10.10.2025

 ~o~

 Friday 10th 52F/11C [7.00] A dry but rather windy day is offered. The NW wind will be gusting to 12m/s after lunch. Which suggests a morning ride. 

 Up at 6.15 after a more difficult night. I got up at 4am for a drink of water feeling unwell. The moon was very bright again. Still 67F/19.4C in the room this morning. Thanks to lighting the stove last night.

 Following my online purchase of the Ryet, printed carbon fiber saddle I am being bombarded with spam [adverts from AliExpress.] Most of them for the identical saddle and all its shady? unspecified variants. 

 After a couple of days sitting at an unnamed airport the export process has started. Delivery date remains unchanged at the 20th. Still 10 days away. The sales advert clearly said 15th-20th delivery. So it has rapidly defaulted to the maximum waiting time. 

 I just hope it is worth the wait. I have owned so many saddles over the years. That I no longer have much optimism. 99% of the saddles I have tried were designed only for their looks. Never for comfort! It doesn't matter if a saddle weighs as little as a feather if it is uncomfortable beyond a few yards/meters.  

 Fortunately the boxed [reserve] Brown Brooks is behaving itself so far. I haven't laced it yet. I'll see how it progresses first. I still haven't done a longer ride on it. An unlaced B17 is just asking for a very short life and deep curves. This assumes that a high riding mileage is involved. No longer true for me any more. So this latest B17 may hold up for a bit longer than any of my previous examples. 

 8.30-9.00. My walk. I had put it off for half an hour. Because it was so dark. Thick clouds have hardly given way to a uniform, grey overcast. The wind wasn't yet a problem. The inevitable problem? Where to go? I have no need to go anywhere in particular. Head into the wind first? Let it help me back home. 

 10.100  A smidgen of misty blue through the grey lid. I had better find some cycling shorts.  

 10.15 Nearly ready. First glimpse of sunshine.  

 10.30-15.00 A 67km ride. It was mostly grey and rather windy. I visited numerous charity shops. The battery charge dropped from 100% to 12%. Close to shutting down. I had one unpleasant moment earlier when the power assistance suddenly vanished a long way from home. This happened before. It was due to a dirty speed sensor at the back hub. I managed to reset the error by switching off and waiting before restarting. A possible casualty of the error was the loss of the GPS mapping screen. It remained blank.  

 The B17 saddle proved its hardness. It just took longer. Before the discomfort became really noticeable. I wore my second best bibs. [padded cycle shorts with soft braces] A pair by Tactic. Which I bought from a local wholesaler many years ago. I see the name is still going in cycle wear. Sponge only about half as thick as the Assos. Not as stiff either. Twice as thick as my vintage DHB shorts from Wiggle. I thought I heard Wiggle had gone bust but they are still advertising online. Anyway, the pain wasn't excruciating. Just increasingly unpleasant after 40km. Not friction. The Brooks leather was just too hard. While my legs still felt strong at the end of the ride.

 

  ~o~

9.10.2025 Mine's the big one!

 ~o~

  Thursday 9th 45F/7.2C [8.15] Brighter earlier but possible showers after lunch. Wind increasing steadily all day.

 Up at 7.15 after nodding off again. I do a lot of that lately. I had chest pains over my heart last night. Used the nitro spray under my tongue several times. That helped. I was pain free by bedtime. 

 Cooking class today. I replaced the ink cartridge in the printer again. To be able to print out the recipes. 

 The bathroom is getting chilly. It quickly warms to the fan heater. Rather than having it warmed continuously with an oil filled radiator. That can wait. I didn't need to light the stove last night. It was hovering around 66F/19C. So I was comfortable in a fleece jacket over a jumper.

 9.00 Off we jolly well go in the Morris. 

 14.00 Back from cooking class. Where I made sweet rolls with a cinnamon sauce. Starting from scratch with milk and yeast. Then adding all the other ingredients to make the dough. It rained lightly but briefly before I left.

 No dinner required. I made do with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

 I lit the stove and it reached 69F/20.6C by bedtime.  

  ~o~

8.10.2025 Using the lathe?

 ~o~

  Wednesday 8th 54F/12.2C [8.15] A grey, wet morning but brighter later.

  Up at 7.00 after deliberately dozing. 

  I may go into town. I need some bolts. 

  And did. It rained going both ways.

  I spent some time on the lathe in the afternoon. Making a part for my telescope.

 Then the lady from the local stately home called and stayed chatting for a couple of hours. 

 After which I had to tackle several days worth of washing up. 

 19.00 Time for dinner. 

 Dinner was a tin of tomato soup and a bread roll with cheese. 

 

  ~o~

7.10.2025 An excess of fraud.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 7th 54F/12.2C [8.15] A cool wet day is promised.

  Up at 7.30 after falling asleep at 5am again.

 A visit to my friend. It will have to be in the car. I don't deliberately cycle in rain.   

 13.15 Returning from my visit. It was extremely wet on the return journey. With lots of continuous and often deep puddles on the roads. 

 Another afternoon wasted on YouTube. Or, alternatively, educating myself on YouTube. 

 Why are politicians, who make false promises at elections? Not routinely prosecuted for fraud? They still get the well paid jobs. So gain financially from their deliberately fraudulent behaviour. Yet do not perform any of the magical tricks. Which they swore they'd do, cross their hearts, on the children's circus posters. 

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms, peas, carrots and Bisto gravy. For the Sunday dinner I missed making. 

 

  ~o~

6.10.2025 This Ryet is a riot!

 ~o~

  Monday 6th 49F/9.4C [7.40] A smudgy sky and breezy. It should be sunny all day as the NW wind slowly subsides.

 Up at 7am after a fairly quiet night. 64F/17.8C in the room this morning. After the stove was lit from 8-10pm last night. It reached 67F/19.4C at bedtime. 

 8.30 Back from my walk. Traffic heavy. Wind strong. Lots of twigs blown out of the hedges onto the road. I tidied the largest onto the verge. I brought the recycling bin back with me. 

