14.07.2025 Just another Monday.

 ~o~

 Monday 14th  60F/15.6C [6.45] Bright but cloudy. With scattered showers later. Thunderstorm and cloudburst warning from 11.00 until late afternoon.

 Up at 6.15 after an odd night. I was doing well until 2am and was then wide awake for long periods. 

 7.00 Time for a walk. 

 7.10 I am readying for my walk but it is becoming darker and darker. I shall just have to wear my rain jacket again.

 7.40 Returning dripping with sweat. I had to take the ran jacket off soon after leaving. The humidity was only at 75%. I expected it to be much higher. My lower back was painful. So I had to keep going until the pain subsided. A serious cyclist went past. Tires roaring even louder than a Tesla.

 I wiped the plastic, traffic safety mirror with a tissue. Which turned black. This helped but needs more to restore the polish to the plastic surface. Gargoyle suggests mild soap and warm water. It's 200m away! It's not going to be very warm by the time I have walked all along the drive. Running isn't in my job description. Then I should be buffing with wax furniture polish. Or even baking soda. Best not with the latter. To avoid being burnt as a witch! Though I should be safe. The only cat's around here are not mine. 

 I stopped to chat to the neighbours' chickens. I think they've sent me to Coventry. Or whatever the Danish equivalent is for deliberate non-communication. In the event of gross egg theft and discounted consumption via a third party. Not much else to report. If it gets any darker indoors I shall be searching for my torch. 

 10-10.30 64F/17.8C. Overcast. I took a chance with the weather and rode into the village. 10.4km and shopping in half an hour. No wind. The local turbine group was still. I exchanged nods and waves with assorted other cyclists.  

 15.45 We have already had a few rumbles of thunder. Now a large area of rain has bubbled up from nowhere on the radar. Just to the east of our location. I had just opened up the greenhouse because it was getting so hot in there. After closing the doors and window in expectation of heavy rain earlier.   

 17.00 Tipping down! The rain was so dense it was like fog. Obscuring the view of the trees beyond the carport.

 Dinner was poached, free range eggs, on toast. 

 

  ~o~

13.07.2025 And there was light!

 ~o~

 Sunday 13th 58F/14.4C [7.00] Overcast. A wet morning is forecast. Brighter this afternoon. Windy from the NE.

 Up at 6am after an overly-active night. I don't think water suits me. 

 7.15 It is drizzling visibly. 

 8.20 Back from a half hour walk. It stayed dry but damp. With the wind flapping my lightweight rain jacket at intervals. A few gulls and warblers. Little traffic, or anything else of note.

 12.15 Back from a drive to Odense. I needed some O-ring tools and fish food. Both big shed outlets were side by side and open on Sundays. 

 14.00 One of the front side light bulbs on the Morris had blown. First it took ages to free the plastic lens. Due to friction and corrosion. Thick and grippy industrial rubber gloves allowed sufficient grip without breakage. 

 Then onto removing the old bulb. Which was frozen fast in place by rust to its housing. After breaking the bulb envelope with pincers. I was able to turn the bulb using a screwdriver inserted into the empty bulb. While the thin brass casing was simultaneously being clamped tightly. To the  screwdriver blade with fine nosed pliers. It was almost flush by then. It really did not want to come out but gave up in the end. Just as it collapsed in on itself. Had it remained stuck it might have blown the fuse.

 Much cleaning of the empty housing and a squirt of WD40. Eventually freed up the contact spring. Then a watchmakers screwdriver was used to clean the grooves. For the bayonet bulb's locking pins. Finally there was light from the new bulb. Without having broken it in the struggle. Success!

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. I washed up while it cooked.

  

  ~o~

12.07.2025 Wittering on.

 ~o~

  Saturday 12th 61F/16C. A bright start leading to cloud and showers.

 Up at 6.10 after a fairly quiet night and more weird dreams.

 How can one person accumulate so much washing up?

 I have been reading lots of headlines about the dangers of dehydration. Particularly in old age and during increasingly common heatwaves. So I am forcing myself to drink a small glass [150ml] of water every time I make tea, coffee, make a meal, or visit the bathroom. Without the additional water my daily average consumption of tea and coffee is only 1.8 liters. So I am under the 2 liter daily recommendation for old farts. 

 The doctor advised me to drink much more water. He said it would help with the frequency. Which sounds like a complete contradiction. To which I foolishly retorted that I didn't like the local water. Not did I enjoy drinking water anyway. I always feel as if I am drowning. When I try to drink a large glass.  

 Somewhat ironically they no longer stock organic beer at any of the local supermarkets. Of which I would enjoy a single small can after dinner. And, since I have no immediate plans to start drinking bottled water. Nor consume anything fizzy or sugar bombed. I had better do something constructive. Stop sniggering at the back! This is important! 🙄

 I'd normally ride to a charity flea market in another village on Saturday morning. Why not? I have waterproof clothing. It's only a 24+km round trip. Exercise is good for me. Preparing for the ride and a making a shopping list is good for the memory cells. I get out of the house. See real people being people. There are two other supermarkets more than the nearest chains. 

 So, why not? A: Tire spray from passing vehicles. The flea market never has anything of interest. Nothing I might want to buy. To add to the never ending hoard. You can't give loads of stuff away to the local flea market and continue collecting. Dos not compute.

The clock is nearing 7.45. It is still dry. Time to stop wittering on and go for a walk!    

 8.30 63F/17C. Warm but rather cloudy and windy. I walked down to the village. Around the church and back again. I saw a pair of amazing scarecrows on a veg patch. The traffic was almost non-existent at first. Have the commuters all gone south? To top up their skin cancer statistics. They should do a national recall on Danish registered Audis. They seem incapable of cornering without crossing the double white lines. Isn't this a potentially hazardous, steering fault?

 Lots of warblers singing again. Including one in a bare tree. Which had lost all its leaves. Warblers are usually invisible. Hidden in dense foliage. A black kite was circling over me as I neared home. Though I'd have put up a good fight to avoid becoming breakfast. Unlike the mouse. Which a black and white cat caught and immediately started to munch on. 

