanted the uprooted plants. Watered the indoor plants. Brought in more baskets of scrappy firewood pieces and kindling. The room has reached 63F/17C. Morning coffee I think. 

 10.00 The room has reached a toasty 65F/18C. My visitor has left home and is on the metro going to the train station.

 11.00 66F/19C in the room. I am tidying upstairs. 

 13.30 41F/5C. A sunny day but rather cool and occasionally breezy. A late lunch after tidying, vacuuming and mopping. 67F/19C in the room. I fixed new sticky contacts for the heart monitor on my chest after my shower. The originals I had fitted were getting itchy. The sticky contacts can tolerate showers but not the monitor itself. I'll leave in half an hour. Get some shopping and petrol on the way.

 14.30 My visitor is now safely delivered to Chez Hovel. 

 Dinner was a cheese omelette with mushrooms and an organic red wine. This was a novel way of making an omelette for me. I would normally pour the eggs over the cooked mushrooms. With the grated cheese mixed in with the eggs and a splodge of milk. It was fine. I cooked, so she washes up.

  ~o~

 

21.12.2024 Save a [bit of a] tree!

 ~o~

  Saturday 21st 41F/5C. Dry but windy morning followed by rain.

 Up at 7.00 after another quiet night. The heart monitor went almost unnoticed overnight in bed. It was never a problem. My left nostril is trying to bleed again.

 Somehow, even my plants look untidy.

 I really must buy some more logs today. As well as do some vital shopping. I don't even have any bread rolls.

 Whoops! The timber yard, which is my usual source of beech logs, closed yesterday for its Christmas holidays. Not open again until the 2nd January! That's two whole weeks! I have only three to four day's worth left.😳 I shall just have to burn briquettes. Mix them with the logs. I can get more briquettes but the stove manufacturer suggests very limited use. A maximum of one briquette per hour.

 There is another source of logs but I have no idea if they are open on Saturdays. It usually means calling them on the phone. I called. Not today, but I can fetch a trailer full on Monday. That will be a relief. 

 10.00 Returned from another shopping village. Where the choice is much wider. Despite one outlet from a supermarket chain closing down. I offer four full carrier bags as evidence of abundance. I may yet freeze but I will eat well. Everything seems very wet from overnight rain. Puddles everywhere.

 Only 60F/15C in the room. I'll go shopping in the village to keep warm. Save the planet!😊  I checked the moisture content of some of the drier looking horse chestnut logs in the heap outside. 22% might burn if I store it near the stove before using it. It was covered once but the lightweight tarpaulins don't last. I have reserves of wood chippings stored in old wheely bins. Salvaged over the years from "dirty" trailer loads of logs. Waste not. Want not. 

 More shopping in the village. I had better start tidying up. The washing up backlog needs to be done too. 13.30 I lit the stove and added the split horse chestnut pieces to the kindling. It seems to catch light readily and burns well. A slightly odd smell though not too bad. 

 I can feel the warmth on the back of my neck. It's lucky I didn't give it all of it away. Giggle suggests it only works in stoves. As it is known to spit on open fires. I will have to dig into the huge pile for the dry stuff at the centre. If I need to.

 Dinner was delayed while I washed up. Without which there would be no cutlery nor crockery. Then, and only then, I fried sausages, mushrooms and tweggs.

 Shortly afterwards the heart monitor battery gave out and needed the battery to be replaced. A charger and second battery is also supplied. I had charged the battery yesterday evening. So was well prepared. The instructions had suggested the battery be changed in the evening. So that the battery lasts through the night. 

 8.45 43F/6C. It is windy enough outside to be noisy. I am feeding the fire on bits and pieces of beech. The room has only reached 65F/18C.

 

  ~o~

20.12.2024 Heart monitor.

 ~o~ 

Friday 20th Early appointment at the distant hospital. UP at 6am on the alarm. Breakfast, shower dress and leave in the Morris. I arrived much too early. So wandered around a supermarket before going to the hospital. Handed the heart monitor by the heart department receptionist and left again. Still far too early for the shops to be open. So I walked around another supermarket before finding a baker and heading south to see my friend. Straight into the low, blinding sun for a while. The the road curved and the sun was off to my left.