 11.3 Back from shopping in the village. I bought a wrist and thumb support mitt. Not sure how much good it's doing. It looks like I have early stages of arthritis. Not an injury. My hands have been hurting for years on longer rides. Hence the need for a more upright position.  

 I have been watching a lot of YouTube reviews of Ryet 3d Carbon Fiber, printed saddles. They cost so little to purchase on AliExpress that I actually ordered one. To better match the size of the Brooks B17. Which is 170x280mm and weighs just under 550g. Weight is no object on an e-bike which uses heavy batteries for pedal assistance.

 The Brook's thick, leather top is much flatter than the Ryet but a completely different shape. The Brooks sits you far back on a hard steel frame. With a row of large rivets along the back. The Ryet is widest at the sit bone position or what I call "the bench." Most saddles have a preferred or natural sitting position. 

 There is a great deal of [deliberate?] confusion about which Ryet model you get from the numerous AliExpress adverts. Which often illustrate several models in the same advert. Yet offer no buyer's choice box or drop down list. Often exactly the same dealer has numerous prices without any clear indication of why this should be! 

 I went with the advert listing the largest 150x255mm with a carbon base. The same advert and advertiser [Ryet factory] show steel or carbon rails. Again without the buyer being offered any choice. 

 My order lists it as a Ryet "Aircode." BK plastic base. 255g. Not the illustrated carbon fiber base. Which I was expecting. Steel rails and [oval] carbon rails are both mentioned. This is the product detail list copied directly from my order acceptance mail: Will the correct Ryet saddle please stand up? 

 Rail: Full Carbon
 
 Model: Aircode
 
 Padding: 3D Printed Honey Comb

 Support Structur: Toray T1000 Carbon Fiber
  
 Dimensions: 255X150mm(10 lnch x 5.9 inch) Rail UD: CR-MO Rail Ø 7x7mm (0.27 Inch x 0.27 inch)Carbon Fiber :7x9mm (0.27 Inch x 0.35 Inch)
  
 Weight : Plastic Base 255±5g(8.99 oz±0.17 oz)Full Carbon Base 165±5g (5.82 oz±0.17)---------170±5g (5.99 oz±0.17oz)--------172±5g(6 oz±0.17oz)
 
 Grafic: Black/White
 
 Warranty:1 year
 
Applicable: Road Cycling / Mountain Bike Cycling etc.

 This fuzziness in description would probably put many, more cautious people off. If these saddles weren't so "dirt cheap." So perhaps worth a slight risk. No doubt the same vagueness would contravene consumer protection laws in Europe. 

 I expect to have to pay 25% VAT [about £6?] and import clearance charges. About £20 equivalent from Post Danmark. Though the final Danish carrier is not named. I'll obviously update when I know more. 

 I was automatically offered free postage and a first purchase discount by AliExpress. There can be few saddles in the bike shops. Which will fall under the total, delivered price. Delivery is expected to take about a fortnight. ETA around the 20th October. Tracking is provided with numerous details and updates. Yet no specific names of towns or cities. Which makes it utterly pointless so far! 

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. I had no tomatoes.

 

 ~o~

5.10.2025 Storm damage!

 ~o~

  Sunday 5th 50F/10C. Overcast, with continuous rain forecast until midnight tonight. A strong, gusty wind will last well into Monday. With sunshine returning on Monday morning.

 Up at 7.30 after a very quiet night and dozing. 

 The south-eastern, corner panel has been sucked out of the greenhouse again. It seems unable to resist the suction effects of high SW winds. The Bernoulli Effect or Venturi? Who can tell? I replaced the glass with clear polycarbonate sheet years ago. That sheet is now lying on the ground. The glass retention clips scattered everywhere amongst the weeds.

 Allowing shrubs and trees to grow tall out to the southern boundary seems to provide no useful protection. Perhaps the wind is channeled by the front hedge? Which runs east to west and is now only 2m high. The eastern gap by the greenhouse. Was always closed by a towering hedge in the past. It didn't help very much. When it came to stopping the wind. I vaguely remember talking about fixing that panel with screws at one point. Of course it never happened. I'll have to find some stainless steel, self-tapping screws. In the meantime I have to close that large hole in the greenhouse! 

 9.30 The panel is safely back in again. Using as many glass clips as can possibly be fitted into the space available. Just as I always have. Even in the present light wind the panel is visibly breathing. Plastic sheeting is much floppier than glass. As it flexes into a bow it shortens the path between opposite edges. The framework remains unmoved. So the polycarbonate escapes from its clips. 

 Screws are the only safe way to keep it in place. Even though it may look unsightly if badly done. Silicone would probably look much worse! It is cold out there and keeps raining hard in short showers.

 10.30 Sunshine! Walkies! 

 11.00 No sun. It rained twice.  So I sheltered under handy trees. There was a lot of small debris along the verges and road. A couple of small, rotten trees had fallen in the fields. The wind was as variable as the rain. Blowing a gale one minute. A light breeze the next. The drainage beck was only a little higher than usual.

 The day was spent online. Mostly YouTube.  

 Dinner was a huge fry-up. Chicken, mushrooms, eggs and tomatoes. Helped down by a buttered, bread roll.

 

 ~o~

4.10.2025 The city beckons.

 ~o~

  Saturday 4th 49F/9.4C. Gales and torrential rain. Worst in the early hours of this morning but slowly reducing. Rain expected to continue, unbroken for a couple of days. 

 Up at 7am after a quiet night. 

 9.30 The weather is already calming down. I have been researching plumbing fittings online for my solar telescope. Though it seems the local builder's merchants can't help. Not according to their online catalogues. So it seems I must make a trip into the city. To a big shed discount DIY store. Which doesn't do online sales but has a vast range of products at affordable prices.

 13.25 Back from a trip to the city. Returning with an assortment of clamps. 

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved, cherry tomatoes. 