 9.46 Off we jolly well go. 

 11.25 61F/16C. Returning from a 29km ride. The tailwind was quite strong on way. Allowing me to cruise between 36-40kph. More like 20kph on the way back by another route in the rain. My cargo trousers were soon almost black with wet. While the [recycled] Nuckily, soft shell jacket fared much better. It darkened but no moisture seemed to get though to the soft lining. 

 The air temperature was high enough not to make the wetness feel cold. So I pressed on. Rather than stopping to change into waterproofs. Which I had placed in the panniers prior to leaving. I saw several cyclists out training. Or touring with panniers. I had a nice smile and a wave from some heavily laden, lady cyclists. Who were going the opposite way.

 The afternoon was spent tidying and doing laundry. 

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms, an egg and tomatoes. Helped down with a frozen, wholegrain, bread roll. Thawed in the fridge and then given one minute in the toaster. Just to take the chill off. 

  ~o~

11.07.2025 Felling for a fall.

 ~o~

  Friday 11th 54F/12.2C [7.00] A mostly sunny, dry day after early cloud. Rather breezy from the NW turning NE. A wet weekend in prospect.

 Up at 6.00 after a quiet night. 

 It clouded over and became misty. Though I still went for a walk. It was cold on my hands. Particularly while walking into the breeze. The warblers seems untroubled by the change in weather. I don't remember them singing for so long. 

 The mist provided a little extra drama to the all too familiar scenes. Misted spiders webs clung to the tips of the oil seed rape. Sunshine is expected around 10am. 

 So far I haven't a clue what to do today. There are so many things waiting to be done: Tidy the remains of the observatory. Dig the holes for the foundation blocks for the carport. Tidy upstairs. Tidy the sheds. Where to begin? 

 10.50 65F/18.3C. Bright sunshine. Back from grocery shopping in the village. 

 12.30 70F/21C. Hot! I have been aligning the carport with the shed. 

13.15 73F/22.8C. I brought out my tallest stepladder and attached a rope as high as possible. To the red oak tree beyond the carport. Even with a rope to pull it down. After sawing a notch and back cut. It is still very risky. 

 The carport is one side and the workshop/shed the other. Leaving a very small safe angle for felling. One mistake and it could be very costly! I have to dash over to pull the rope. Only to fall flat on my face and have the tree fall on top of me! 

 Best not to try. It can't be allowed to fall backwards due to the much bigger trees behind. It could hang up and become dangerous.

 15.15 76F/24.4C Too hot to be outside in direct sunshine. Very pleasant in the shade with the cooling breeze. I have gently pruned the brown tips on the dappled willow. There were green leaves growing out everywhere. Even where the tips were completely brown and withered. Hardly a return to its former glory but a definite recovery. Though it has lost its shape. 

 The plant is still sitting in the original pot in the shade under the north roof overhang. It only gets sun in the early morning. So it should survive. Despite it being the wrong time of year for pruning. 

I might even risk re-potting it. Though I shouldn't until much later in the autumn. It was horribly root-bound when I bought it. 

 I have seen several superb specimens on my travels. Usually ball shaped on a clean stem. Planted in the ground or lawn in posh gardens. Pink lollipops spring to mind. 

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes. 

    

 ~o~

10.07.2025 96km not sitting comfortably.

 ~o~

  Thursday 10th 65F/18.3C [9.15] Dry and mostly sunny this morning. More cloudy after lunch. A high of 20C/68F should last for some hours.

 Up at 6am after an unusually quiet night. Though again with weird dreams. 

 8.40 Back from my 40 minute walk in warm sunshine. To the lanes, as usual. Then a bonus loop around the neighbours' shared drives. The traffic was very light. 

 They must have started harvesting the grain crop at the saddle yesterday. No sign of any activity this morning. The warblers were singing merrily away again. Now joined by a repetitive chaffinch.

 It is such a beautiful day that I feel the need for another ride. I have the second battery on charge. While I have a leisurely morning coffee.

Which raises the inevitable question of where to go. Should I change the saddle back to my well worn B17 from my trike? I felt as if my buttocks were the main source of pain on yesterday's 31km/20 mile ride. 

 The Contec "Classic Touring" is the same width as the Brooks B67. Which was awful from the very first ride! The hard edges of their decorative pressing really hurt! While the completely smooth and softer Contec did not. 

 The best experience so far is on the Contec. While wearing the bare Assos bibs with their chamois cream. No cargo trousers worn over the top. The cargo trousers are thin and very useful thanks to all the pockets. As I grow more ancient my flexibility for reaching the racing jersey rear pockets is fast reducing. 

 Lunch packed. I shall ride to Bogense on the north coast. 

 10.20-15.50 70F/21C. 96km/60 miles. I took a circuitous route on the way. All thanks to the work on the new, high speed rail line. With most of the roads blocked to all traffic. I took a few snaps of the major earthworks ad concrete structures. Usually right beside the roaring motorway! As I worked my way steadily westwards. When I really wanted to go north. I could finally escape the road blockages just above Ejby. 

 The nearer I got to Bogense the colder it became. Until I finally had to don my cycling jacket. It stayed on after that. Though it soon warmed up again away from the coast. 

 The countryside was absolutely gorgeous. With most fields full of ripe and surprisingly colourful crops. Made all the more attractive by the straw shortening breeding. Which enhances the gloss on the smooth, visible surface. 

 The Bosch Nyon computer screen went almost blank for quite some time. Until I experimented with pressing the on/off button to reboot. It was fine after that. I'll have to remember this if it happens again. I was more afraid of losing power than the temporary lack of information. I was still able to change assistance Mode without any problem. No ride data was lost. 

 I suffered from saddle pain for about half the ride. Pulling the legs of the shorts down seemed to help. Suggesting, perhaps, that the thick Assos padding must be folded under me. Though I can't imagine fitting elastic stirrups three feet long. My sewing skills aren't that good! Adding more chamois cream, mid-ride, might have helped.