 12.00 Returning from my visit. It rained briefly on the car while I was shopping in the village on the way home. 

 I haven't mentioned that the Monstera has responded well to the overhead LED work light and staking. The large, variegated and red leaved rubber plant beside it enjoys the light too. It too was leaning heavily towards the nearest small window before the light was added.  

 I have sought three more bids for the drainage and plumbing to the washing machine. From another building trades website. The first website produced no responses. 

 I have realised that a connection could be made to the large PVC drainpipe. Which exits the bathroom exterior wall from the toilet. Just the other side of the interior wall between the kitchen and bathroom. Likewise, a connection could be made to the water supply to the toilet flush. Again, just the other side of the wall behind the washing machine.

 So it could all be very compact. With no need to dig up the lawn. I wonder if it is worth my digging down to the toilet drainpipe to simplify things. Perhaps save on labour costs and avoid the need for a mini-excavator altogether. 

 15.00 Sunshine and showers. I managed to dig down about 60cm. Then I had to start working my way backwards. To allow the shovels to scoop out the soil I had loosened. I can hear something hollow down there but haven't reached the 110mm PVC drainpipe yet.

 The heart monitor was effortless to employ. Stick the contacts on my chest and attach the colour coded leads. Switch on. Green screen is okay. Insert in handbag with shoulder trap. Press the button to check functioning. Relax.

 I am taking a chance and making chips with fish fingers for dinner. In the new oven. I am disappointed to discover no timer. I had completely overlooked this in my choice. Though seeing the food in a bright light is rather entertaining. I didn't preheat the oven. As suggested on the oven chips' packaging. So, now I need a kitchen timer. Even if I can easily see the food being burnt. The mini oven had a clockwork timer but no internal light. So I used an LED torch. And kept resetting the timer when the food wasn't cooked!      

 The story of my culinary life it seems. I put the chips and fish fingers in the same baking tray on baking paper. The fish fingers now have little aliens in them and are oozing. The chips remain stoically white. This is after 40 minutes! I have moved the fish fingers onto another tray. Nearer the bottom of the oven. The chips have gone on the top rail to be grilled. The oven has a small hidden fan as well as the big one at the back. The little fan rattle and buzzes. Warm air is being blown into my face as I watch the food sizzle.

 The chips were too hard but still not brown. It was impossible to stab the chips with a fork. The fish fingers breadcrumbs were crisp, probably overdone, but tasted fine. Lessons learned: Preheat the oven. Separate the fish fingers from the chips. Chips on the top rail to be grilled. The fish fingers can go lower down and could easily go in 10 minutes later. Buy a kitchen timer.

I need more logs! Tomorrow morning. In the rain!

 ~o~

19.12.2024 IKEA Kitchen Planner Windows App

 ~o~

  Thursday 19th 48F/9C [7.40] A mild but very wet morning is promised. With about 10mm of rain forecast. Continuing breezy too.

 Up at 6am after a quiet night. 

 8.00 It is still too dark to see anything outside. No immediate plans for today. Will any plumbers or builders venture out to see the work required? Should I stay at home all day [again] in the forlorn hope of rescue? I could start digging up the lawn. To expose the relevant drainpipes. However, the wet weather, high water table and clay soil are not helping the cause.   

 The rules call for reduced angles and slower bends. So I may as well leave it to an expert with a mini-excavator. They may not want to lift an entire section of pipe just to add a new branch. They might go straight to the inspection chamber. To avoid major excavation. There is a spare, capped inlet. Even if I managed to complete all the work myself. I cannot lift the heavy [80kg] washing machine onto its platform alone. Though I am considering ramps. 

 I have watched numerous helpful YT videos on building IKEA kitchen cabinets and drawers. So I am at least partially prepared. For the oversized construction kit arriving on the 28th.

 I have been playing with IKEA's free kitchen planner software. It took a little practice before I had some control over the features provided. It gives the general idea of dimensions and form of my kitchen. One has to register an IKEA membership to be able to save plans. A 3D walk around is also provide. Rather oddly it only does wooden floors. Most[?] many kitchens are tiled. 