 

  ~o~

3.10.2025 Shut that door!

 ~o~

  Friday 3rd 43F/6C. A sunny day is forecast. Increasingly windy. Leading to a storm tomorrow. With heavy rain and high winds. It felt much colder in the greenhouse this morning. As I fed the fish their breakfast. 64F/17.8C indoors after the stove was lit yesterday evening. Two logs brought it up to 66F from 63F.

 Up at 7am after a quiet night and dozing.  

 8.00 Getting ready for my walk. 

 8.50 Back again. I met two neighbours. The relatively new one has a gorgeous, giant, black boxer! I took lots of pictures of the landscape. In the golden, grazing light of the autumn sunshine. Countless hundreds of small birds were foraging on the set-aside sunflowers. They were lifting in repeated clouds and rushing for the trees as I approached along the verge. Lots more 7-axle, tipper trucks passed by. Going in both directions. I wonder where they are heading? I mean those driving towards the village. Landfill? Leveling fields? 

 The apple and pair trees are laden with colourful fruit. Even the pears are red. I used to clip the trees at a useful height but not for years now. Being ignored seems not to have reduced their ability to produce fruit. Perhaps they're working class trees?

 11.30 Back from shopping. I bought a purple Cordyline plant. Young plants can be kept indoors apparently. I was going to add it to the outdoor collection. However, they like warmth, sunshine and don't like wet feet or frosts. So we'll see how it does indoors. No sign of any tipper trucks in the main shopping street. 

 I had to move the kitchen furniture. To be able to close the kitchen door again. Summer is over and the available warmth must be contained. I enjoyed having the doors out of the way. This probably means I'll have to get the storage heaters out. 

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. With a side dish of baked beans. Well, a side plate, but let's not be picky.

 

  ~o~

2.10.2025 39km on a motorized, leather stool.

 ~o~

  Thursday 2nd 48F/9C [8.50] Sunny periods? A rather cloudy start.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night.

 9.00 A glimpse of sunshine. Time for a walk. 

 9.20 Back from my walk. Sunny, but rather chilly. Despite no noticeable wind. Lots of vast, 7-axle, tipper trucks going back and forth. The pretty cat was in the drive, complaining again. I don't have the AI app. To be able to converse in fluent Cat. On the meaning of life. Is Cat a universal language? Or do they have local accents?

 I feel the need to visit a builder's merchant some 10 miles away. I'd enjoy the ride but am hesitant to spend so much time on such an errand. Though there is a charity shop nearby. Which often sports exactly what I am looking for. Failure to find the item I need would require an extensive online search. Leaving me at the mercy of Google and Chinese offerings of unknown quality. I had better go in the car. Or not. I had left the lights on and flattened the battery. Time to get the smart charger out.

 13.40 Returned from a 39km ride without having found my quarry. I did some shopping too. Lots of roadworks, excavation and building work. A chilly headwind all the way home. I resorted to Turbo mode.

 The new B17 saddle has no right to be as comfortable as it feels. I gave it a couple of doses of Brooks Proofide at the beginning. This has never achieved much going on past experience. Except to stop it being so slippery. I wore a very old pair of padded cycling shorts under my cargo trousers today. 

 39km isn't really far but it is usually enough to cause pain and misery. Yet I returned home unscathed. My wild guess is that the very wide saddles. Which I have been using on the e-bike. Trap loose folds of aging flesh. Whereas the B17 doesn't provide the large, flat areas. Which cause so much discomfort. I do admit though. That the B17 saddle was beginning to feel rather too hard as I neared home. 

 The lorry movements I had noted earlier seemed to be related. To the continuing drainage and district heating work. At the bottom of a rather hilly village. Two large excavators with huge buckets were digging clay. In the bottom of what I assumed to be a very large, emergency drainage pond. They were passing the clay up to the road level. Where another excavator was loading the waiting lorries. 

 These ponds are being established in many places to cope with potential cloudbursts. As a likely result of climate change. No doubt helping to boost the local wildlife into the bargain.

 I have just lit the stove for the third evening in a row. Dinner was beans on toast.

   

  ~o~

1st October 2025

 ~o~

 Wednesday 1st 43F/6C. A Sunny morning in prospect. 

 Up at 6am. 

 8.30 Back from my walk. Had a chat with my nice neighbor. While he was walking his dogs.

 12.30 Back indoors after spending quite some time waiting for clouds to clear the sun. I have been experimenting with different telescope accessories. Above 95% cloud cover now. So I might as well have lunch. As soon as I went indoors the sun came out. The DMI is promising more sunshine after 14.00. 

 16.30 Back in after more hours trying to capture pictures of the sun, through my telescope, with my phone. Very cloudy again! 

 Dinner was a salmon pasty, Fettuccine pasta, peas and tinned tomatoes.   

  ~o~

30.09.2025 Bonus improvements.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 30th 50F/10C A day of sunny periods.

 Up at 5.45 after a busy night. I sneaked in a cup of coffee after dinner but He wasn't fooled. 

 8.15 Rather dark grey and breezy outside. I still want my walk.

 Only a short, brisk walk along the road.

 Time to visit my English friend. We had a good chat over coffee and Danish pastries and I was back home again by about 12.30. 

 I spent the afternoon improving my telescope. Very pleased with the result. It will save me having to dispose of yet another item from my countless hobbies. 

 Dinner was sardines on toast. 

 

 

 

  ~o~

29.09.2025 Spot on!

 ~o~

  Monday 29th 48F/9C. A rather cloudy day. Possible sunshine mid-morning. Peaking around 16C/61F. Light rain this evening. A modest easterly breeze.

 Up at 6.30 thanks to dozing after a reasonable night.

 I am expecting a parcel. So must remain home until it is delivered. He usually comes after lunch. So I shall have no excuse not to work on the carport. I might even sneak in some gardening. 

 I watered the outdoor plants yesterday. It hasn't rained for a while. The indoor plants sulk if I water them. They prefer to be ignored. Putting out healthy new leaves instead of dropping them.

