4.02.2025 Five shops but no cupboard.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 4th 36F/2C. Overcast.

 Up at 7.45 after falling asleep repeatedly from 6am.

 Finished off tidying the plumbing in the bathroom. The stain on the tiles hasn't moved. 

 Shower first and then off to visit my friend. In the Morris I think.

 12.30 Back from visiting my friend. The Morris mostly behaved itself. With the engine missing every now and then. I visited two charity shops on the way home. No suitable bathroom furniture.

13.20  The overcast is clearing slightly to watery brightness. I plan to visit some more charity shops this afternoon. To look for a bathroom cabinet or cupboard. There are at least two more shops with a furniture department.

 15.40 Returned from a tour of three charity shops. The fourth was closed. None had a useful cupboard for the bathroom. Many road are closed due to building work and district heating expansion.

 16.15  Only 58F/14C in the room. I have lit the stove.  

 I was advised to try Oxy cleaner and have left the foam sitting on the stain on the bathroom tiles.

 Dinner was the second, organic pork chop, mushrooms and tweggs. I gave the chop 15 minutes this time at medium heat. Turning at about 3 minute intervals. It was less "juicy" than last night but only a little tougher. The edges of the meat had lost their pink tinge of the first few turns. Which I was using as a rough guide. 

 I preferred the longer fry of tonight. The meat was not burnt because of the slightly lower heat. I used a setting of 4 instead of yesterday's 5 on the large hotplate. The eggs were flipped over and remained runny after five minutes total cooking time. So I call this a success. I finished off with a bread roll.

 

  ~o~

3.02.2025 It's not funny! 😏

 ~o~

  Monday 3rd 31F/-1C[9.00] Overcast but with a threat of some sunshine later.

 Up at 7.15 after a weird night. I woke to use the fire bucket at 3am. Then suddenly remembered I hadn't attended to the recycling bins. So, at 3.15am our hero was trundling the 100m along the muddied, gravel drive in the pitch dark. To park the two bins where they are picked up to be emptied into the oversized, dustbin lorry. It was so dark I overshot the end of my drive and nearly ended up in the field beyond. After going back to bed I couldn't sleep for an hour and half. I was going to get up at 6 and 7am but fell asleep again.

 9.30 61F/16C in the room. Lit the stove. Not sure I have any concrete plans for today. I could be tidying up outside. Perhaps strimming back my wife's badly overgrown flower bed. Or I could be dismantling the observatory. It is cold, damp and grey out there. So not remotely inviting.

 I could start washing up more of my wife's ornaments. To put in the matching pair of vintage, kitchen display cabinets. Which I have recently acquired inexpensively from charity shops. Sadly, the wall behind them needs to be totally refurbished. For want of a better term. For hiding the present hideousness of bare and damaged plasterboard. Once hidden by vertical, recycled, profiled boarding. Which I put up myself two decades ago. Only for it to become riddled with woodworm. I would need to apply a whole new layer of plasterboard. Then make good the joints with plaster or filler and paint.

 Or, I could tidy the balcony storage room. Removing the bulky subwoofer boxes and cardboard box storage has provided lots more room. Which would allow it be much better used than currently abused. I could even put some steel shelving out there. To greatly[?] increase the storage volume. Rather than mixed stuff just lying about on the floor. The 45º, down to the floor ceilings, rather inhibit maximum utilization of the available space. 

 It could become an attractive space to sit when temperatures allow. Perhaps to admire the brambles presently invading the horribly untidy garden below. However, the balcony room freezes in winter and bakes in summer. The large, recycled windows are badly misted between the panes. Their frames slowly rotting. 

 Having gained twenty years. Since I struggled to lift them up a ladder while working alone. I am in no position to buy new and replace them myself. They keep the weather out. One can ask no more of them. Not after them having been removed from blocks of council flats so very long ago. Having already given their half lives to creature comfort. 

 10.00 It has soared to 64F/17.8C in the room and I have done nothing but waffle. Thank goodness for morning coffee. That will kill another 20 minutes of irretrievable time.

 11.30 I decided to stay indoors and remove the old washing machine. A nice, simple job requiring no brain power. I immediately discovered the tiled floor beneath was black. While everything was covered in soft focus, spider's webs. First I vacuumed. Then I scrubbed the floor with soap. Then with scouring fluid. Still without total success. I presume it is a chemical stain.

 So I have now tried black mould remover and will leave it to soak. The before picture looks far worse than it is. Because I spilled some water while moving the machine. A lot of the mess was dark fluff from the laundry work over the years. Vacuuming and then a wipe with a cloth was enough to remove most of the dark stuff.

 The manifold on the left is for underfloor heating which was never used. Due to a lack of a suitable heater. The wood stove's internal boiler wasn't up to the job. It ran with wood tar whenever I switched on the circulation pump.

An awful lot of work and expense for nothing. So the bathroom and kitchen went unheated for probably 25 years. I used a fan heater but my wife refused to use it. On the grounds of noise. Over 20 years later there is still no low temperature, heating technology available under £10,000 equivalent installed.

 11.45 It is looking much cleaner but the blackened tiles are still not responding. I have moved onto bleach and a fresh scouring pad.  The idea is to have a small cupboard in this corner. Just to hold spare toilet rolls. Presently kept in the airing cupboard and always too far away when [usually] forgotten! 

 Though the protruding plumbing would be a hindrance. Unless it could be hidden within the cupboard. I can rotate the thermostat to flatten it against the wall. That would help a little. That side and the back of the cupboard would still need to be inset. Or there would be large gaps against the walls. An open invitation to the spiders. 

 I could invest in loads of end closure fittings. To get rid of the ugly manifolds altogether. Available in chrome or stainless steel as well the familiar brass. The Pex pipes could be cut much lower and terminated much more neatly. Though that risks losing the water supply to the sink and toilet. One manifold is for warm water and the other for cold. Far too many years have passed. For me remember why I felt the need for nine pipes in the bathroom.

 I need a cap for the compression "T" too. To close off the old washing machine's water supply. Is that a valid excuse to go for a ride this afternoon? I have run out of Kleenex for my runny nose. Though the 3-layer, "supersoft" bog paper is quite a suitable substitute. I had better start looking for a suitable cupboard in the charity shops too. 

 15.30 31F/-1C and remaining overcast all day. Back from a 24km ride. To buy a cap for the water pipe and some more industrial gloves. Bitterly cold at times. Worse when riding into the light breeze at 30+ kph. My face felt particularly cold. My gloved fingertips were feeling cold almost from the start but grew no worse. Tolerable was probably the right word. Rather than comfortable.