 I saw lots of birds of prey today. Including several hunting slowly over the fields close to the road. I meandered on the way back too. With a bit of grocery shopping in the last village. 

 It is amazing how some villages are expanding. With modern estates springing up all over the place. Elsewhere there are lots of abandoned houses. Particularly old farmhouses. Often overgrown and dying where they stand. 

 Small farms are not economical. When a farmer dies or retires their offspring, if any, have to buy the business. It seems that fewer and fewer want to take on the thankless, unprofitable workload. Often with totally unsuitable buildings. For housing today's vast and cripplingly expensive machinery. So the big farms constantly expand and get richer. They can get somebody else's kid to till, sew, spray and harvest their prairies in a few short hours.

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

 

  ~o~

9.07.2025 Slimming down.

 ~o~

 Wednesday 9th 56F/13.3C [7.00] Overcast. The forecast was mostly sunshine. Though with the risk of thundery showers from the north.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night.

 I have plans to ride back to a builder's merchant some ten miles [16km] away. I drove there yesterday but  must return to buy more O-rings in a smaller size. 

 9.40 I returned from my 31km ride empty handed. They had no O-rings in the size I needed. The ride there was cold and into the headwind. I came back by another way. Mostly a crosswind and then a tailwind at the end. I left at 8.05 and it only became sunny at 8.15. I was pushing myself on the way there. More of a dawdle on the way back. It was hilly going both ways. Though not a problem on the e-bike. I rarely bother with lower gears thanks to the motor assistance available.

 My search for a lost tool in the shed quickly became a marathon tidying effort. A dozen electric clock dials can go to the local flea market. The heap of cardboard boxes and junk will go to the recycling yard. 

 14.50 69F/21C. Hot and humid. Clocks delivered. Off to the recycling yard. I had to clear the trailer of fine gravel first. Now piled beside the pond in the greenhouse. To close off all the toothy gaps around the edges. I am hoping the effect will be decorative. 

 15.40 Back from the recycling yard. A whole trailer full. Just from the shed.

 My other nice neighbours sent their lad over with a pack of eggs. So dinner was chosen for me. Three poached eggs on toast. Well, the rounds of bread are tiny. 

   

 ~o~

8.07.2025 Man about town.

 ~o~

  8th July 56F/13.3C [6.50]  Rain with scattered showers promised. Possibly with thunder.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night.

The tomato plants are doing well in the warm greenhouse.

 8.30 Back from a half hour walk. Lots of cloud but dry. Quite a gentle wind. The warblers were still singing away in the roadside trees. A black kite, with a split and damaged tail, moved away. 

 I feel the need to go somewhere. 

 12.30 Returning from a drive around the builder's merchants. I was looking for o-rings. Fortunately I found a hoard at a rural builder's merchants. The only one left. Not stripped down to bubble packs and rows of power tools. An amazing resource. One which I have called on many times over the years. It has rained lightly, on and off, all morning.

 19.00 62F/16.7C. Back from the city. It was warm and sunny in Odense. I found what I was looking for. Raining only in the village. Dry roads when I left. Lots of pretty sports cars in Odense. Hundreds of Teslas too. I was following a Porsche when an Aston Martin went the other way. While a Mercedes SL500 was in the inside lane. 

 A teenager on a fat bike. With a huge Wolt pack on his back. Went through at least four red lights. While I was trickling along between lights in the car. The real cyclists all held back to obey the lights. He either didn't have a clue or didn't care. No hesitation whatsoever.

 As it was so late for dinner I made something easy. Fish fingers and chips. Then forgot to take a picture! 

  

  ~o~

7.07.2025 On a roll.

 ~o~

  Monday 7th 56F/13.3C[7.00] Bright, when the forecast says rain. It's all happening just to the east. As a huge area of rain moves towards the NE. It looks more like sunny periods than the forecast showers. 

 Up at 6.30 after an over-active night.       

 7.40  Time for my walk. 

 8.20 60F/15.6C. Back from a walk to the lanes under grey, broken skies. Only the gentlest of breezes once I was away from the tall, roadside hedges. Huge clouds were dragging their dark and ragged underskirts off to the north. The warblers were still singing away. A large tabby cat strolled past at the junction to the lanes. I don't  remember ever seeing a cat just there. The traffic was unusually light for a Monday. The annual invasion of billions of slugs was visible every few yards. Splattered on the asphalt. 

 I intend to walk back and clean the mirror opposite the end of the drive. It is plastic and attracts dew and dirt. Unlike the official glass one above. The kommune [council] wouldn't put up two safety mirrors. To protect those exiting the drive on a fast, blind corner. Most of the traffic is speeding and not expecting a vehicle to suddenly appear, from nowhere, in their path. 

  Of course I didn't take my cleaning trip. I was too taken up with more projects at home.

 Dinner was an experiment. It should have been toast but I made chicken and mushroom rolls instead. Which required a degree of juggling to consume but were otherwise fine. I let things cool on a plate. Before adding the contents of the frying pan to the rolls. I think I could enjoy toasted cheese on open, toasted rolls.

  ~o~

6.07.2025 Can thee ride tandem lass?

 ~o~

  Sunday 6th 64F/18C [9.45] Damp and overcast start but sunshine at 9.45. This morning's rain is supposed to clear this afternoon. There doesn't seem to be much rain on the DMI radar.

 Up at 5.50 after a quiet night. I forgot to start my blog as I was researching stuff online. 60 pages of posts on a technical forum takes a while to read.

 9.45 The arrival of unexpected sunshine prompts me to escape to the shops. Several staples are running low or completely absent. 

 12.00 Back from an hour long trip to the shops in the Morris. 

 Where I saw a combination tandem. The young lady rode up front as if seated on a  recumbent. While the man sat upright. One of their panniers was scraping the ground in the picture. I sensed a pet in a cage at the back but it seemed hidden in cloth. It was too small for a child. Or at least I hope so. Do I see a ginger corgi-like head? 