 I decided to pre-heat the oven for an hour as per the instructions. Removal of all internal fittings was confirmed. Set to highest heat of 250ºC without the fan. It took about 10 minutes before any warmth was detected. I brought out my remote reading pistol thermometer and infra red camera attachment. 

 After half an hour the naked case had reached over 54C in one particular hot spot on the left side towards the rear. The hottest I measured was in the 90sºC above the door vents. The glass inside the door is fogging slightly. The kitchen air temperature rose rapidly from 64F to 72F. [18-22C.] I have had the window mounted, extractor fan running throughout. No funny smells so far. 

18.00 I have just emptied the kitchen recycling bins. Clear, cold and starry outside. 40F/4C. It is expected to drop to just below 3C overnight.

 After 45 minutes: The door has reached 64ºC. A high of 64ºC was recorded by the camera. Averaging just above 40ºC on both side panels. In use it would be spaced slightly from the cabinet. With ventilation at the backs of the support shelf. A chimney effect would help to keep cabinet, surface temperatures down. Still no nasty smells. 

 The room is still warming rapidly. Now at 77F/25C. In the summer I have all the doors wide open. To the living room, both halls, bathroom and upstairs. I can fix another extractor fan out to the great outdoors. To draw warm and moist air away from the oven cabinet if it proves necessary. 

 18.15. After an hour I have switched the oven off to allow it to cool. The highest reading was 87C on the glass door just behind the handle. Which was a bit unfortunate. Care will be needed to keep one's fingers away from, the glass when opening the door. The left side panel hot spot was at 54C. The kitchen now smells slightly odd.

 I am printing the English language instructions without supervision. 20 pages long. All printing is reduced to a corner of each A4 side! Why?!!? 😕

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. I used the mini oven.

 Tomorrow I have to be up early. To be at the hospital in the city by 8.15.A minimum 45 minute journey in the rush hour. I am to fit a heart monitor to check on the recurring and supposedly increasing number of false beats. Thankfully I have been feeling fine and behaving normally. With no unwanted symptoms. I had better set the alarm clock. In the unlikely event that I sleep through.

  

 ~o~

18.12.2024 Decisions-decisions!

 ~o~

  Wednesday 18th 42F/6C [9.50] Anther dark, grey, wet, windy day. SW wind.

 Up at 8am after drifting for hours. I woke at 4am then glanced at the clock several times. Until I was too bored to stay in bed. I have an aching back. No surprise there. 

 The kitchen is in an awful state. I couldn't reach the sink to do the washing up last night. There are stacks of well filled drawers from my larder shelves. I have no idea what to do with all that stuff. The shelves can't go back up because of the new oven protruding upwards.

 I rang the plumbers who promised to call yesterday. They had no record of any contact. They suggested I need somebody with a mini-excavator to do the outside work. So I have contacted a local builder they recommended. He now has my phone number and address but can't call today. I wonder whether the mystery plumber will call again? 

 I have moved the heavy washing machine aside. So I can continue with my chores. The washing up backlog is done. 

 Now I have given up on trying to make a 60cm deep oven look as if it is far away. As it sits on top of the pine recycling cupboard. It isn't distant. Not remotely. So let's make it physically further away but keep it easy to reach, see into and use. I'll put the oven in the right side of the alcove. Housed in an IKEA 2m high Metod cupboard. The alcove is 156cm wide and 50cm deep.

 The oven remains on display and accessible in the middle of the cabinet. With some variation on installed height. The alcove depth means that very little of the oven or cupboard projects. [Only about 10cm/4"]  All of which will have a very similar projection. The washing machine is moved to the left. Even nearer the outside wall but still with a useful 32cm gap. Any pipework situated there will become invisible behind the machine.

 The problem then is using the rest of the oven cupboard efficiently. A midway shelf in the top cupboard "box" is slightly out of reach. The bottom box requires hands and knees access. Is a deep drawer a standard option for the lower box? Perhaps to hide the pots and pans. Would a drawer be a tripping risk to kitchen users when open? Would the upper box become too warm to act as a larder/pantry? 