 Dinner was an organic pork chop, mushrooms and chips. I used the oven fan again at a lower temperature. To try and make the chips softer. Not much change. The instructions on the chops called for 2½ minutes each side at modest heat in the pan. I gave it five minutes each side and it browned nicely but it still seems inadequate. The chop was 18mm or 3/4" of an inch thick!

  

 ~o~

2.02.2025 Gone to a good home.

 ~o~

  Sunday 2nd 32F/0C. Thick mist and overcast. 

 Up at 7.15 after a disturbed night and clock watching. I have a wet chest and keep coughing and blowing my nose.

 The subwoofer buyer is supposed to come at 11.00 to pick up his haul. It may be later if the mist doesn't clear quickly. Though the national fog warning has shrunk to Jylland. I had better use the barrow to bring the large and heavy boxes around to the greenhouse. I can't have him mired in the parking space mud! I have kept the boxes in the living room so far. To avoid the risk of mice hiding in the greenhouse. I shall have to go shopping after he has gone. I have no bread rolls left for lunch.

 10.45  33F/+1C. Still waiting. I don't think the mist is bad enough to limit normal driving. 80kph/50mph. Unless it is patchy. I have moved the boxes around to the greenhouse in the wheelbarrow. Where access will be much easier for loading their car. Without walking more than a few feet. Nor risking them trying to turn around on the mud on the parking space. I have placed the wheelbarrow across the drive. Just beyond the greenhouse. To prevent that happening. 

 11.25. Excellent timing. My buyer turned up in a Tesla. Well, that's the end of another chapter in my busy creative life. I have a couple of audio items left with relatively low resale value om the secondhand market. It would be easier to donate them to charity. Rather than to go through the rigmarole of selling online.

 I am getting an error message that somebody is messing about with my blog. 

 12.25 Back from the shops. I went in the Morris out of respect for the mist. Which was highly variable. After driving through 150m visibility in the woods and between the fields the village was almost clear.

 17.30 Almost time to make dinner. When I noticed the fish tank was slightly cloudy. The internal filter was clogged. A quick rinse of the filter sponges under the bath tap and all is well again. There is no chlorine in the drinking water. So there should not have been a complete loss of the beneficial bacteria. 

 Diner was extra mature cheese on toast. With halved, cherry tomatoes. Followed by an organic apple for pudding. 

 ~o~

1st February 2025 What price warm hands?

 ~o~

  Saturday 1st 36F/2C[8.00] Rather cloudy but mostly dry with some sunshine. It could reach 6C/43F.

 Up at 6am after another quiet night. What plans for today? 64F/18C feels a bit chilly.

 8.15 Light enough for a walk. My phone battery was flat again. Time for a quick charge.

 8.40. Off we go.       

 9.00 Back again. The sun came out as I pottered around the loop of the neighbour' drives. 

 10.00 The brightness was short lived. A grey overcast. I am going to ride into town. About a 20km round trip plus detours.

12.30 Back from town. Where I bought the warmest gloves from a car spares discount store at £25 equivalent. Then rode on into town to buy the warmest skiing gloves from a sports clothing shops. Which cost me £45 after a double discount from £80. Having had cold hands on the way there I wore these home. The GripGrab lobster claw mitts. With thin, synthetic liner gloves. Which I had worn into town weren't warm enough. My fingertips were aching before I got there. That was after a 15km ride with a light crosswind and ~40F/4C.

 Thankfully I arrived home with my hands comfortably warm. I lost a little dexterity but nothing to complain about. I bought the largest pair they had at 3XL. About a size 13? I am usually an 11 but though I might need liner gloves. I didn't today.

 The size of the Bosch Nyon button pad must have been a fierce battle between sizing for little girls and little boys. The little girls obviously won.  The Bosch Head of Design had clearly never ridden a bike in his entire life. Let alone an e-bike. He got his petite secretary to handle the control pad mock up for a few seconds and that was good enough. It never occurred to him that men might actually ride their e-bikes in winter. While wearing warm, winter gloves.

 How could he possibly know? He is constantly chauffeured around in a warm limousine. The idea that men might ride their EMTBs under tough conditions, while wearing protective gloves, would never occur to him. When a junior piped up about the foolish size of the control pad they were sent to clean the toilets. As punishment for rising above their station. Gotta maintain the strict hierarchy. 

 Now I need to find a way to make the gloves touch screen sensitive. One website suggested anti-static fluid. Or sewing conductive threads into the fingertips. The Goretex membrane isn't going to like the latter! I am not about to send SMSs at lightning speed while on the fly. I just want to be able to swipe the Bosch Nyon screen.

Nobody bats an eyelid at the extortionate prices of mass produced, bicycle parts. Why worry about the price of the clothing? Which makes riding a bike in winter even remotely possible. I could have spent the £200 on some fancy "Label" gloves. Recommended as Best Buy by a cycling test website. When these same bejeweled and mink lined gloves only rated a 7 out of 10 for warmth? If it smells like corruption, sounds like corruption and looks like corruption then it must be online cycle wear reviews.

 Dinner was a salmon pasty. With pasta and peas. I finally discovered the correct symbol for full oven with fan. Surprise! It worked! The downside was the absence of tinned tomatoes to throw onto the pasta. I had somehow overlooked a large gap in my supposed Danish, .Gov recommended, prepper's larder. I sprinkled some salt and pepper on top and that made it quite edible. Even tasty.

  ~o~

31.01.2025 32km in the rain and cold.

  ~o~

 Friday 31st 36F/2C. A cold, wet start but improving.

 A snap of Chez Hovel's kitchen from the living room end. Image distortion had to be reduced. Making the ceiling slope when it doesn't. Not that much.

 Up at 6am after a busy night manning the fire bucket and clock watching. I suddenly developed tinnitus last night. I haven't had it of ages. Years? I hadn't been in bed for long when there was a sudden deep "vroom." Like a big diesel engine. Or a powerful subwoofer. 

 I suffered from tinnitus over a longer period in the past. Various [loud] whistling tones. Coincidentally, I have had a slightly runny nose for a couple of days. I noticed the car sounded louder on my way home yesterday. With loud whistles from leaking window seals. 

 I should have turned down my hearing aids but couldn't. My mobile phone battery was flat. I had forgotten to charge it. So the hearing aid control app wasn't available. The initial jingle in my left [deaf] ear sounded much quieter over the last two days. As I fitted and switched on my hearing aids. Back to normal this morning.