 8.15 Time for a short walk. I don't think there is any danger of the postman delivering this early. 

 8.30 Back again. Traffic busy and noisy. Brought the recycling bin back with me.

 11.30 I have leveled the final, carport, foundation block. The diagonals are 427cm. So spot on. Now it's "just" a matter of lifting the carport roof onto its legs. Which are yet to be attached.

 12.30 My parcel arrived.

 15.30 Back indoors as it clouded over. Dark enough to suggest rain. 

 It didn't rain while it was light enough to see. Dinner was Sunday dinner but a day late. Chicken, mushrooms, boiled potatoes and peas. With Bisto gravy. 

 

  ~o~

28.09.2025 To the woods!

 ~o~

  Sunday 28th 47F/8.3C. All day sunshine, peaking at 17C/63F, with lighter, easterly winds.

 Up at 6.15 after another active night.  

 8-9am A walk up to the forest and back down by the edge of the fields. It was wet underfoot but manageable. Continuous sunshine and a light breeze. A beautiful morning. The windmills just happen to be in line of sight from the top of the climb. I was feeling fit today and walked briskly up the steep incline. It must be around 1-in-4 on the last slope. 

 11.20 Back indoors from digging holes for the carport foundation blocks. 

 12.20 Final hole dug. Now I need to level all four. The gravel falls away to the west. So the western pair of blocks will need to protrude slightly. I need a rest so I might as well prepare an early lunch. 

 16.00 I have had the greenhouse open to the front hall to warm the house. One window open to the room. One open to the kitchen. It has now reached 71F/21.7C indoors.

 I will wait until the sun has gone down. To use my laser level on the carport foundation blocks. 

 This worked well. Three blocks were level with each other. One was too high. Or not deep enough. Depending on one's viewpoint. A few second's work to correct this tomorrow. I also need to measure the diagonals. To ensure the blocks are equidistant on a true, 3m square. The moon is dull orange and sulking below the distant tree line to the SSW.

 Dinner was two, perfect, poached eggs on toast. 

  ~o~

 

27.09.2025 Autumn beech woods no more?

 ~o~

  Saturday 27th 51F/10.6C [8.00] Rather cloudy morning and the sun hasn't broken through yet. Another sunny autumn day is forecast after lunch. Reaching 17C/62F with an easterly wind. The trees and hedges are already stirring.

 Up at 7.15 after nodding off again. I woke much earlier and kept glancing at the clock. 6.15 seemed like a reasonable time to get up. I closed my eyes again and it was suddenly an hour later.

 8.30 8.45 Time for a walk. 

 There was a sad climate story in the Danish news. Denmark's favourite tree, the beech, can't tolerate a warmer or drier climate. Beautiful beech trees dominate the landscape here. Covering 80,000 hectares of forest, woods and copses. The beech provides a unique and accessible woodland. With towering columns of grey trunks. 

 Their canopies are so dense that weeds cannot flourish beneath them. In autumn they drop their leaves. To provide a gorgeous carpet of bright orange. Which almost seems to glow in the low winter sunlight. Further protecting the ground from invasive weeds. 

 The wood burns well and is a favourite for wood stoves. It is no wonder that the beech is Denmark's national tree. It is even mentioned in the national anthem. Yet, at present rates of warming it may no longer exist in Denmark within 100 years.

 I have taken thousands of pictures of beech trees since coming to Denmark. The image above is from fifteen years ago. Where a narrow, undulating road passes though the forest from a stately home. My trike is parked on the leaf laden verge. Beneath the gorgeous canopy of autumn colour. Yet another recycled bag is hanging on the trike. Ready to receive the day's shopping. 

 This always beautiful lane often tempted me. To go the extra miles home from the village. Despite the steep hills and the noisy cobbles. Of the vast yards leading to them. Google Street View caught me climbing one of the hills on my trike. Bags of shopping dangling from the rear. That was back in 2010 too.

 Enough of the nostalgia. I'm going to ride to the next shopping village to the south east. With its charity shops. It has become a bit of a habit. Going there every Saturday. This time I shall take alternative routes. To enjoy the scenery. Rather than the fastest route with the roaring traffic. 

 10.30 Sunshine. Time to go. 

 12.40 And back again after 39km. I was fighting the wind for the first half distance. Several cyclists went past. Going the other way. The Husqvarna robot mower was playing dead beside the road today. I was finally able to read the model number. Definitely a 450X. Talking to it with empathy and sympathy had no noticeable effect. There was no visible or audible reaction. This model has a capacity of 5000m^2 and costs up to £4000 equivalent. I stopped to grocery shop when I reached the village. 

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms and chips. 

 

 ~o~

26.09.2025 Just another doormat.

 ~o~

  Friday 26th 51F/10.6C [8.30] Clear, with wall to wall sunshine promised. Breezier from the SE. Reaching 15C this afternoon. 65F/18.3C in the room. The stove has helped maintain the indoor temperature. The soapstone cladding was nicely hot at bedtime. It goes on giving off heat for hours.

 8.45 Up at 6.15 after an active night. Feeling slightly dizzy and rather unwell again. Intermittent, brief, stabbing pain in my right, upper chest. The pain was there when I woke at 5am. Indication of further heart/circulation problems? Muscle strain from Tuesday's 57km cycle ride? Why now and why not continuous pain? No breathing problems or sign of indigestion. Not dehydrated. Taking my prescribed tablets. Should I risk a gentle walk? 

 9.30 No walk yet but the pain has stopped. 

 Back from my walk. Eye wateringly windy. There was a strong smell of chemicals on the air. With the source most likely the whine from the tractor beyond the concealing hedges. I felt a bit wobbly at first but steadily improved. The newly sewn fields were attracting a lot of crows and seagulls. A keen cyclist passed at speed. No doubt helped along by the tailwind.

 I need to go into town to buy a cable for connecting the telescope. Before or after lunch? 

 Before. Back from town with the cable I needed and another coconut door mat. 