 Another lazy day watching YT technical reviews. Apart from spending some time outside in the sunshine. Staring at the sun though a solar telescope. Between waiting for large plates of cloud to pass over.

 Sunday dinner was fried chicken, brown mushrooms, peas, carrots, boiled potatoes and Bisto gravy. It was all, absolutely perfect. Except perhaps, for the want of another teaspoon, or two, of gravy. I didn't measure the cold water. Relying, instead, on guessing [badly] for the quantity in the small saucepan. 

 I cooked the peas and carrots together. Which made for colourful water to pour away. I seem to have forgotten something important about using this water. Was it for the gravy? I remembered to add the tiny bit of olive oil. Left over from the frying pan. 

 

  ~o~

5.07.2025 Sun worshipping in its absence.

 ~o~

  Saturday 5th 57F/14C [6.00] Heavy overcast, windy and raining. A long, wet weekend is promised. Continuing wet into the coming week. I knew I should have gone for a ride yesterday. Oh goody! I can continue to tidy upstairs.  

 Up at 5am. Too many memories!

 I have ordered some "adapter plates." To mount my carport feet onto four of the concrete foundation blocks. The extra cost of stainless steel seemed sensible over ordinary mild steel in the long term. Which will inevitably rust and become unsightly. The plates will allow some adjustment of height via the central bolt. To ensure the feet are perfectly level. 

My purchase of the manual stamper. Will allow the bottoms of the excavations to be well compacted. So the precast foundation blocks will not sink. Back-filling around the precast blocks with concrete. Will expand the footprint. Greatly reducing the risk of sinking or lifting in high winds. 

 The advantage of the pre-cast foundation blocks. Is their ability to be moved around within the excavations. To ensure the uprightness of the carport legs. While there is no need to support the carport against all movement. While the concrete sets. Which would be vitally necessary. If poured concrete was used for the foundations themselves. One cannot predict a storm while the concrete is still setting. Which can take some time to reach full strength. 

 I closed the lean-to greenhouse last night. The lower temperatures and wind were making it rather chilly. The lack of sunshine would not allow losses to be easily regained.

 7.30 I am already getting cabin fever. A walk in the rain just needs the correct clothing. I understand that people do it all the time.  

 8.00 And back again. Not really raining. Though quite breezy. The traffic was light and gave me a wide berth. The roads were very wet. I looped around the neighbour's drives for a bit of extra distance. A little over 400m. The warblers were only slightly restrained by the weather.

 A lazy day tidying, browsing and experimenting with furniture layouts. 

 I assembled telescopes as if to observe the sun. The sun did not comply and was absent all day. Instead I watched the ponies on the front paddock exploring hierarchy. As if it mattered in the endless war on overlong grass.

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

  

  ~o~

4.07.2025 No, I am not lost.

 ~o~

  Friday 4th 57F/14C [7.00] A bright start but becoming cloudy with possible showers. 20C/68F peak.

 Up at 6.40 after an odd night. I was up from 3.15-4.15. Otherwise quiet with strange dreams.

 It would be a waste not to have a ride this morning. I can tidy upstairs when it rains.

 One of my new fish is lying dead on the gravel in the greenhouse pond.

 I thought I'd killed the large, golden Cornus in the front garden. After cutting it almost down to the ground. The main branches were mostly dying back. So it badly needed pruning. It has suddenly exploded into leaf from nothing. Far larger leaves than I remember.

 8-9.10. No, I didn't get lost. I walked to the village. Then up to forest via the main  track. Through the overgrown woods and back down via the field edges. I haven't walked that route for years. The main track has been resurfaced with finer gravel since I last passed this way. I disturbed a deer. Which dashed off for 20 meters before stopping to see if I posed a serious threat. Then bounded off out of sight. I don't blame it.

 The Assens county council has obtained the old railway track. Closed to passenger traffic in 1966. Goods traffic ended in 1996. It plans to use a 60% government subsidy to open an 18km cycle path along the old track to Glamsbjerg. Cost is likely to be around £2 million equivalent. 

 What a shame it has no immediate plans to extend it all the way to the city of Odense. Or at least as far as the village of Tommerup. The intermediate countryside is gorgeous. There is an excellent cycle path from Old Tommerup to Brylle. Which is on the way to Odense.

 13.00 71F/21.7C. Windy with sunny periods. Lunch over. I stayed at home. Tidying and changing half the water in the goldfish aquarium. In the afternoon I assembled one of the new shelving units. Then arranged tool trays on the stage.

 Dinner was fried chicken and chips. 

 

 ~o~

3.07.2025 Tidying continues.

 ~o~

  Thursday 3rd 55F/13C [7.00] Bright sunshine again but much cooler than yesterday. Peaking at around 18C/64F and windy. Gusting to over 13m/s [30mph] from the WNW for most of the day.

 Up at 6.15 after a busy night at the fire bucket. 

 My beautiful, dappled willow collapsed to universal brown. Before new green growth unexpectedly pushed through. The combination of heat and strong winds kept blowing it over. The latter was solved by a sturdy, ceramic pot. 

 Now I try to keep a centimeter of standing water in the bottom of the blue pot. I am waiting to see if pruning is necessary. It is also badly root bound. I am waiting before I re-pot it. As I don't want to stress it any more than necessary. While it still clings to life.

 7.30 Clouded over. Time for a walk. 

 8.10 59F/15C. Back from my walk. Sunny periods and a gusty wind. It was like stepping into an oven coming back indoors. [74F/23C] A goldfinch was singing at the top of a tree. As I was standing watching it from below. It was joined by another, colourful male. 

  I might drive into town to buy some more steel shelving. I desperately need to start tidying upstairs. Lots of random containers with tools and assorted other stuff. Is spread over a wide area of floor space. Think about it in terms of a blast radius! 

 The balcony room is no tidier than it has ever been. The 45º sloping ceilings don't easily lend themselves to shelving. I could do with more IKEA storage trays too. They are tough enough to take tools. Without forcing me to search below the visible surface. 