 7.40 62F/17C in the room. Stove lit. If the weather improves I'd like to fit in a bike ride. I need washing powder or liquid for the new washing machine. Both the highly recommended liquid and powder are sold by a supermarket chain which is shrinking rapidly. I checked three other supermarkets yesterday but found nothing which triggered a buying response. There are two branches of the supermarket I need. Each, well within a half hour ride. 

Kitchen in overcast daylight. From a lower viewpoint to reduce trapezoid distortion. My meter long, vintage pine, recycling cupboard stands this side of the fridge. Hidden behind the glazed door. Which can't be seen in these photos. I built the run of cupboards and drawers on the left years ago. Using recycled materials.  

 One supermarket closed recently. In a shopping village which I use often. Though not that particular outlet. I see they have changed hands to the more popular supermarket chain. Currently at the bottom of the village. Which has severe parking and access problems. Their new outlet will enjoy a large and level car park with easy access. Even for their 7-axle, hundred meters long, goods delivery trucks. 

 It won't be long. Before the first raving psycho comes speeding along and kills some innocent[s.] There is a 50kph/30mph speed limit but few drivers have a conscience beyond the nearest traffic calming hump. There isn't one on this road. Though there is a school and kindergarten on the same stretch. But hey, no police or camera presence? That means no speed limit. Have you noticed that being able to afford a Tesla means no speed limits? I suppose it makes a change from the usual Audi/BMW goons. 

 7.55 Almost [half] light enough for a walk? Not yet. I had better stop waffling and bring in more logs from the greenhouse.

 8.25 I have cleaned the glass inside and out of the fish tank. Miserably grey outside but finally light enough for a walk.

 9.10 38F/3C. And back again. Heavy overcast but dry. Too cold on bare hands. With a cold NW breeze. The dark brown bird of prey retreated as usual. As I neared its parking spot on the prairie. A huge container lorry sprayed me from head to toe. Not an inspiring start to the day. Time for morning coffee.

 10.00 It is brightening up a little. I'll prepare for a ride.

 10.15 Off we jolly well go..

 12.15 41F/5C. Back from a very wet 32km/20mile ride. It brightened up to pitiful glows behind the cloud on the first stretch. That was just lulling me into a false sense of idiocy. After ten kilometers it drizzled increasingly heavily. Until steady rain forced me to stop and to put on my Patagonia over-trousers. By which time my cargo trousers were already dark with wet. I had already bought my desired laundry liquid and matching shower gel. I shall pray fervently that I don't get them mixed up. Well, you never know with these silly septuagenarians.

 I started out with GripGrab winter gloves over thin gloves. Not warm enough. Which demanded a change at the supermarket into GripGrab lobster mitts. After which my hands continued to ache more and more with the cold. I should have tried the thin gloves in the mitts but my hands were wet at that point. Making the fitting of gloves a real chore. Being the sensible chap, that I am. I wore my clear, safety glasses. Rain and overcast, while wearing dark sunglasses, are apt to make one suicidal. Well me, anyway.

 12.50 Lunch. 68F/20C in the room but I still feel cold. If no longer wet. The stove had been boosted from the ashes with more logs and maximum draught on my return. I just wish it would show more enthusiasm.

 Dinner was sardines on toast. I burnt the toast with the new oven grill!

  ~o~

30.01.2025 Toxic waste?

 ~o~

  Thursday 30th 41F/5C. Quite windy with possible showers this morning.

 Up at 6.15 after being awake at 4am. Fell asleep again and it was two hours later.

 Cooking class. I hope the Morris behaves itself. 

 Now the kitchen is coming together I need to invent a cleaning routine. It has been so cluttered that even sweeping the tiles was rather pointless. So much stuff on the working surfaces and around the sink that cleaning properly was all but impossible. 

 The cupboards under the sink contain probably 30 kinds of cleaning materials and chemicals. Of which I have used only one or two and haven't a clue about the rest. Most of it inherited from my wife. I tidied up and cleared out the illegible bottles a couple of years ago.

 Disposing of half full bottles requires a ten kilometers drive to another recycling yard and then back again. They don't deal with "dangerous materials" locally. 

  8.00 Only 63F/17C in the room. I don't think there's much point in lighting the stove until I get back.

 8.20 The car started but didn't want to run for long. I have been trying to rake out the deep tracks the plumber's van made in the mud on the parking space. It needs to be scraped clean with a mini front loader. Then a hard/firm surface produced by compaction and then graveled over. They use a lot of pea gravel around here but it's hopeless with vehicles. Angular chippings lock together and don't fly about. God knows what that would cost if it was done commercially. 

 15.00 Back from cooking class and shopping on the way home. 61F/16C in the room. Stove lit.

 No need for dinner as I ate well at the cooking class.

 

  ~o~

29.01.2025 Practice makes perfect.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 29th 38F/3C [6.30] A misty start is promised. With early showers turning to rain this afternoon.

 Up at 6am after a quiet night. Heart physio after lunch.

 A damp day gives me no excuse to avoid building the remaining IKEA cabinets. Having already moved my larder from the lower drawer of the oven cabinet. The first cabinet still has room to spare. Now the question is what to put in all this new storage space. Though there is some junk under the free end of the working surface. I must be vigilant an disciplined. Stop laughing at the back!

 I also need to have a first wash cycle with some actual laundry. I am at a loss to choose a washing powder. I may have been getting it all wrong so far. As to quantity or quality of powder. I simply continued with my wife's choice but using rather random quantities. I am informed that a plastic measuring device is usually involved. Something like a spoon? This is news to me.

 More research needed. I can't use some famous name powders. Because they ruined my youthful brain function with endless and repetitive advertising. Aimed precisely and deliberately at the severely mentally retarded. Which I hasten to add that I wasn't at the time. I simply refuse to buy anything which carpet bombed me. On a TV which I paid for but never gave permission for advertising. So that infamous battery maker. Will never enjoy a single purchase using their name either.     

 7.30 63F/17C in the room. Stove lit. I have doled out my daily eight tablets into the dispenser. Still pitch black outside. Now what? I must remember to level the washing machine stand/table/platform. Some leverage may be involved. I didn't notice that the two rear feet were tilting the machine forwards until now.

 I'll see if I can correct that with the two front feet. If not, use one of my car jacks? It only needs the weight taken off the feet to screw them up or down. A bottle jack or 2x4? 