 A shallow but wide box cabinet over the washing machine could become the new larder. While providing a useful gap over the washing machine. Allowing the top of the machine at 120cm high to act as a casual working surface. 

 After careful examination of the height of the oven I have settled on 140cm to the top. I still like the present 160cm height, sitting on top of the cupboard, but have experienced some criticism. It would [arguably] be too high for many ladies to find comfortable. Which might mean selling the house, on my demise, was made more difficult.

 I stood on two different stools. To simulate oven heights of 120 and 140cm. The top of the washing machine standing next to the oven would be at 120cm. Should I try to match the heights of their control panels? For a more orderly "kitchen designer" look.  

 Or not! The IKEA catalogue shows their "200cm" high cabinet with drawers and door is actually 208cm high. Only the bare carcase is 200cm high. My cottage kitchen ceiling, between the exposed joists, is only 203cm. So it would be physically impossible to tip the cabinet carcase upright. After building it flat on the floor or on trestles. The geometry of rotating diagonals simply wouldn't allow it.

 So, I have just ordered the IKEA 140cm high cabinet. With two deep drawers below the built-in, oven space. In white with wood grain, inset panel, drawer fronts. Similar to the image but all white. Clearly somebody thought 140cm was the perfect height for an oven. Delivery inside the house was slightly more than half the price of the cabinet itself! Arriving on the 28th December.

 Meanwhile I can practice my cooking with the naked oven sitting on top of the pine cupboard. First it needs to be heat soaked for an hour to shed any undesirable odours. A day without gales would be a bonus. I could open a window.

 Dinner was sausage, mushrooms and tweggs. Plus the other half of the tin of baked beans. I'd be happier if baked beans came in much smaller tins.

  ~o~

 

17.12.2024 [2] Yo-oh heave ho!

  ~o~

The last post was getting foolishly long. So I split it at the arrival of the oven and washing machine.

12.45 The oven and washing machine were delivered a day early but not carried indoors. I can get the oven up the outside steps into the hall. It weighs 30kg. Less than half that of the washing machine at 80kg. I think I had better ring the dealer before I hurt myself! 

 Nope. No help at all! Their driver has already gone home. Installing costs £100-150 extra but can't be done until I have had the plumbers in. They wont send their installer out without payment. It's going to rain. So I'll just have to struggle up the steps myself using my sack truck.

 13.15 Job done. Both items are in the kitchen. The usual problem of twisting at the top of the steps to get through the narrow door. The oven was easy. A little breathless with the washing machine and an extra nose bleed.  I used a couple of 8' lengths of scrap plywood as a ramp. With assorted lumps of timber off-cuts underneath to avoid local sagging. It's a good job I am so resourceful! 😇 Time for lunch! 

 13.45 I am hoping to unwrap the oven and lift it onto the recycling cupboard. Perhaps with the help of the plumber. The delivery driver lifted it without any problem. 

 14.15 So could I. With rather more effort and a worsening nose bleed. The oven projects 57cm from the wall. So I had to pull the cupboard forwards a couple of centimeters. I think I should be looking for something more substantial than the pine cupboard. Or I could reinforce it internally with battens. Unfortunately the oven dominates the food preparation space in that position.

 Would a modern cupboard look out of place in this hovel? Can ovens stand at 45º in a corner? Without looking very silly. Or at 90º. Sunk into the airing cupboard on the right? Or sunk into the back wall? To project into the living room under the stairs? Over the washing machine in the alcove? Raised higher but beside the washing machine? Hanging from the ceiling? 🙄

 I have a solution! Stacked on top of the fridge. Or rather a new fridge/freezer. Which I was looking for anyway. The present one is a compact model. 57cm wide but 60cm deep. 125cm high. The perfect height but getting old. Like me. With rust spots and lifting enamel. A 60cm x 60cm fridge would look much better. Relieve the pine cupboard of the weight and offset the oven from the preparation area. First find your new fridge/freezer. 

 Not so easy. Lower fridge freezers tend to be narrower. An alternative would be to sandwich the fridge sides between deep boards. Then support the oven on top. On a matching crosspiece. Something like 60cm deep worktop material would look right. Inbuilt fridges might work better than freestanding. There might be ready made casings. Not!