 When you own over 100 different screwdrivers and half as many assorted pairs of pliers this is important. Having immediate and effortless access to specific tools. Is vital to avoiding serial roundtoits. There is no mental hurdle too low. Not to cause a complete standstill.

 12.20 Back from town. With two sets of steel shelving. Which are separated, as standard, into two 90cm [3'] high, vertical halves. Allowing four useful units to stand under sloping ceilings. The shelves are 45cm deep x 90cm wide. 

 Which perfectly suits the sturdy IKEA storage trays. I have two further half, shelving units in the bedroom. Which will soon be moved to the balcony room. Or onto the stage.

 I also bought a lot of cheap, storage, plastic baskets. On special offer in two different heights. The translucent tubs all had locking lids. Which are a pain in use. The tubs are also far more fragile than the baskets. I bought white baskets. Which are far more useful in poor light conditions and do not readily absorb heat from the sun. 

 I spent the afternoon sweating as I tidied upstairs.  

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes. 

 ~o~

2.07.2025 Fish.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 2nd 72F/22C [7.45] Bright sunshine and breezy. On its way to over 30C/86F. The whole of Europe is baking in record heat. Expected to end in local thunderstorms tonight.

  Up at 6.30 after numerous failed attempts at lift off. A fair night.

 The greenhouse and its pond water are at 70F/21C this morning. After leaving it open all night to cool off. A comfortable 73F/23C in the living room.

  7.45 I ought to go for a walk before it gets unpleasantly hot. 

 8.30 75F/24C. Don't laugh, but the sun is already oppressively hot! It was delightful walking in the shade of the roadside regrowth. Where a playing field was converted to just another field. All the mature, roadside trees were cut down to the ground. To be replaced by dense and impenetrable natural [?] new growth of poplars. Which were already present by the roadside. The breeze added to the pleasure of this cooler corridor. The birds enjoy the nesting opportunities. Though it deprives the humans of a clear view of the forest perched decoratively on the hilltop. 

 A steep, nearby hill had been harvested and baled. Giving a renewed sense of scale to the landscape. This hill is regularly favoured by soaring birds of prey. Which, no doubt nest in the adjoining plantation of larch. The prairie in the foreground has yet to be harvested. 

 9.30 Cloud. A long chain of thunderstorms is sneaking past our location towards the NE. The tail should just miss us at around 10.30.

 11.20 82F/28C. Rather cloudy with sunny periods. The sky was dark to the north when I left. Humid and hot when the sun comes out. I disturbed a red kite in the lane. It was standing on the side of the road but took off immediately. 

 I am returning with six tiny goldfish for the greenhouse pond. I am floating their poly bag in the pond. To equalize the temperature. The dealer gave them a squirt of oxygen to ensure safe travel. 

 The moment they were released, after 20 minutes, they instinctively formed a shoal. Even though they came from three different tanks and were three different varieties.  

 13.15 85F/29.4C. Bright overcast and breezy. Highest temperature expected around 15.00. Pond water only 71F/21.7C. The great outdoors never became any hotter.

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms and boiled potatoes. With a  few small tomatoes.

 9.15 Flashes of lightning started and rain. I closed up the greenhouse because the logs were getting wet. 

 

  ~o~

1st July 2025 Carport wheelies?

 ~o~

 Tuesday 1st 53F [4.30] Bright sunshine all day. Reaching 27C/80F. Higher still tomorrow. When it could go over 30C/86F as the record breaking heatwave spreads north. Not only Europe but the USA is suffering from record breaking heat. 

 If this becomes the norm then a few million more people will be dying early. The architecture of most houses and commercial buildings is badly designed for resisting external heat. Most are designed to trap heat for warmth in winter. Using heat pumps for air conditioning is hideously inefficient and therefore expensive. The electrical grids can often not cope. Many Danish homes have been fitted with black roof tiles. The heat in loft conversions will be a killer.  

 Wide awake and up at 4am. My English friend is driving over to my place later.

 I have been lying in bed and working out how to move the carport roof aside. To allow me to dig the holes for the foundation blocks. I was going to move the roof forwards but sideways is much better. To keep the parking space clear. 

 The gravel is so resistant to movement. That I shall lay scrap plywood on top. I still have loads stacked in heaps from the observatory. Then I'll use industrial wheels/rollers to reduce the friction further. These can be temporarily clamped to the carport gutters by their frames. Or fixed to scraps of plywood and then clamped as needed. I have lots of these wheels left over from the dismantled, observatory dome, rotation system. 

 I went back to bed for an hour and then started tidying and cleaning. 

 My friend arrived and we enjoyed a cup of tea with Danish pastries. As we put the world to rights. 

 15.00 81F/27C. After lunch I clamped the industrial wheels/rollers to the carport gutters. I used a simple plank and block as a lever. To lift the roof corners far enough to slide the roller frames underneath. 

 Each needed some packing to reach the bottom of the gutters with the screw clamps. I then easily rolled the carport roof to the left. It is slightly downhill. So I used stop blocks and metal brackets to prevent any risk of overshoot.

 First it required my lifting each end of the roof. To place the rollers onto the scrap, plywood tracks. I can simply add some smaller, scrap plywood sheets to move it further. In order to expose the entire area where the foundation blocks will go. Which will requiring some digging. 

 The sun's heat was fierce and I was soon dripping with sweat. Back indoors now where it a more comfortable 74F/23C. Keep drinking the water! 

 Dinner was an omelette. Consisting of sausages and mushrooms. I flipped it onto the warmed plate from the frying pan.

  ~o~

30.06.2025 Shoeing the carport.

 ~o~

  Monday 30th 54F/12C[7.00] Bright sunshine. With four more days promised. Peaking at 31C on Wednesday. The wind had dropped. Making it feel much warmer. After an unusually windy June.

 Up at 6.30 after a night of weird dreams. 

 I keep running away from various projects. The carport has not progressed.  Having completed the construction of the carport roof I needed to move it aside to dig the foundations. Of course it proved far too heavy to move when working alone. 