 There are no hex nuts involved. So it's adjustment by friction alone. I can just see the headlines: "Old fart found mummified after eight months of being trapped under a washing machine but nobody noticed!" Best avoided.  

 9.00 Second IKEA cabinet completed and hung. In retrospect it could have been taller. Image taken at eye level. Requiring the wide angle distortion be removed with long obsolete software. Which also softens the verticals. The third new cabinet will sit on top of the oven cabinet. Leaving me to find a new home for the mini-oven. 

 The oil filled radiator is now working invisibly in the corner. Behind the washing machine. Which itself is still 10cm or 4" out from the wall. So room to make it less dominant if desired. The oven cabinet is as far back as the electric conduits allow. I am still thinking about extending the end of the wall to reduce the oven cabinet's projection.

 10.00 38F/3.3C. It is quite a pleasant morning out there now. With plenty of blue sky and even the risk of some sunshine.

 11.00 Overcast. Third cabinet completed. It is sitting on its spare shelf. To give its door clearance to open easily. IKEA sells the shelves in packs of two for some reason. I can't push this cabinet as far back as that on the left. 

 The Washing machine is now leveled. With the aid of a 2x4 lever and blocks of wood as a fulcrum. Next I have to think about door knobs or pulls. The soft closure IKEA hinges are drawer slides are amazing. They will silently close a door or cupboard from a long way out. 

 My vintage display cabinets can move a little to the right. Towards the washing machine. Without being in the way of its door opening and laundry activities.  

 15.45 Back from my exercise class. I was feeling good and had no problem completing the exercises. Except for balance and flexibility. Both remain poor. I looked in on the Morris Minor specialist to ask what might be wrong with the car. The engine was dying repeatedly followed by explosions in the exhaust. Fortunately it sorted itself out and kept going until I reached the class.

 I ran my first load of laundry in the new washing machine. The towels, Cotton at 60C and 1600rpm. The machine is pleasantly quiet compared to the top loader. The 1600 spin impressively fast. The towels came out creased but still slightly damp. Ready for hanging on the clothes airer upstairs.

 Dinner was a repeat of yesterday's. Chicken, sausage and mushrooms.  

 

  ~o~

28.01.2025 Plumber has a mud bath!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 28th 39F/4C [7.30] A grey start turning to sunshine later.

  7.30 Up at 6am after a quiet night. Dashing around cleaning and tidying in readiness for the plumber's expected arrival at 7.30. Not yet!

 8.00 66F/19C in the room. I am already sweating from all the activity. No need to light the stove yet.

 Assuming the job doesn't take much time I shall visit my British friend. Then back home again in anticipation of the arrival of IKEA's van with my wall cabinet kits after lunch. 

 Just had a phone call. The plumber isn't arriving until 9am. They didn't even have my address recorded correctly. That's useful, given my plans for today. 🙄

 9.15 He arrived at 8.50. The job only took 15 minutes. He fitted a T behind the toilet as requested. He set the new machine running on a short cycle and it worked. Not too noisy. It rotates both ways. I hadn't expected that. Presumably to reduce tangles.

  Then the plumber's van couldn't reverse out of the parking space! Because the ground had turned to mush with all the recent traffic. I tried putting plywood under the wheels but it didn't help. Shoveled gravel under the wheels. Nope. He called a colleague to help him out but managed to escape just as he arrived. By then it was 9.30. Leaving me able to drive over to see my friend. 

 12.20 Lovely sunshine now. Safely back home. The parking space looks like a tank training ground! I have deliberately parked the Morris to stop the IKEA delivery chaps from trying to drive in. 

 12.40 They have mailed me to say they will be here between 13.00 and 13.40. I had better have some lunch.

 13.00 Now a phone call to say it will here in be 20 minutes. I warned the driver to reverse down my bit of the drive. To avoid getting stuck in reverse gear on the muddy surface. I ran another short cycle on the washing machine. No soap or laundry.

 13.30 Lots of IKEA items were safely delivered. 

 14.30 I have already assembled the first cabinet case. The basic building principles are the same regardless of shape or size. Now I have to decide how high to put it on the wall. 

 Too high and I shan't be able to see what is on the top shelf. Too low and there is no room for storage on the top of the lower furniture. Presently bread rolls and breakfast porridge oats. Too low and it might look cramped for space. 

 Do I want to place the rolls and breakfast in the new cabinet? I'll have to think about that. Breakfast is only once a day. It is hardly inconvenient to reach into the cabinet. Though it may interfere with my larder arrangements. We shall see. I seem to have far too much storage space now.

 16.30 First cabinet completed and hung. My first time with IKEA hinges. Not self explanatory. The sub-microscopic instructions pictures needed an electron microscope! I only have several magnifying glasses. I finally chose a cabinet height to just clear the double power socket. Not that the cabinet interferes with it. 

 Pushed far enough to the right not to interfere with a possible, taller fridge-freezer purchase. The cabinet shelf is only just above my eye level. I haven't decided on cabinet pulls/knobs yet. The white baskets below seem to work well enough. Now I just need to make another one. Then the smaller box to go on top of the oven.

 Dinner was forced on me. I had chicken and sausages at their sell by date. So half of each had to be used up. The same tomorrow. Perhaps a curry?  It was a great combination but I had nothing to go with them except mushrooms. It was fine.

 

  ~o~

 

27.01.2025 I am drained!

 ~o~

  Monday 27th 37F/3C. Overcast. Heavy rain forecast for mid morning.

 Up at 6.30. 

7.45. The drainage contractors have arrived. They suggest they fit a P-trap in 110mm at the foot of the 1.2m long, vertical section in the kitchen floor. Which is what I drilled for and fitted last week.  This will save having a P-trap indoors. Making for a neater job. With only a 32mm standpipe exiting into a flush 110-50-32mm reducer at floor level. It has just started raining hard as promised. The black fitting is the P-trap.

 9.30 67F/19C in the room. Job done. A careful and competent pair of lads. They have back-filled the trench and smoothed it over. The rain eased off and I have been watching them work. So have become rather cold. The stove went out but soon responded to some beech chips and flakes.

 Now all I need is the plumber to finish it off. I have made a hole in the dividing wall to the bathroom. 15mm Pex pipe through the wall. To an elbow and isolating ball valve with one way, stop valve. Not connected to the water supply of course because that would be illegal. I planned on having a T into the toilet's water supply pipe. Which is just the other side of the wall at floor level. I'll see what the plumber says. I called and they are coming first thing tomorrow morning. Excellent!