 During the afternoon I opened the door and one window out to the greenhouse. The downstairs rooms have risen to 69F/20.C from 64F/17.8C. It all helps. 

 17.30 I have closed the doors and windows again. It wasn't going to get any warmer indoors. 68F/20C in the room. Warmer in the kitchen. I have loads of flakes from the firewood to burn. They get picked up by the shovel on the loader. As it scrapes along the ground. A single log on top lasts until bedtime.

Dinner was a fry-up. Organic chops, mushrooms and an egg on wholegrain toast. The latter could be considered more healthy than fried bread. Besides, there was no room in the frying pan.

  

  ~o~

25.09.2025

 ~o~

  Thursday 25th 47F/8.3C [6.45] Another sunny day is promised.With several more to go.  Not nearly as cold last night. Quite breezy from the north east. The long term forecast is no rain for three weeks.

 Finally got up at 6.00 after waking much earlier. Feeling a bit dizzy. 

 Cooking class today. I'll go in the Morris.

 8.00 Back from my walk. It was cold on my hands as the blinding sun rose over the hill. The ponies came to see me. The traffic roared. I took to the grass verges now they have been shorn. Drivers approaching would have the sun in their eyes. I wore the recycled, pile lined, fleece jacket again. It is proving a good purchase at about £8 equivalent.

 13.30 Back from cooking class. I had  dizzy spell while I was there. I went for a walk in the fresh air and it went away. I made potatoes. Boiled and fried with bacon pieces and finely chopped onions. Then into the oven. I suppose they were a form of roast potatoes. 

 I felt very tired when I got home. So I have just had a short nap. 

 8.30 It was too cloudy this afternoon to get any heat from the greenhouse. It was hovering at 64F/17.8C indoors and has remained so into the evening. The thin fleece jacket wasn't warm enough. So it's back to the pile lined one. I should light the stove of course. And now have. Using flakes and scrap of firewood. Of which I have loads. No kindling required. Just a firelighter. 

 

  ~o~

24.09.2025 Catching the sun.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 24th 37F/2.8C [7.30] It must have been close to a first frost. Another cool, autumn day. With lots of sunshine. The overnight cold has dropped the room temperature to 63F/17C. I am quite comfortable in a fleece jacket over my light jumper. I'll put off lighting the stove until the sunshine ends. Borrow some heat from the greenhouse to boost the indoor temperature later.

 Up at 6.50 after dozing for an hour. I woke at 5am but decided it was too early. My hands and wrists are hurting again. Probably from yesterday's ride. I had better stay off the bike today. The holes for the carport foundation blocks need to be finished. Two done, one half done and one untouched. I ran into a tree root in the third hole. Then it was dry and the ground was too hard. 

 8.50 Back from a walk. Still, a cloudless sky and bright sunshine. The fields are already green. Only a couple of days after ploughing and seed drilling. I chatted with my nice neighbour about his new electric car. As his two small dogs explored the drive. His cat was there too. I was comfortable in my new [recycled] pile lined, fleece jacket.

  11.40 57F/14C. I have been outside. Trying to capture images of the sun. My fleece jacket is proving very useful. Perfectly comfortable sitting outside in the shade.

 14.30 Back in after capturing some more images of the sun. The routines are coming back to me now. Without the internet I can't unload the pictures from the mini-PC. 

 100F/38C out in the greenhouse. All internal doors open. The room has risen 4ºF to 66F in half an hour. The heat exchange from the greenhouse is not efficient. I can't open the windows enclosed by the greenhouse. Or the wildlife might get indoors. They can easily climb the firewood to the windowsills. I stand a steel shelf against the open doorway. Tall and slippery enough, I hope, to block any ambitious rodents.  

 17.20 Constant sunshine. Back from the shops in the Morris. Which is still looking as lovely as ever. Thanks to my sister's excellent, and very thorough, valet service. No journey is complete without admiring glances and usually a chat. A vintage Land Rover driver raised his vintage hat to me today.

 Dinner was an organic, pork chop, brown organic mushrooms and boiled, organic potatoes. 

 

  ~o~

23.09.2025 57km at 30kph.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 23rd 40F/4.4C [7.00] The cooler, autumn weather continues. Wall to wall sunshine but peaking at only 15C/59F. Much less windy today. Gusting to 6m/s. Temperatures are falling slowly indoors. 66F/19C this morning. I can borrow the sun's heat from the greenhouse. Though it currently only at a rather chilly 48F/9C out there.

 Up at 6am after an average night. Only a sub-micro apple juice after dinner. No coffee. 10.30 bedtime.

 9.30 No walk. Riding over to my friend's place.

 14.00 Back from visiting my friend. A 57km round trip. Grocery shopping on the way home.  There were no bread rolls in the supermarket. 

 Going well. I was averaging over 30kph on the way with a very light tailwind. A light headwind coming home. Every time I rode into the shade of trees, or woods, it felt as if the temperature dropped 10ºC.

The previously unused, brown, Brooks B17 felt hard but mostly, surprisingly okay. I was wearing my best [Assos] bibs. Which probably helped. The Bosch battery dropped to well into the Orange danger zone from 100%. I decided not to stop and swap batteries.

 I passed the Husqvarna mower. Busy making stripes on the school lawns near the road again. I think it was a 450XE NERA. Rear wheel drive. A top of the range model capable of caring for 7500 m^2 of lawns. 

 It was being blocked in a deep hollow. With fallen branches triggering its avoidance mechanisms. I was tempted to remove the branches but it seemed to be coping well enough. A few more maneuvers and it would escape its trap on a perfectly parallel route. 

 I should have taken a picture to confirm the model number. There is also a 405XE NERA. With front wheel drive and only 900 m^2 capacity. I can't be absolutely certain of the accuracy of my memory now. 

 A lazy afternoon on the computer. Dozing at intervals.

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. Washed down with a small glass of locally pressed, apple juice. 