 I had various ideas of using inverted rollers from the observatory. This would require that I lift the carport roof far enough to slide the rollers under. Though it would require some sort of timber frame for stability. I have a farmer's high lift jack. Which I used to remove the 24 concrete foundation blocks. That will do it.

 My "clever" idea was to use some of these blocks for the carport. It seemed logical. However, the single top fixing screw does not match the square base of the carport feet. A simple square plate, with a central hole would adapt them together quite easily. Finding a strong, square plate eludes me. It would have to be a minimum of 18cm square. With holes on the corners of a 13cm square. I can probably do the drilling.

 Then I have to ask: Would a single foundation block per carport foot meet the anchoring requirements? I could use two blocks per foot. With a rectangular plate joining the two. Easy! Except that I have no suitable plates. Preferably in galvanized steel. Wood won't do. It will rot so close to the ground. Use pressure treated? Hmm. It would have to be thick enough but might still have a fairly short life from rain splashes. 

 Anything borrowed from my heap of scrap aluminium. Intended for telescope and observatory building. Might suffer galvanic corrosion in contact with zinc. It is a variable, but the risk can be much reduced with isolating [spacer] washers. Do I have any suitable aluminum strip 18cm wide? I don't think so. I have 10mm thick strip but it is only 15cm wide. [From distant memory.] 

 I can see a strip buried in the stack but it needs to be dragged out. Before I can measure its width. I cut some of it narrower for my huge telescope mounting. The 10mm strip proved to be long but only 15cm wide. The fixing holes for the carport feet would barely fall within the edges. I am not aware of any readily available products which would match my needs. If only by coincidence. So I'll have to keep searching for a solution. 

 A bit of searching online produced several businesses offering 6mm steel plate cut to order. 6 x 175 x 175mm = 151kr per piece in ordinary steel. [About £17 GB] Five times higher price for stainless steel. I'd have to drill five, rather large holes in each. One company offers drilling to order. I have sent them a sketch to get their price for such work.

 7.45 Time to walk [not run] away from these problems. I am getting slight cramp in my legs. Which is very unusual for me. A walk will probably fix that.

 8.30 60F/15.6C Back from my walk to the lanes. Bright sunshine but the wind was was stronger than promised. Lots of warblers in the hedgerows and trees. A black kite [?] and a red kite were soaring low over the fields.  A series of huge, farm tractors went past. Each towing an earth moving trailer. 

 Perhaps they are contracted to the gas pipeline. Or even the new, high speed, railway route. Though that is further away. There is a lot of field leveling going on. Thanks to all the "waste" soil available from these huge projects. There is also the district heating expansion between various villages. 

 The excavated soil all has to be disposed of. There have been news headlines in Denmark. When mountains of soil were stacked on farmland. To the consternation of neighbours. 

 12.30 Back from the shops. In time for lunch.

 18.30 I have threaded a new cord through the second shade net and hung it over the first. It has been getting too warm in the greenhouse with only one layer. The weather forecast is adding a couple of degrees per day. With Wednesday a proper heat wave at over 30C/86F. One forecast was for 34C/94F for Fyn! We'll be the hottest part of Denmark. 

 Dinner had better be salad. I didn't have any eggs for salad yesterday. I cannot tell a lie. I forgot I had salad cream again. Until I sat down. So I added extra after the photo session.

 I had left the doors and windows open in the greenhouse. To more quickly shed the heat that builds up during the day. It matched the indoor temperature just now. At 73F/22.8C. The pond water rose to 76F/24.4C earlier. Which is why I finally added the second shade net. I had been putting it off. Until we had a run of warm and sunny weather.

 

  ~o~

29.06.2025 Range anxiety! 😱

 ~o~

  Sunday 29th 63F/17C. Full sun all day after earlier cloud. Without the heatwave. A high of 20C/68F after lunch. Come to sunny Denmark. 😎 With a pleasant westerly breeze. 

 Like it hot? Denmark could see 30C/86F on Wednesday. That will make some [Danish] headlines. The media ignores the vast numbers of real people. Who die unpleasantly from heatstroke, every year. Estimated at 175,000, per year on average, for Europe alone. According to $oogle. Thank the assorted 10.000 [current] gods it's only "weather" and nothing to do with "Climate." You can't have climate AND Defense against a handful of tyrants. Does not compute. 

 Up at 6.30 after several earlier failures to lift off. I ought to have another ride. If I can get past the road closures for the new railway. I haven't been to that big weekend flea market for a while. Gorgeous, undulating countryside. Going both ways. 😊 

 Whoops! Both batteries are only half charged. I have put the better of the two on charge. Currently 73%. Oh dear. It might be useful by the time I have had a leisurely morning coffee. It would be silly to take two heavy batteries just to get home safely. Bosch claim the 625Wh weighs 3.5kg. It feels like 10! 

 I can feel my bike wagging its tail sometimes. When I put the spare on the rear rack. It feels too heavy to keep in one of the Ortlieb Classic panniers. Even if I spread the load with padding underneath. As I do with my ABUS Dreadnought U-lock. So I strap the spare battery to the rack inside an Ortlieb top tube bag. Though I never leave it out of my sight. 

 Bosch keep releasing new motors. Simply because these make the sales headlines for the EMTB crowd. What they really need is new chemistry batteries. With twice the range for half the weight. The 625Wh battery is limited to around 70km in warm weather. That's only 35km each way on an out and back ride. 

 Barely 44 miles round trip. That's not remotely a serious touring ride! Then what? If you don't carry a spare battery? Do you book into B&B? With the battery on charge overnight! This  is not serious cycling by any stretch of the imagination! 

 This range is using my Bosch Performance Speed motor in Sport Mode on a 40kg bike weight + 70kg rider. I'd like at least 100km range [in Sport Mode] to avoid carrying the spare battery. Tour or Eco Modes would give me more range but then I'd be slower than a manual bike. [Or trike!] 

 Sport Mode only raises the performance to that of a fit rider on a very ordinary, lightweight bike. The electric motor has to overcome the serious weight disadvantage of dragging a very heavy e-bike uphill. Including the battery! You could only sell a 40kg manual bike to an ignorant fool. Even if it was fully suspended and carrying panniers. 