 10.30 It is getting windy. To save some expense for labour. I have been left with the job of backfilling. Around the top of the pipe in the kitchen with sand. I am already on my third bucket full. I was advised to add water at intervals. To wash it down evenly around the buried pipes under the floor. I did wonder why they left me with a whole barrow full. The sand is damp but still disappearing into a bottomless pit! Dry sand would flow better but I don't have any choice in this matter. 

 11.00 Still at it! I am using a screwdriver. To clear the crack of sand with each filling swipe. I sense the space around the pipe is more full than it was. It is no fun kneeling in a dark corner. Scraping away at a crescent shaped gap only 10mm wide x perhaps 50mm. Four buckets and endless handfuls vanish into nowhere.

 13.45 Still poking sand down beside the pipe at intervals. The main gap seems full until I pour water around the edges. The next gap is tiny but seems inexhaustible in its capacity. I need to shop. So I'll take a break.

 15.50 45F/7C. Heavy overcast and windy. Back from a ride to the shops. I risked a 10km ride despite the often threatening sky. There was a downpour mid morning. Brighter periods in between. The saddle felt too low. Returned well laden. 

 Still working sand around the pipe.

 For dinner I made fish fingers and chips. No pictures.

 21.30 A fierce hailstorm lasted for ten minutes.

 

 

 ~o~

26.01.2025 I woke as an old fart again.

 ~o~

  Sunday 26th 33F/1C. Another grey day.

 Up at 7.15 after a fairly quiet night but with weird dreams. I woke as an old fart again. The proof is in every mirror. Not raised to my own vanity but to conceal hideous states of dilapidation. I see a stooping shambles of my former self. In the semi darkness of Chez Hovel. This is not what I had hoped for. 

 I have crammed so much into my small life that I might have hoped for just a little more of the same. Instead of which I am using valuable hours and days of my statistically unlikely autumn dismantling my own creations. A lifetime of lifting myself out of my untidiness. Seems almost suddenly to have reached an end. Without applause or reward for effort expended.

My unlikely monuments to narrow interest subjects are finally to be taken down. My hidden genius so recently concealed beyond a few memory chips. Now rears in dilapidated ruin to the vagaries of erosion, weather and my own, clumsy, fumbling demolition. I can no longer tolerate the ugliness of what I myself have wrought. The shame is too much. I can no longer use my depression as an excuse for indolence and inactivity. Damn the weather! For denying me an easy escape to the empty lanes of forgetfulness. Senility is perhaps the only true cure for the torment of regret. A stranger's kindness. Bestowed on those with survivor's guilt.

 7.45 A chilly 62F/17C in the room and the stove is lit.

 8.15 There is a white ground frost on the back field. I have just been outside to discard the ashen remains of over-expensive logs. A modest bag of waste food to be dropped deep into the recycling bin. Not that I waste much. It's mostly empty banana skins and foolishly expensive teabags. 

 Another glimpse back to childhood. When I could go to the corner shop with one coin. To fetch items which now cost what was then, more than a week's wages. Why does inflation only every keep pace with shrinking value? But never with a larger bag of the goodies themselves?

 It is odd how ideas and memories pop up at random. How one's life and even survival itself. Hinged on a single event. A single chance meeting. For better or worse. How can one possibly predict the roll of the dice? With the potential to alter every twig, leaf and branch of the sapling of one's future life. 

 How I was saved from a life of inherited drudgery. Merely by the size of my trouser cuffs. Or the vivid colours of my paisley shirt. At the creakily conservative government office. Only for it to vanish into oblivion so shortly afterwards. How did the length of my hair affect "my career?" That foolish, petty, identikit, revolutionary in rapidly changing times. Wasted on the young of course. Who were so easily bought with fashion, gossip and music. 

 The intervention of another coming to my rescue. When a teenage waster drew a knife outside that village chip shop. As I defended the honour of that innocent young maiden. My first, but short lived love. Perhaps it was for the best? She kept accusing me of "using long words!" 😂

 9.00  72F/22C in the room! Your torment is over. At least for the moment. I am going for a walk. I may be some time.

 10.15 Quite misty in places. A walk up to the forest. Then back down by the edges of the fields. Not my best decision. Because it was so muddy. Even some large puddles barring my way. 

 Lots of Great tits moving about and beeping in the hedges. A bird of prey kept calling up ahead but must have been moving away. My hands were too cold in my down sweater pockets. More warmth was to be found in my trouser pockets. Albeit at the cost of appearing too relaxed for an intrepid explorer. One does try to keep up appearances. 

 Talking of which. I have been clearing the last load of excess logs on the floor of the greenhouse. To stack them against the house wall. I need to make more room for "stuff" to be stored out there. Even if only temporarily. Besides that, it was good exercise. 

 Dinner was a chicken omelette. Successfully turned over by a plate. Excellent all around.

 I have had a message from the drainage contractors. To say that they are coming at 7.30 tomorrow morning. That is good news.

  ~o~

25.01.2025 Keep on tidyin'!

 ~o~

 Saturday25th 40F/4.4C Likely to be cloudy. Slight risk of sunshine later. With the wind reducing.

 Up at 7am after a quiet night. 63F/17C in the room thanks to milder outdoor temperatures.

 9.00 Overcast. Going for a walk. 

 9.40 Back from my walk to the lanes. An unpleasantly cold, SW wind rather spoilt the proceedings. Two brown birds of prey retreated. The most depressing time of year. Everything is dark and dull and wet.

 10.45 It is brightening a little. I have been watching more YT videos on kitchen cabinet installation. 

 12.45 I have just spent a couple of hours tidying the observatory and its surroundings. Most of the observatory electronics have come indoors. All the old bits of wet, scrap wood are going to the recycling yard after lunch. There is at least another trailer full of stuff to be cleared later.    

 14.30 Overcast. Back from emptying the trailer at the recycling yard. 

 16.00 More tidying. It feels cold in the wind out there.

 16.27 41F/5C. A brief, orange sunset beneath the clouds.

 Dinner was a salmon pasty and boiled potatoes. I am trying the oven fan mode for the first time. Which worked very well. Nicely browned and cooked right through without being burnt. 25 minutes at 200C. It called for 20 minutes at 180C on the packaging.

 ~o~

24.01.2025 Storm Éowyn!

 ~o~

  Friday 24th 39F/4C. Overcast and wet. Heavier rain this afternoon. Britain and Ireland are expecting almost a full scale hurricane! Fortunately it swings north and avoids Denmark. Though it is expected to be quite windy and bring some rain.