 I decided to stay with the present fridge for the moment. To get a feeling for how high the oven wants to be. The oven looked far too close when on top of the pine cupboard. Moving it on top of the fridge seemed less dominating. 

 However, the larder wall shelves blocked the oven from moving back to the wall. Lots of work removing all my "preppers" reserve stock. Then unscrewing eight shelf brackets. Finally I could lift the oven onto a temporary shelf. Which was the width of the oven.

 Now the oven's miserably short cable wouldn't reach the wall socket. So I had to move the cupboard and fridge+oven stack 15cm to the right. 

 If I fix two white boards. From the oven top down to the floor. The stack will look more like a unit. The sides of the oven are narrower than the front. So the boards will disappear at oven level. While enclosing the fridge lower down. 

 The oven rests on runners. Which are about as wide as the fridge. Though I wouldn't risk this without containment against lateral wander. So I am using an old white cupboard door as a shelf. Primarily for safety reasons. 

 I think the oven is slightly too high on top of the fridge. Though it is easy to see inside through the glass door. It feels like a stretch to open the door but isn't really. The oven presently rocks forward against its door closing springs due to a lack of constraint. If I return it to the cupboard top I could use an IKEA built-in enclosure with a drawer. The height of the drawer would lift it quite a bit less than up to fridge height.    

 17.50 The plumber didn't turn up. Nor ring to say why. The working surface is filled to the brim with the contents of my larder. I can't even reach the toaster. Dinner beckons. I'll have to find a storage tub. Or a recycled drawer. I needed two deep drawers + a 25L storage tub. 

 The oven is far too high on top of the fridge. I'll bring it back onto the cupboard and try packing it up to find the optimum height. 

 I had beans on toast for dinner. I couldn't do anything else. The kitchen is chaotic.

 That's better! I pulled the cupboard out more. Now the oven doesn't look as if it is overhanging and about to topple. The top edge of the oven control panel is at eye level now. It feels much more natural. I'll have to see about an enclosure.

 

  ~o~

17.12.2024 [1] All hands on deck!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 17th 47F/8C [8.50] Another mild grey day with some rain and wind.

  Up at 7.10 after another quiet night. I have been sorting out my many pills. Which I have to take for my heart/circulation problems. The pills in screw top pots are easy. I can see what they look like at a glance. Then match them with the label. I rely heavily on their appearance to avoid duplication and shortages. 

 The foil wrapped tablets are much more difficult to recognize. Unless I release one tablet I don't remember what they look like. The foolishly long drug names don't mean anything. Worse, I keep being given non-original tablets with different names but supposedly the same side effects. So the names and even the appearance get mixed up even more.

 Seven tablets per day now. Including a multivitamin. I use a plastic drawer dispenser marked with days of the week. The only safe way to avoid forgetting a day altogether. Or inadvertently doubling my dosage. Luckily only the former has occurred until now. Several times!

 8.55 Nose bleed. I really ought to have a walk. Before I start waffling on again. 

 IKEA in-building case for an oven.

 10.00 Back from a walk to the lanes. I even made it as far as my usual turning point. A niggling, cold wind tried to spoil my outing. It drizzled lightly on the way back. Meanwhile the rather sad, old house there is progressing. A brand new, outside door has been added. Where one would least expect it. This gave me some ideas about security while still allowing light to enter. 

 The house stands completely alone on the lane. Without neighbourly oversight.  So must present something of a security risk. We dismissed many potential [cheap] homes. Which were for sale over the years. Where isolation and security might have been an issue. 

 10.45 I have continued to do online homework about washing machine installation. If only to ensure that any work done confirms to accepted standards. A non-return valve and stop tap are needed in the machine's water supply. 

 The drainage is the main problem. My logic suggests a 110mm branch be inserted in one of the underground PVC drainpipes leading to the inspection chamber. 

 What I don't know is the legally required termination. Between the indoor PVC pipe and the 110mm underground PVC system. In the UK they would probably make a ground surface drain with perforated cover. Then let the machine's drain pipe flow by gravity into it. 