  ~o~     

22.09.2025 Colder but sunny.

 ~o~

  Monday 22nd 46F/7.8C [6.30] Sunny week ahead but much cooler and remaining windy. It might reach 13C/55F today. Winds gusting to 12m/s from the NW.

 Up at 6.00 after an active night. After dinner milky coffee didn't help.

 48F/9C [9.00]  Back from a 35 minute walk. The first cold day this autumn. Though the wind wasn't too much of a problem. I had to put my hands in my jacket pockets. 

 The prairie is still being ploughed. Flocks of small birds are moving about. Perhaps preparing to leave for warmer climes.

 I am not sure what to do today. 

 I played with my telescope indoors. In between wasting another day online. Doing homework and watching reviews of telescopes. 

 It remained mostly sunny. Out of doors. Which brought the lean-to greenhouse up to a toasty 38C/100F. So I opened the internal, hall door to warm the house. The kitchen and living room rose from 18C to 21C. It doesn't sound like much but the difference was well worth the measured increase. More importantly it didn't cost anything.

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. With a few fresh, cherry tomatoes. 

  

  ~o~

21.09.2025 About turn!

 ~o~

  Sunday 21st 62F/16.7C [7.30] A grey day with showers and gales. Probably no ride today.

 Up at 6.45 after a busy night and more weird dreams. 

 8.20 No walk yet. It's not fair. The rainfall radar shows a narrow strip of rain passing lengthways over us. It keeps becoming very dark and the rain roars down. As the trees and hedges bend to the gusty wind. 

 10.00 Sunshine. Walkies. I had barely reached the road before a female Kestrel appeared. It was heading straight into the wind when it saw me. Changed its mind and vanished behind the trees downwind. 

 Quite a lot of traffic for a Sunday. Though I was out much later than usual. I was leaning on the wind at the saddle. Decided there was no point in continuing on and retraced my steps. Albeit on the opposite side of the road. 

 The roadside poplars are getting very tall. Many with overhanging branches. Which could catch tall container lorries, excavators on trailers and agricultural implements. Lots of overhanging roses and brambles too. Cyclists are at risk. 

 Most of the day was spent on the computer. Learnin' stuff. Telescopes, astronomy. cameras, software, reviews..

 Dinner was a huge mound of salad.  Helped down by Heinz salad cream.

 

 ~o~

20.09.2025 No, not a commercial! 😄

 ~o~

  Saturday 20th 59F/15C [8.00] Bright with some sunshine promised this morning. The wind is lighter and more southerly.

 Up at 7.15 after several earlier failures to rise from my bed. 

 I was greeted by an all black, ferret-like creature on the security camera. It ran across the gravel at 7.15am. There is a hint of brown to its fur in the still image. 

 I might have a ride to another shopping village. If I can squeeze a short walk into my busy schedule. No.

 11.10 Back from a 27km ride. Let's call the new saddle variable. I wore an old pair of padded cycling shorts under my cargo trousers. This seemed to help my comfort levels most of the time. Thanks also to the slightly upward tilt of the saddle. I was going well despite the headwind on the way.

 A charity market hall on the industrial estate had moved into the high street. Bringing more foot traffic. It was nicely arranged on shelving. Instead of the former untidy tables. Though I couldn't find anything I wanted. So I rode down to the next charity shop. Where I was delighted to find a dark grey, fleece jacket with thick pile, fawn lining. Slightly generous in size for wearing over winter jumpers if needed. The jacket will come in very handy. For watching TV or out in the greenhouse solar imaging.

 After some grocery shopping, to stock up the larder, I headed home. On the way back I passed a robot lawnmower working near the road. It had a huge area to cover in the grounds of a school. Probably thousands of square meters. With winding paths, parking areas, steep sided undulations and flower beds to negotiate. I was really very impressed by the neat stripes and perfect, short sward. So I followed it along a winding path to try to identify the manufacturer. 

 The mower was heading for its recharging station. So I was lucky to catch it. Just before it was almost hidden from view in its neat, grey, plastic garage. It was a Husqvarna. Though I couldn't identify the model. It was all grey and quite large. So probably a bigger domestic model for private use. Their professional models are usually orange. For increased visibility. As it had become shy and hidden itself on my approach. I had no time to capture a picture. The model number should have been visible on the nose. I'll check next time I am in the village. 

 I am used to seeing large, ride-on mowers racing around these same lawns. Sometimes causing real damage to the grass. Due to the haste and very rough maneuvering of the idiot contractors. Nor did their noisy mowers pick up the cut grass. The Husqvarna was incredibly quiet and traveled at a calm but useful speed. There was absolutely no sign of any imperfections. The stripes even carried down into the deep, but smooth channels and up the other side. Probably a bit more expensive than some budget makes and models. £1500-2500? Though I'd say the immaculate appearance of the sprawling lawns was worth every penny. 

 This is not remotely a commercial. I am just interested in robotics. Often watching their steady progress on YouTube review channels. These lawnmowers are proof  that robots are already here and well proven. Not some over-hyped imitation. Of a crippled and retarded humanoid being. Which still have some way to go before they put everybody out of a manual, repetitive job.

 I spent a couple of hours outside this afternoon. Trying to capture the sun through cloud. Not with any great success. 

 It became steadily more cloudy. Rain by 18.00. Heavy showers after dark.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. 

  

  ~o~

 

19.09.2025 29km ride to Assens.

 ~o~

  

Friday 19th 62F/16.7C [8.00] Grey and breezy. Possible early rain. Brightening later. The unsettled and windy weather continues for a few more days. It is very mild today. Even warmer tomorrow! Europe is experiencing a Spanish heat wave!

 Up at 7.10 after early failures to lift off. A fairly quiet night. 

 I feel the need for a ride but the strong SW winds have been demotivating. As are the pains in my hands and wrists. I can't be any more upright on the e-bike. The handlebar stem is as short as they go. Hand and wrist pain on longer rides has been a problem for years. I bought a swept back pair of handlebars to go with the short stem. So I have reduced the load on my hands as much as possible. 