 7.30 Up at 6am after a disturbed night. 63F/17C in the room. Adding a log in the night may have helped. I had better light the stove. Bring in another basket of logs. Another basket of beech kindling. I have just started on the latest trailer load of logs. To save waiting in pointlessly all day, I have emailed the drainage contractor.

9.30 No response so far. A gust of 114mph has been registered on the coast of Ireland. The highest wind speed ever recorded by the Irish national meteorological agency. [Met Éireann] There is the first ever Red Warning of danger to life to the whole of Ireland and Northern Ireland. As is The Isle of Man. Over half a million homes are already without power. Even before the storm peaks. 

 The roads are described as almost deserted. As most drivers sensibly heed the warning to stay at home. All schools are closed. Even Wales has recorded a near 90mph gust at Capel Curig in Snowdonia. Not far from where we used to live. Albeit at slightly higher elevation at 300m. Over 90mph at Aberdaron on the tip of the Lleyn Peninsula. Again in N.Wales.

 I have ordered some matching wall cabinets from IKEA. To hide my larder items and to make the oven cabinet appear less awkward. I have gone for matching wood grain effect in textured white. With glass doors for two wide cabinets. A narrower cabinet with solid, "panel" door for the top of the oven cabinet. This should provide a more uniform look to the hovel's kitchen. 

 I have chosen shallower 39cm deep cabinets to avoid a too top heavy feel. The IKEA stuff is acceptable at the price. My own taste is for antique pine and small paned glass. However, the large white surfaces light up the kitchen as expected and desired. Pine would be and probably is seriously dated by now. I have to think in terms of increasing the value of the hovel on my inevitable demise. Not matching it to what was considered good taste in my youth.

 The record breaking storm claimed one life and cut power to over a million homes in the UK.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms and chips. I washed up while it was cooking. Meanwhile, I am experimenting with cooking longer but at lower settings. Just trying to ensure the chicken was tender. It was the best so far. Also that the chips weren't hard and crispy. 50:50.

 

 

  ~o~

23.01.2025 One forward. Two steps back.

 ~o~

 Thursday 23rd 33F/1C. A wet morning is promised. Possibly turning to wintry showers later. Sunshine this afternoon? Increasingly windy.

 Up at 7am after another quiet night. Though I woke several times to glance at the clock. Before drifting off again. 

 7.45 61F/16C in the room. Time to light the stove. The buyer of my infinite baffle subwoofer components is supposed to be coming at lunchtime today. To take away 7 large boxes and their considerable weight.

 8.45 65F/18C in the room. Sleet is slowly turning the Morris white. Probably because it is cold metal. The sleet is very wet and hardly visible elsewhere. 

 11.00 I carried all the boxes downstairs. While wearing my lightweight, gym trainers. For extra grip on the steep stairs. 

 11.20 72F/22C in the room. My IB buyer has had to postpone collection. Influenza symptoms. Now the living room will be full of boxes until he recovers. 

 13.20 Brief flash of sunshine. Repeated at intervals.

 14.20 Brief sunshine again. 

 Dinner was mackerel on toast with cherry tomatoes.

 

  ~o~

22.01.2025 Progress at last!

 ~o~

  Wednesday 22nd 33F/1C. Another cold, grey day. With temperatures  just above freezing. Rain tonight. Turin to talk of snow and icy roads tomorrow.

 Up at 6am. The room temperature is 61F/16C. I had better light the stove. I was awake in the night again. Obsessing over the washing machine drainage. Endlessly rehearsing what to do and how to do it. What to say to the drainage contractor who is coming today. 

 I'll see if he will let me carry out the excavation for a drainpipe surfacing in the kitchen. To avoid the time consuming [and therefore very expensive] work involved. I now have the tools to chain drill a ring in the floor. Then break it up with a selection of SDS+ hammer drill chisels into a tubular hole. It all depends on the depth of the concrete and any harder stones in the path of my long drills. More a matter of patience than skill.

 7.30 Another week's tablets sorted into the daily dispenser. Time for a shower. Physio class after lunch.

 9.00 The drainage contractors have arrived and intend to expose the relevant drain pipe in the ground. 

 9.45 A nice couple of young chaps. An excellent machine operator. Careful, precise and respectful of customer's property. A master of the rotating and hands free bucket changer.

 I am to make a hole in the kitchen floor. To match the length of 110mm pipe they gave me. I'll make a ring of holes and deepen them. Then expand each hole with a larger bit. Until they join up and the core can be removed. 

11.30 Stopped for a rest and belated morning coffee. Drilling the ceramic tile was fraught with problems. The drill point skated over the hard surface before rapidly burying itself. Often where not wanted. I went back to the hand drill with a small masonry bit but it didn't help. There is a big step between first contact and heavy duty, hammer drilling. I should have removed the ceramic tile first. It disintegrated anyway as I kept drilling with ever larger and longer masonry bits. 

 Removal of the core was fairly effortless once it was free. I broke it up with a chisel bit. There followed much clearing of the hole up to my elbow and beyond. Pebble sized gravel and sand. Some of the polystyrene insulation I laid under the floor heating pipes. Which, as expected, didn't show up in the hole.

 I need to be at least 80cm down from my earlier hole in the outside wall. Which I am using as my reference. If I am to have any chance of breaking through to the great outdoors. I tried hammering a piece of angle iron into the bottom of the hole. At increasing angles but something is stopping it. Probably the mess of cinder blocks and cement only pretending to be a foundation.  

 The drainage chaps undermined the wall for me but not quite deep enough. It is hard, sticky clay under the house. The young men made it look so easy. As they dug ever deeper. I don't have the strength any more. Perhaps I should try the big hammer drill with a wide spade bit? 

 12.15. I finally broke through to daylight with the angle iron in the bottom of the hole. The 110mm test pipe was 1.2m long. It was only just visible from outside. The drainage contractor suggested be will come back tomorrow or Friday. To make the connection with the existing pipe in the ground. I sealed the open pipe against wildlife and wind.

 Great progress! Far better than I had dared to hope. The big hammer drill made it easily possible. I would still be struggling with the normal hammer drill. The difference in sheer power is night and day! 

12.55  I should be leaving for physio! I am all dusty. Had to change all my clothes. No lunch.

 More district heating, pipe installation detours. I was five minutes late. Not feeling so active today. Went shopping afterwards. 

 Dinner was sausage, mushrooms and boiled potatoes.