 I really think that we are still in the drooling infancy of e-Bike technology. Fancy websites and annual motor cosmetic upgrade marketing. Don't make up for the piss poor, battery capacity! Remember that a noisy IC "moped" can be fully recharged at ANY petrol station. The equivalent of infinite range! More importantly, the noisy IC "moped" doesn't need to be pedaled furiously. Just to keep going forwards! Moreover, you can get a 45kmh IC moped [scooter] for much less than an e-bike.  

 9.30 68F/20C. The 73% battery is still charging! 

 10.15 Just finished charging to 100%. I have been weighing my Moustache FS27 Friday "45" 'Speed' e-bike. 35kg + spare battery [4kg] plus anything going onto the panniers. Food, drinks, spare clothing, etc. 

 10.30 I had better get changed and go. It's 25km each way. I might just make it. 

 13.30 Back from a 55km ride in the strong wind.  The flea market had closed down. I had left at 11am. Stopping for a sub-micro, Corny bar and an apple juice at 12.00 and 1pm. I wore my best bibs. Hardly any saddle discomfort. 

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

 

  ~o~

28.06.2025 28km in a gale.

 ~o~

 Saturday 28th 63F/17C [7.55] Bright but expected to be rather cloudy all day.

 Up at 7.15 after a quiet night and dozing off again earlier.

 I'll have a ride to the next village for the Saturday flea market. They have other supermarkets there as well.

 11.00 Back from a 28km ride in a gale. Mostly sunshine. I caught up with my shopping.

 The afternoon became cloudy and remained so. I added some Azolla floating plants from the outside pond to the inside pond. I collected them first in a stainless steel strainer. Then flushed them well with a powerful shower spray of cold water. After which I carefully checked the contents of the strainer with a magnifying glass. 

  The tiny leaves of the Azolla are a fraction of the size of the Salvinia. Which I added yesterday. Both plants float on the water surface. With bare roots hanging down below to take up nutrients. The Azolla [arrowed] has spread evenly over the water surface of the pond. While the Salvinia seems to clump together.

 Dinner was three poached eggs on toast. I had eggs which were ta fortnight past their Best By date. They had been in the fridge all the time. I managed to overcook them. So they weren't quite runny. One broke as I tried to separate them in the saucepan. So I gave them an extra minute they didn't need. It rained while I was in the kitchen.

 

 

 ~o~

27.06.2025 Testing-testing.

 ~o~

  Friday 27th 59F/15C. Heavy overcast and breezy. Should slowly brighten up.

 Up at 5.45 after a very busy night at the fire bucket. 

 The greenhouse pond remains crystal clear at 67F/19.4C. Though with a mass of bubbles still adhering to the inside walls of the container. Dissolved gasses? There is no chlorine added to Danish consumer water. Though it is filtered. It comes from deep wells and is considered clean enough not to need disinfection. 

 Though there is a constant increase in reports of traces of agricultural pesticides. There are rules about farmers spraying in areas of drinking water extraction. This hasn't stopped the need to end the use of some boreholes. Where contaminants exceed the allowed levels.  A recent report stated that half of Danish tapwater is contaminated with pesticides. Sometimes above agreed levels. 

 7.15 It is brightening. Time for a walk. 

 8.00 And back again. Glimpses of the sun were too brief. The wind localized and only slightly tiresome. Birds singing cheerfully. Traffic modest. One in five were Teslas. 

 A short trip in the car to do some shopping. Some sunshine.

 12.00 Going out again. 

 14.35 Back from the city. With water test kits and floating plants for shade and cover and hopefully some ammonia absorption. The surface texture on the leaves suggest this is Salvinia. I rinsed the plants in a J-cloth and dropped them on the surface of the pond. Despite the 100F/38C temperature in the closed greenhouse the water has reached only 73F/23C. I have now opened the greenhouse skylights and end doors. The air temperature dropped by 10F in only a minute or two. 

 The Tetra "6in1" water test strip result was interesting. The test strip is waved gently in the pond water and the resulting colours read against the coloured scales printed on the metal, strip container. 

 Zero Chlorine was expected. pH was alkaline at 8+. Again expected from deep wells filtered through rock. Similarly hardness: KH was just under 8. GH15. Water permeating through rock will produce hard water. Which is clearly visible around plumbing fixtures and kettles. 

 Nitrates and Nitrites were both 0. A wild guess is that these haven't arisen yet. Because there is no Ammonia conversion by beneficial bacteria. The Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate cycle has yet to start. Because there is no bio load in the water from the breakdown of plant material, waste food or fish droppings. My dosing the pond with "dirty" filter material was probably diluted beyond measurement. In the approx. 1400 liters of fresh tapwater.

 The separate Tetra Ammonia NH3/NH4 test is much more complicated. It requires counting drops from three separate reagent bottles. Into a plastic test tube containing 5cc/ml of pond water. I'll try that test after dinner. The reagents all sound quite nasty! I'll have to dig out my hazmat suit and positive pressure respirator.

 Dinner was bangers and mash. With an egg.  I washed up while it cooked.

  ~o~

26.06.2025 59km.

 ~o~

  Thursday 26th 56F/13.3C [7.50] A bright morning but rain, possibly heavy with thunder, after lunch.

 Up at 7.00 after waking at 5am. I nodded off and two hours had vanished in a moment. 

 The greenhouse pond is crystal clear and almost perfectly still this morning. A few plant remnants are taking a leisurely tour around the surface. The water temperature has dropped to 67F overnight. From a high of 70F yesterday in sunshine. 

 The wind is much lighter today and turned southerly. So there ought to be a ride this morning. I'll potter around. Watering plants, charging batteries, morning coffee and then it will be time to go. To reach the first charity shop. Just as it opens at 10am.