 Denmark has a colder climate. Or used to have in the past. So icing in hard frosts is a potentially greater risk. Making ground level drains and covers [probably] an unlikely choice. A continuous run of the indoor machine drainpipe down to a 110mm adapter at ground level [?] makes more sense. 

 Indoor drainpipe size seems somewhat variable. The vertical standpipe should be a minimum of 40mm diameter. To allow adequate flow and to avoid siphoning or even backups through inadequate flow rates. 50mm is easily doable but needs a larger core drill. To allow the indoor pipe to go out through the wall. 

 Does the indoor pipe exiting the house need frost or mechanical protection? An elbow outside drops the near horizontal flow downwards. A running trap indoors protects against smells from the sewage system. I could do the complete job in a few hours myself. Using a spade for excavation but it is not allowed. Only qualified and authorized workers may do so. There are also rules about surrounding or bedding underground pipes on gravel or sand. Plate vibrators avoid later sinkage over excavations. Slow bends and branches are increasingly demanded. To avoid slowing the flow or a build up of the nasty stuff.

 Which, these days means a mini-excavator to dig down to the 110mm pipes under the lawn. One can easily understand strict adherence to the rules. If only to protect the occupants against disease and sewage smells. It's just a shame that one cannot invite a qualified worker. To come in and inspect a competent DIY job. Unfortunately, I no longer know any "tame" drainage engineers. 

 12.15 I have been tidying up the undergrowth outside the end of kitchen wall. I have just had a phone call from another local plumbing service. He will come out and see what's involved today. They moved my water heater downstairs for me. While I had the electricians in. 

  ~o~

6.12.2024 Slow prgress.

 ~o~

  Monday 16th 46F/8C. Milder but a fierce storm is passing over north Jylland. Strong, gusty, westerly winds are forecast for further south. Gusts averaging nearly 20m/s. 45mph in olde money.

 Up at 6.50 after more drifting. I am my own worst enemy in drinking coffee after dinner! Though it is possible that one or more of my seven daily tablets is to blame as a side effect. 

 7.30 64F/18C in the room. I had better continue with tidying the kitchen.   

 8.10 The glazed door from the kitchen is now a backdrop to my bed. The door was very heavy! So I used rubber gloves and old cushions to protect myself and the bed from damage. The washing machine stand is now firmly back against the alcove wall. Projecting much less than it had before the door was removed. 

 Further examination suggests the door was once a smart, fixed window. With wide bevels on the thick glass. There is no sign of hinges or locks and the uprights are too slim for a door. The glazing bars are nicely profiled. I could hide its true nature with a throw over cloth from the charity shop. 

 The dresser cupboard doors could go back onto their hinges. To hide the untidy nature of the storage tubs. The dresser top shelves can go into the shed. Meanwhile, I'll look for a smarter cupboard. With a more suitable height. To go under the far end of the work surface. Something which looks as if it was actually meant to be there. Rather than borrowed from a skip. It wasn't. It was bought new covered in the hideous  yellow, polyurethane varnish of the time. I spent hours stripping it and sanding it back to clean wood. It should have been primed and painted but never was. My wife was usually the painter and decorator.

 8.30 I wanted to go for a walk but it is still very dark. Hardly any movement in the trees. It is probably being filtered by the shelter belt to my west. 

 9.00 Light enough for a walk.

 9.25 Just a short walk around the neighbour's collective drives.

 12.00 Back from the shops. I bought a smart, silvery grey curtain at the charity shop. To cover the door sized window now stashed behind the bed. 20kr is a little over £2. I have also contacted several local plumbers. To bid on connecting the washing machine to the water and drain system.

 16.00  I have had a phone call from a drainage business. They are some distance away 30km/20miles but I have sent pictures as requested. Of the washing machine position and an outside view of the house, lawn and inspection chamber. With a description of the work to be done.    

 Dinner was a chicken omelette. It broke up as I tried to lift it out of the pan.

 

 ~o~

15.12.2024 Right turn!

 ~o~

  Sunday 15th 36F/2C. Broken cloud as unstable weather reaches Denmark.

 Up at 7.50 after a disturbed night. After dinner coffee and an apple for pudding had the fire bucket close to overflowing! 