 

  ~o~

21.01.2025 Will he? Won't he?

 ~o~

  Tuesday 21st 35F/1.7C. Still dark. Expected to be cold, misty, cloudy, breezy and to hover around +1C/34F all day.

  Up at 6am after lying awake for hours worrying about the drainage for the washing machine. I have a drainage contractor coming on Wednesday morning but he doesn't like my present drainage plans. Thankfully, he is making helpful suggestions how the situation can be overcome within the rules.

 It seems the pipes should all lie within the building or well underground outside. Drilling a hole and running a 40mm pipe through an outside wall is not standard Danish practice. Which probably means making a hole in the concrete kitchen floor to bring a larger pipe indoors [under the floor of course.] From a branch to the existing drainpipes outside under the lawn. 

 My hovel is old, ugly and built to agricultural standards. It is highly unlikely that a concrete foundation exists. I certainly do not remember one when the floors were all dug up to lay new pipes.

 It makes sense to do it right and all at the same time. So I have asked if he can do this indoor drainage work. The underfloor heating pipes may be a problem. Though this area of the kitchen was inside a built in cupboard at the time of installation. I have since removed this cupboard. Providing a very useful alcove for the washing machine and new oven to be tucked away.  

 Fortunately my changes to the garden since my wife died. Means easy access for a modestly sized excavator. There was a 20' hedge almost touching the house back then. It was almost impossible for a person to squeeze sideways between the hedge and the house in several areas. 

 I am expecting a new tool parcel today. So I can't leave the house until it arrives. In anticipation of my needing to dig holes in the kitchen floor myself. I ordered a new SDS+ drill/hammer and matching tools. I haven't been able to order a suitable core drill. Without knowing what size I needed. Ordinary electric drills don't have the torque for large core drills.

 11.00  Spitting with rain. I have been tidying up my digging tools. Then cleared and leveled the parking space for the Morris. Allowing it to safely reverse another six feet/2m off the main turning space. Every little helps if a machine has to be unloaded from a trailer. Rear vision is already poor on the Morris. Even worse if the rear screen is misted over. As it usually is.

 My IB subwoofers buyer should be here on Thursday around lunchtime. Several others wanted them. Alas too late to realise the incredible bargain compared to buying new. 

 14.15. My drill has arrived. So now I am free to go shopping.

 16.30 Back from the shops well laden. I was overtaken by a Tesla in dragster mode in a village. Apart from speeding the driver wasn't reading the road. They ended up following a slow bus.  

 I had a call from the drainage contractor. He is coming tomorrow to look at the job. Including the hole in the floor problem. Previously it seemed he was coming early to do the job. 

 Dinner was an organic sausage omelette. Stop laughing at the back! I imagined the sausages would become wrapped in the egg. They didn't. They shunned each other. Not to worry. They tasted fine.

  ~o~

20.01.2025 Keep on recyclin'!

 ~o~

 Monday 20th 32F/0C [7.15] The weather is undecided. Misty or not. Sunny or not.

 Up at 6.15 after a quiet night.  

 7.15 I could tidy the balcony room. I have to extract particular audio cables from the tangled knitting. To go with the subwoofer system I have sold. There is a huge heap of empty cardboard boxes. Which have to go to the recycling yard. [On Wednesday] Easily a trailer full. Even if I nest them. Which is rather time consuming. They can go out of the balcony window and be taken the few yards to the trailer. 

 I can't get the trailer any nearer the window. Because of the steep incline down to the western lawn. Carrying all the boxes the length of the attic. To throw them out of the bedroom window. Straight into the trailer outside. Would take even longer. It would also expose the bedroom to freezing temperatures. While the balcony door can remain safely closed. Protecting the open plan house from major heat loss. Currently 62F/17C. Only 37F/3C in the greenhouse. Where it reached 68F/20C in yesterday's sunshine. I had better stop waffling and light the stove. 

 8.30 Hard white frost. Walkies! 

 9.15 Back again from the lanes. It felt colder than yesterday despite being calm. As I pushed myself to the edge of breathlessness. The sun rose over a distant hump at 8.45. I spotted the beeper today. It was a large woodpecker at the very top of a tall tree in the shelter belt. Just above the chubby half moon there were persistent vapour trails.  Arranged in an unlikely pattern. They seemed to be clinging on exclusively at a particular altitude. None of the planes, which passed high overhead during my walk, were leaving a persistent trail. 

The sun was lost behind clouds mid-morning. Later becoming a grey overcast.

11.45 I have tossed all the empty boxes out of the balcony window. Then stuffed the trailer. Nesting as many as I could to compact the overall volume. I added the polystyrene packaging, from the whiteware. Making the trailer full to the brim. After roping it down I will take it to a slightly more distant recycling yard. To avoid having the trailer standing idle but full for several days. Waiting until the nearer yard opens. I'll be back well in time for lunch.

 12.45 It has all gone to the recycling yard. The elapsed time for the return journey was surprisingly short. I even stopped to shop briefly. Still no organic bananas. 

 Now I can make some sense of the balcony room contents. Perhaps bring in some low shelving. For more efficient use of the space available under the 45º sloping ceilings. The problem is what to put under the lowest area. Which won't get lost or inaccessible.

 Thick mist by mid afternoon.

 That's interesting. I have just had a mail from one of the local drainage contractors. Promising to do the work quickly. Perhaps as early as tomorrow morning.

 Dinner was cheese on toast with cherry tomatoes. I forgot to take any pictures.

 ~o~

19.01.2025 Drainpipe found!

 Sunday 19th 30F/-1C. Overcast, foggy and icy. Light SE breeze. Some sunshine possible after lunch? Icy roads warning. Not a great day for cycling!

 Up at 7am after a quiet night. The goldfish seem fine. I think they just get tired after a long day under the lights.

 I have had another offer on my large subwoofer components. Potential buyer lives in Copenhagen. At least 2 hours away. I wonder if he owns a low loader? A fork lift? A gang of labourers?

 8.45 62F/17C in the room. Stove lit. 

 I have been exhausting myself removing the heavy boxes and units from the balcony room. It suddenly seems half empty! Everything is at least twice as heavy as I remembered it! Eight 15" [39cm] subwoofer drivers and a powerful amplifier. 

 Selling for mere pocket money. I have enjoyed years of building, testing and researching their capabilities. Years of film and music as few others have heard it go so deep. I shan't ever build another subwoofer from scratch. They owe me nothing more after all this time. Hopefully the new owner will start his own exploration of what is possible. In plumbing the real depths of bass.

