24.03.2025 Much ado about nothing.

 ~o~

  Monday 24th 36F/2C. A light overnight frost. Smudgy brightness in the east. Some sunshine and much lighter winds are forecast today.

 Up at 6.15 after a more disturbed night. The fire bucket beckoned all too often. Though I slept well in between.

 7.00 The sun is struggling to break through the clouds this morning. The kommune bereavement therapist is visiting at lunch time. The house is almost ready for her. As always I have been very busy tidying and cleaning. I always use her visits as a spur to self-improvement.

 I need to shop this morning. Having run out of rolls and other basics. Nothing very bulky. So I could go on the bike. Or, take the trailer full of brambles. That would be more sensible. Parking at the supermarkets is no longer a problem with trailers after the recent expansion. If I go early enough there will be no competition for space anyway. 

  7.45 The trailer is back up onto the parking space and the contents lashed down. It is going to be a two trip run to clear it all. I shall have to make a proper ramp up from the lower garden. The Morris is rear wheel drive so managed it without too much wheelspin. 

 This area used to be a vast, 20' high hedge. Initially I made it into a steep slope. To clearly mark the end of the mostly level, expanded parking space and the beginning of my wife's, gently sloping flower bed. Now my nose is bleeding! 

 8.30 Back from the recycling yard and supermarket. I was too early and caught the huge yard [20m x 25m?] still full to the brim with garden waste from a busy weekend. The garden waste area is open 24x365 but not manned except during opening hours for the full container yard. Only three days per week including Saturday.

 A giant front loader promptly arrived and started pushing everything to the back wall. Which took only seconds per run. Leaving me desperately trying to empty my trailer of prickly brambles. While he sat waiting in the machine. I had taken a rake with me but brambles do not readily let go of each other. Nor the perforated sides of the trailer. So I used the trailer's manual tipping function and that helped greatly. The supermarket car park was almost empty. So I looped around and parked easily in a double parking space.

 9.00 Morning coffee over. I'll clear the rest of the garden waste into the trailer.  

 10.15 47F/8.3C. Back from a second trip to the recycling yard. I managed to fill the trailer to the brim again. Now I have just moved the last of the large, chestnut logs to the boundary. It it warming much more slowly in the greenhouse with the sun slightly veiled by cloud. Currently 82F/28C in the greenhouse. I have opened the greenhouse door to the house anyway. The room is only at 64F/18C. So will gain some warmth by lunch time. 

 11.00 Washing up done and the kitchen cleaned again. It has reached 66F/19C in the room. I had better have my shower. 

 11.45 51F/10.6C. 92F/33C in the greenhouse. 67F/19C in the room. All the internal doors are wide open. 

 12.00 68F/20C indoors.

 13.30 53F/11.7C. I have just seen my first yellow butterfly of this year. 71F/22C indoors. My visitor hasn't arrived.   

 My visitor never turned up.

 

 ~o~