 12.50 Returning from a 59km ride. I left at 9.15 and found myself in need of time killing before the first charity shop was opening. So I enjoyed several detours I hadn't ridden for some time. Arriving just as the staff were putting out the flags to welcome me. The weather held so I continued well beyond my planned second target. Alas, none of the three shops had anything enticing for sale. 

 I tried a supermarket's own label substitute for my usual Corny bars. Not bad, but I still prefer the Corny dark chocolate bars. When available. Though usually at three times the price. I wore an old pair of DHB padded shorts and suffered almost continuously from saddle discomfort. What is the answer? Try some narrower saddles?

 I had to go grocery shopping before dinner. Having run out of essentials. Like food. 

 Dinner was sardines on toast with tomatoes. 

 

 

 ~o~

25.06.2025 Slow bend.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 25th 57F/4C [7.30] Bright, with a sunny day promised after early rain. Windy from the west, gusting to 12m/s. 

 Up at 6.15 after a busy night. Apple juice and coffee with/after dinner.

 I have borrowed a well used filter from the indoor aquarium. To start the chemistry cycle of the greenhouse pond. The used filter had been left uncleaned for months to ensure a heavy bio load and hopefully, lots of beneficial bacteria. I dropped it into the pond right beside the Oase filter pump and plugged it in. 

 This way both pumps contribute to even distribution of bacteria throughout the pond. My new plumbing parts should be delivered to the village, parcel pickup point today. These should help to increase the pump water flow and movement throughout the pond. The fountain/waterfall tap must causes considerable water flow reduction due to its circuitous internal arrangements and restrictions.

 In the absence of ceramic plant weights. I am using stainless steel washers to hold down my new plants. It seems the former lead strips are unavailable in Denmark. Not even made from the substitute metals used for roof flashing. The water plants from Plantorama have ceramic weights in the bottoms of their pots. Albeit  in a very noticeable brick-red. 

 8.00 I should have gone for my walk by now. 

 8.30 Back from my walk. Rather windy. Two red kites and a black kite were soaring low over the fields. Though not together. Two hares were playing on the neighbours' embankment. They started running towards me but swerved away and dashed to the top of the hill. Lots of traffic today.

 I have dismantled and cleaned the smaller aquarium filter in the pond water. To accelerate the mixing of the beneficial bacteria with the water. Most of the green-brown gunk will probably end up in the big pond filter material. Where it will work continuously on the water passing through it. 

 The rest will settle on the gravel, walls of the container and plants. Within a minute the pond water was slightly cloudy. A good sign of even mixing of the water. The cleaned filter was returned to the indoor aquarium.    

 10.30 I have now cleaned and rinsed the filter sponges in the second aquarium filter. Again using the pond water. The pond is now very murky. [Image right] It will be interesting to see how long it takes to clear with the only the pond filter working. 

 The Oase Filtral 3000 is rated at about 1200l/hr maximum. So will achieve one complete water change per hour in my pond. The container is listed at 1500 liters capacity but the water is only 72cm deep. Rather than the full 80cm to the brim. 

 It is unfortunate that the greenhouse roof is reflected so clearly in the pond surface. It is not to obvious to the naked eye.

 12.45 GLS has confirmed the arrival of my parcel at the pickup point.  I can't use their phone app because some drooling moron at GLS has fixed an advertising screen. Precisely where one might have hoped for information. 

  It has an irrevocable demand box for manual entry of email and other personal details. All to take part in some utterly meaningless twaddle. Who needs hackers? When a suicidal company management is so utterly determined. To undermine its own customer service! 

 The new plumbing fitting [above] provides a smooth bend. To allow the pump water to flow without resistance. Nor is there any reduction in cross section to increase resistance. The Oase filter has a 1" male PVC thread. The 90º slow bend has been fitted onto a PVC  adapter 1" female to 32mm male. 

 While the Oase fountain/waterfall switch is clever it has very sharp bends and narrow passages. Which must inevitably slow the water flow. Or make the pump work much harder for the same throughput. Water is much denser than air. So suffers from demands to change direction or pass through a smaller diameter.

 13.30 I have unscrewed the Oase fitting and replaced it with the new bend. I can only just reach the top of the filter without getting my T-shirt sleeve wet. The water is clearing nicely. 

 16.30 The water continues to clear. My slow bend, plumbing mod is producing greater water movement without physical disturbance of the surface. A few bits of floating plant are rotating around on the surface. Still much too early to add any fish.  

 The hideous unvarnished truth! The view through the double glazed door in the front hall. The pond still surrounded by the debris of installation and planting.

 I have to say that I am very pleased with the size and proportions of my indoor pond. Its scale and depth are very satisfying. I am glad I went to the trouble of digging a hole and partially burying it. 

I chose the 1500 liter model because it only just cleared the greenhouse's open doors when tipped on its side. None of the large containers would go through. That said the rest of the dimensions were coincidental. Though thoroughly checked and marked out with battens.

 The Cemo rectangular industrial containers comes in many different sizes. Though I had to wait a couple of months for delivery from Germany.  

 The pond after tidying away the bricks. 

There is plenty of space to move around the pond within the greenhouse. With the view into the water perfectly placed for comfortable viewing. Particularly from the green plastic, garden chairs. Which I bought quite recently but haven't used until now. I need a smarter, low garden table for holding drinks. Those I have now are "recycled" very tatty and decades old. I'll keep looking.  

I am considering covering the sides of the GRP container with grooved plywood. The tapered sides will allow 50x100mm [2x4"] timber to be used at floor level. To support vertical plywood panels. Some sort of rigid insulation board can be hidden from view behind the plywood. 

 There is still a lot of tidying to do. The stack of lifted floor bricks and the scrap timber are an eyesore. I used the timber pieces for packing while comparing container heights. It all has to be disposed of somewhere. I have had no practice at keeping the greenhouse tidy. It was never my space when my wife was alive. More of just another storage area for junk. It was years earlier that she grew delicious, cherry tomatoes. 

 I cleared the floor bricks into a heap outside.  Along with the scrap timber. 

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. After which the lady from the village turned up unexpectedly. She stayed chatting until 22.00 

 

  ~o~