 10.00 29F/-2C. Back from a half hour walk around the neighbourhood. Despite the low temperature it did not feel cold. Except for my nose and eyes streaming. The sun was already out as I left. Though struggling with thin cloud and the mist. A lady cyclist passed, riding slowly. Well wrapped up and going the other way. Towards the village. The neighbours' hens dashed towards me. Until they realised I was not carrying the mandatory pocket full of corn. The room temperature has soared to a toasty 72F/22C. All thanks to a single, large log. 

 11.45 31F/-1C. Solid sunshine. A bird is beeping in the trees. Can't se it but it may be a woodpecker. I have been outside cooling down. By digging deeper for the missing drainpipes. Perhaps I should go sideways instead of straight down? My fuzzy logic suggests. That if they were any deeper. Then the pipes wouldn't have a proper fall to the bottom of the inspection chamber. Never mind, it's all good exercise. 😊

 12.15. Found it! My guess was close enough. The orange pipe is 85-90cm deep and goes off sharply to the right. As I am facing the house wall. Now I just need to expose enough of it to be able to fit a branch. To bring a pipe upwards to the surface. Where an adapter will connect the washing machine's 40mm pipe to the 110mm drains. 

 Unfortunately I cannot find the approved system of running a washing machine, waste pipe to the sewage system. In England it would be a matter of fitting a grill at ground level. In colder Denmark there would be a risk of freezing. Even though the washing machine only drains intermittently. So there should be no flow able to freeze. The obvious danger would be the grill freezing over in winter. Due to snow or low temperatures. Causing the waste water to be diverted by the ice onto the surrounding area.

 At least that is my theory. I need to talk to an authorized drainage contractor. One of the three websites which claims to get three offers for any building work. Has already closed my request. For a qualified tradesmen to carry out the work. No responses after a whole month. 

 It is illegal to carry out drainage work in Denmark without using an authorized contractor. Though I would be perfectly willing to carry out the work myself to their approved design. Then have it inspected and approved by the authorized contractor at my own expense. There is a local drainage contractor but he never got back to me after I sent him my details at his own request.  

 I have now sent a request to two more local drainage contractors to carry out the work. Their websites have a contact form. With room to describe the work required. Both are only a stone's throw from my own address.

 Dinner was chicken and mushrooms with chips. I turned the heat down in the oven to prolong the browning of the chips. Chips in the mini oven were always a disappointment. I am getting the hang of cooking and washing up simultaneously.

 

 ~o~

18.01.2025 Subwoofer gone.

 ~o~

  Saturday 18th 39F/4C [8.00] Another grey and misty day is promised.

 Up at 6.45 after a quiet night. No after dinner coffee last night. 

 I have to drive into town to buy a cable. They open at 9am so I ought to allow half an hour each way. All so I can demonstrate a subwoofer which I am selling for peanuts. Just to be able to make more room upstairs. For storing other stuff. 

 The Danish small ads website seems to be dominated by amateur resellers. Who want to turn a fat profit from those who are downsizing. Without their paying any tax on their invisible "business" of course. 

 9.30 Back from town with the required cable. It allows me to plug my subwoofer into the TV headphone socket. Which is set to subwoofer in the TV settings. The result is quite startling on YT music. I wish I had known about this before. 🙉

 Making good progress on the kitchen while I wait for news. The washing machine is slightly set back now. So it doesn't dominate the room. Plenty of room for loading and access around the machine door. I still have to attend to the end of the wall this side of the oven. It is clearly overhanging. Causing the oven cabinet to project even more than necessary.

 12.30 My buyer is still on his way. Expected ETA not later than 17.00. So I can go shopping. Lunch first.

 14.30 Back from grocery shopping. Still no edible, organic bananas.

16.45 A flying visit. My subwoofer has gone. To an enthusiast putting a secondhand system together. I imported it direct from the USA in 2004. Rather mixed feelings about seeing it go after all this time. I hope he has as much fun with it as I did. His wife may not be quite so accommodating as mine was. I was a huge beast!

 Fortunately I was able to place it on "the stage." A raised area beyond the open stairwell. It was where our series of TVs once stood. From ancient secondhand 29" CRT to modern 55" flat screen. Always accompanied by loudspeakers and later on, by subwoofers. All the better to enjoy music and film. 

 The image is from my subwoofer blog in 2007. A 46" JVC "HD Ready" LCD screen at that time.  Mission 753 Freedom Main and Center speakers. A giant, 6' high subwoofer built into the wall on the left. Cue the sting of melancholic nostalgia! 

 Dinner was sardines on toast with cherry tomatoes. Grilled in the new oven. [Slightly too well!] I must cut back on the times.

 I think one of my goldfish may be unwell. It has been wafting its tail in a head down position. It was doing it yesterday as well. Though it appears normal at other times. Tired? Sleeping? Too full?

 

 ~o~

17.01.2025 Logging.

 ~o~

  Friday 17th 38F/3C [8.45] Another grey day. Dry but breezy from the WSW.

 Up at 8.00 after bad night. I was awake a lot of the time. No plans for today yet. I should plod on with the kitchen.

9.00 61F/16C in the room. I had better light the stove first. The log pile in the greenhouse has gone down dramatically. So I ought to fetch some more before it becomes a problem. 

 9.15  I have just taken the ash box across the parking area. It is unpleasantly cold and damp outside. No bike rides today.

 9.30 Ten minutes of breathlessly shoveling gravel into the mud has failed to warm me up. I couldn't pull away from my usual parking space over the last two days. Because the surface had turned to mush. Mowed grass is fine in summer but becomes a poor choice in winter. Frosts produce a squishy mess when they thaw. I am unsure how sharp gravel would behave if I laid that on top. It might ruin the mower when the grass grows through. As inevitably it must. The surface needs to be stripped back. Then a proper layer of gravel laid, leveled and compacted. For a year round, vehicle proof surface. 

 11.00 Morning coffee. Back from collecting another, trailer load of logs.

 13.50 Just in time for lunch. I have brought all the logs in from the trailer. Excellent exercise. Increasingly windy and spots of rain in the air. 68F/20C in the room.

 I had to drag the washing machine out of the way to retrieve my large frying pan. The machine had been blocking the large drawers of the IKEA cabinet. Dinner was a fry up of chicken, mushrooms and eggs. Helped down with a bread roll. It was the first time I managed to flip the eggs without breaking them. They were perfectly runny.

   

  ~o~