 The well-used [but laced] B17 surprised me with its increased comfort. Over the wider saddles I have been using. I have an unused, dark brown B17 which needs breaking in. It would look much nicer and less obvious. Than the faded honey of the old saddle from the trike. The red tape marks the width of my 110mm sit bone spacing.

 I need a longer, 5m, 4K, HDMI cable for my new telescope set-up. They sell them at the big shed DIY stores in Assens. That would be a nice ride. Not too far. Ride straight into the wind going. Tailwind coming home. Better than going to Odense on a day like this. 

 8.50 I'll have a short walk first. A large tractor with doubled wheels all round was dragging a giant seed drill up and down the prairie. While the tractor doing the ploughing was busy further over. My neighbour was walking her fierce little dog. It chased me for some distance down the drive. Barking madly all the while.

 It have added Proofide to the brown B17. I'll swap the saddles over before leaving for Assens. The difference in length is due to stretch of the honey coloured saddle over the years. As it was repeatedly re-tensioned. The light coloured saddle is easily depressed. With the fingers or thumbs. The brown one feels like it is sculpted in stone, solid wood, or concrete. I had better wear some padded cycling shorts!

 10.30 I have buffed the brown saddle with a cloth. Just to save getting my shorts greasy. Off we go. 

 12.40 Returning from my 29km ride to Assens and back. The headwind was so strong I removed my hearing aids altogether. They amplified the roar of the wind regardless of setting. The phone app was also broken. Showing only a blank white screen. I reset Bluetooth but it didn't help.

 The new B17 saddle was as hard as rocks. Exactly as expected. So I kept stopping when the pain became too much. When I would use a hex key to lift the nose by small increments. 

 This seemed to help. Further aided by the time I spent in each shop. Which gave me time to recover. The return journey was much less painful. Not to mention much more comfortable with a tailwind. 

 I saw several super sports cars. A Bentley and a Porsche were models I had never seen before. Long and low and very, very wide. Very beautiful too to my eyes. I think both were electric. There was no sound as they overtook me. 

 I found the HDMI cable I needed. Then added another doormat to the collection. Most of which are years old and worn out. I wanted a new mat for the front hall out to the greenhouse. Nothing fancy. Just plain coconut bristle on a rubber base. Very inexpensive too. Half the price I paid in the builder's merchants earlier this week. I think they are identical. I'll have to check. 

 Now I am cross! The cheaper one is identical but larger! It fits the full width of the front hall against the battery recharging cupboard. I'll have to get some more of these for the entrance hall. The smaller one looks out of place out there. Winter means stuff sticks to wet shoes and gets dragged indoors.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and cauliflower. With Bisto gravy. Because it looked too naked without. 

 

  ~o~

18.09.2025 Out and about.

 ~o~

 Thursday 18th 60F/15.6C [6.15] A rather cloudy day is promised. With wind and showers.

 Up at 5.15 after an unusually quiet night. I was restless after waking earlier. 

 We'll see what the day brings. When it is light enough to see anything. 

 Last night I was experimenting with different software on my solar telescope mounting and astro camera. The move to a smaller instrument. On a relatively tiny mounting. Has required me to discover some new ways. To manage what was once completely routine. In my (now demolished) observatory. 

 The HP keyboard worked perfectly. Allowing me to communicate wirelessly with the mini-PC. Without the hindrance of connecting cables. Where there is/was a severe lack of USB3 ports. I found my 4-way USB3 hub. Previously hidden in the tubs of stuff I'd salvaged from the observatory.

 Being able to play comfortably with my new toys indoors. Without the risk of frequent showers. Was made all the easier. When the monitor screen is not washed out by bright daylight. Allowing me to relax and find my way through unfamiliar software routines and technologies. 

 Ironically Bluetooth worked fine between the mini-PC and the mounting. So the mini-PC is definitely transmitting BT. Why it was not similarly doing so via Wi-Fi is quite another matter. One which will have to be further investigated. 

 For all our reliance on technology and software. There is a remarkable lack of reliability. YouTube is stuffed with videos. Where supposed experts try to rescue us from the bottleneck of our dumb "intelligent technology" toys. Yet  the AI, which now pops up on so many of my searches. Is very useful for solving problems or providing clear definitions of the abstruse. Which no amount of Google's utterly corrupt, hard sell results. Would ever hint at in the past.   

7.15 Grey and breezy. I just asked a chatbot to rewrite this blog post. The result was interesting but felt strangely shallow. Like listening to a spokesperson, businessman, lawyer or politician handed a script. Nor did it sound like anything I'd write. So, you'll just have to put up with me. Grammatical warts and all. 

8.40 Back from a half hour walk. Lots of traffic. A large tractor, pulling a 6x6 flip-over plough, was making steady progress across the prairie. The wide stripes he made were clearly visible from a great distance. Though not in the phone photo above.

 11.40 Back from the shops in the Morris. 

 I spent the afternoon cloud watching outside with my telescope. Just re-learning the routines. 

 Dinner was a sausage and mushroom omelette. The trick is to wear an oven glove. When flipping it onto the plate. 

 

  ~o~

17.09.2025 Life is too short, for Logitech! ©

 ~o~

  Wednesday 17th 54F/12.2C [8.00] Bright but cloudy start. With more showers and wind than sunshine.

 Up at 7.15 after a quiet night. I glanced at the clock at 5am. Had a weird dream about competing with a girl for the use of a triangular office. Then it was 7.15. 

 I am off to the city to buy an HP650 Wireless keyboard and mouse. I shan't bother with the HP mouse. I still have at least three, working, Logitech M705 mice. All I needed was a reliable Plug and Play. WIRELESS keyboard for my new Mini-PC. I ordered a "wireless" keyboard online. All I got was Logitech's Bluetooth crap! With the built-in, Guaranteed, Plug and Play, Logitech, hours of time wasting! 

Life is too short, for Logitech!© They can use that in their next advertising campaign. At my expense, of course.