 The kitchen has yet to be tidied. Just removing the trolley is a huge step forward. It was a magnet for every bit of flotsam and detritus. 

 I am still struggling with the choice of washing machine positioning and orientation. Facing down the length of the room gives it plenty of space but it will totally dominate the kitchen. Giving it prominence well beyond its lowly station in my life. Like some monstrous oversized sculpture of some tin pot dictator. The machine. Not myself.

 If I place it with its back to the southern, window wall it will almost disappear. Then access becomes far more difficult. The machine's, left side door hinge will make or break its functionality. Yes, I know this can be changed. Memory and a few online sales images confirm the door is hinged on the left. A complete non-starter for a left corner position in the room. 

 Or, it could be sited in the right side alcove. Where it loses much of its cosmetic dominance. The machine door now opens sensibly into the room. Power sockets aplenty. Plumbing through the wall to the bathroom for its water supply. I placed a manifold there to feed the existing washing machine. On the other side of the wall from the alcove. Safely hidden behind the bathroom door. Easy?

 However, the new machine's discharge hose would probably need excavation to the great outdoors. Down to one of the bathroom's two 110mm PVC drainpipes. Going under the lawn to the manhole. All of which I dug and installed myself probably 20 years ago. While I had both the bathroom, hall and kitchen floors dug up. Duly approved by an authorized drainage engineer. 

 The drainage from the new machine would probably involve a whole new, through-the-wall pipe in the kitchen. Probably best not to go there? Not even if it makes most sense both visually and functionally?

 But what if? It only has to be done once. Why limit myself to an inferior set-up? I need to know the rules for a washing machine drainage system. Does it have to be in 110mm PVC? Or can a smaller pipe [or a stiff hose] run down to the underground system? Is frost a potential problem? The law says I am not supposed to do this work myself. A 50mm PVC pipe at floor level would be invisible. Out through a hole in the wall without disturbing the floor. With a trap and careful attention to height and fall. Then what? There is nothing outside to which to connect. Nor flow into an open drain cover.

 I have decided to seek bids from local plumbers. For installing an approved drain[pipe or system] for the new machine. I know I would soon hate the alternative situations I have considered within the room. The alcove is 50cm deep. So perfect for hiding the 60cm deep machine. From a casual glance as one enters from the living room. 

 This frees up the entire end wall for furnishing. Or even the installation of a west facing window. I have often considered a modest dining table with a view out over the garden. There was a built in cupboard hiding the alcove until my wife died. It was one of the first things to go! Along with the contents which hadn't seen the light of day for 25 years! Including three [recycled] VAX, wet and dry, vacuum cleaners!

 Now I really do have to clear the kitchen. No more unwanted storage! Nor do I see the ugly pine dresser in the context of my new kitchen layout. I could even have a run of wall mounted cabinets above the washing machine in the alcove. With glazed doors and lighting. Perhaps to house my wife's china veg and fruit collection. 

 I just had a phone call [on a Sunday] from the website. Which offers three free bids from local companies to carry out such work. Fingers crossed. I had very little interest in installing a heat pump. One distant dealer just wanted to sell me a heat pump. 

 Another chap, much nearer, couldn't supply many of the most popular systems. Presumably he goes to a big shed DIY outlet and buys their cheapest system at retail. Then installs it at the same price as a system from the big names.

 What a hideous sight! Kitchen tidying progress: The white, metal table, on the right, is a stand for the new washing machine. The white door, with beveled glass panes, is just leaning against the alcove wall. Bought [recycled] decades ago but never used. I was supposed to build a glazed porch but that never happened either.

 16.30 I have sorted everything at the far end of the kitchen. The builder's materials and paint are now pushed to the back. Against the wall. I shoved the now empty dresser base under the vacated working surface. Then placed what few tubs I had inside. 

 The dresser shelves [at right] can be lost in the fabric of the building. Along with the glazed door. I need more clear storage tubs but they are all those clumsy, ugly types with black, rocker, locking handles. Despite being only 63F/17C in the kitchen I am now dripping with sweat. Time for a cup of tea!

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms and an egg. My phone battery was flat so no picture today.

 

 ~o~