 14.10 Back from the city. Where it was mostly sunny. Except for a shower. While I was in the giant mall. The ground was wet when I exited. 

 The HP 650 keyboard worked the moment I inserted the batteries, the USB receiver and switched on. Just as one would expect in 2025. The keys have a different feel but I like it. Short stroke, crisp action and not too noisy. 

 Dinner was cheese on toast. No tomatoes. I'd run out. No pictures. 

 

  ~o~

16.09.2025 It never rains but it pours!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 16th 55F/12.8C [7.00] A wet start followed by showers. Possibly with thunder. This afternoon might see some sunshine. The gusty wind is slightly lower at 17m/s peak. 

 Up at 6.00 after a fairly quiet night.  

 8.10 Back from a short walk. I followed a female pheasant all the way along the drive. It finally took to the wing as it reached the road and roaring traffic. Pheasants are as daft as brushes. They will never veer off. Just like their country cousins, the hares. The neighbour's cat was sitting in the wet grass right beside the drive. Completely ignoring the pheasant. It [the cat] ran away when I spoke to it. The rain was just starting as I arrived home. We had 35mm yesterday. 20mm the day before. I told you it was a deluge!  

 I shall be visiting my English friend. Going in the Morris of course. 

 And back again. With a huge bag of shopping on the way home. 

 I spent the afternoon trying to take pictures of the sun through thick cloud. It rained several times too!

 Dinner was organic sausage with peas and chips. 

 

 ~o~

15.09.2025 Grr?

 ~o~

  Monday 15th 55F/12.8C [7.15] Two days of gales and heavy rain are forecast! 

 Up at 6.45 after a quiet night. Very dark this morning. Misty drizzle on the greenhouse.

 8.45 Back from a short walk. Looping around the neighbours' drives. To get away from the traffic. Blowing a gale already. Peaking at around 20m/s later. I was nearly taken out on the blind corner where our drive starts. None of them was driving within their braking distance. All of them relying on some delusion of having commuter autopilot. All of them too close to the vehicle in front. Despite 5km/3miles of solid, double white lines. 

 How many lives would they risk? To gain one place in the endless queue to nowhere? How many microseconds would they save on their journey? Before wasting their entire day away. Staring at their phone. For life's true meaning to be revealed.

 I brought the two, recycling wheely bins back with me. From the junction of the drive where they are emptied. The ponies weren't impressed by the racket I made. No containers or workers now.   

 11.45 The heaviest rain I remember seeing. It soon stopped and now the sun has come out.

 A new Logitech "Silent Touch" K295 "Wireless" keyboard has arrived. Guess what? No wireless! The crooks at Logitech [and their sales outlets] are selling a keyboard without wireless capacity. Bluetooth only and that doesn't work. I have wasted hours on it now. The USB receivers were well proven. Yes, I know Bluetooth is a form of near-field wireless.

 Their dummy chatbot keeps demanding the serial number. I keep entering the serial number. The idiot keeps asking for the serial number. I keep entering the serial number. Until the universe grows cold?  If this is what AI customer Support is going to be like. Then it is lucky nobody will be able to afford food. Let alone technology. 

I checked the supplied new batteries. 1.6V each. And yes, I remembered to pull the insulating strip from both batteries. 

 Dinner was sardines on toast. With halved, cherry tomatoes.

  ~o~

14.09.2025 Capturing the sun.

 ~o~

  Sunday 14th 52F/11C [7.00] A mixed day of sunshine and showers. It may reach 19C/66F.

 Still here. Up at 5.50 after a bit of clock watching and a fairly quiet night. The chest pains stopped before bedtime. The nitroglycerine spray is almost instant in its beneficial effects. My heart was beating wildly and completely erratically. No recognizable pattern to the rhythm. Even a sense of a repeated mechanical clap. 

 The advice was to call an ambulance if I ever had chest pains. I don't want to bother anybody with a false alarm. Particularly during the night. I carry the spray full time. Even though it says not to carry it in your pocket. How else am I supposed to have it handy on a walk, ride or drive? I feel oddly free of fear about dying. Almost relaxed. It has to happen some time. I just don't want it to hurt! 

 9.15. Back from a half hour walk. Occasionally dark and rather damp. Threatening rain. I disturbed three deer out on the fields. They dashed for cover.

 11.00 Going shopping in the car. 

 The afternoon was sunny. So I spent some time outside setting up my solar telescope. Then capturing some videos. Not processed yet. 

 Sunday dinner was chicken, mushrooms, peas, boiled potatoes and Bisto gravy. It was perfect. I washed up while I was cooking.

 

  ~o~

13.09.2025 Just toiling away.

 ~o~

  Saturday 13th 54F/11.7C [7.15] Very, very dark! And quite windy. We are promised some sunshine  this morning. Once the cloud has cleared. More rain this afternoon. Though the worst of it is currently forecast to slide past to the west of us. Golden light has just illuminated the tops of the western trees. 

 Up at 6.00 after a middling sort of night. 

 I have spent the entire morning working on my solar telescope. Up and down stairs. Searching for stuff.

 12.50 A power cut. The main switch had tripped. I had just switched on the kettle. Otherwise I am not using much electricity at all. Everything went back to normal when I pushed the switch back on. The kettle came back on and boiled as usual. It boiled later as well. Very odd.

 I have spent the rest of the day successfully setting up astronomical equipment. I dragged it all outside. Only for it to immediately cloud over. Of course the sun came out a bit later. 

 Dinner was a huge pile of salad. 

 11.00 I was watching TV. Nothing exciting. When I started getting chest pains at about 10.45. My heart seemed to be working far too hard despite my being relaxed. I have used the nitroglycerine spray. It has helped. 

 I have an emergency bag of clothing inside the main [back] door and left the door unlocked. In case I need to call an ambulance. I have charged my phone and will leave it by my bed. Along with the charger and my hearing aids. I had nothing with me when I last went into hospital. I didn't know I would be needing it in advance. 

 11.15 Bed time.  

 

  ~o~