6.04.2025 Demolition proceeds.

 ~o~

  Sunday 6th 29F/-2C [7.00]  Sunrise, bright sunshine. 11C/52F promised by late afternoon. The parabolic pond is frozen over. Dull on the surface instead of dancing reflections of the sky. It is still badly out of level.

  Up at 6.15 after a fairly quiet night. 64F/18C in the room this morning. It had soon reached 68F/20C by bedtime last night thanks to the stove. That took four logs and two hours.

 7.45. Time to get ready for a walk. No sign of any movement out there due to the wind. Unlike yesterday, when it was raw walking into the north wind. 

 8.40 Back from a walk to the lanes. It didn't take long to walk off the daily back ache. Too cold for bare hands. Not a breath of air movement. It was unnaturally quiet. Last man standing quiet. No cars at all. No traffic noise, distant or close. One sparrow and a crow. 

 A neighbour's small dog barked but fell silent as I approached. The skylarks broke rank and competed to fill the silence above the lanes. Several cars passed on the way back. Just another Sunday after all. 

 11.20 46F/7.8C. Bright sunshine. Cold northerly breeze. I was in no real state for another ride. My hands are aching from resting on the handlebars. No pain in my legs though.

 Back to the observatory demolition. The last of the plywood cladding is removed. To join the neat heap of recyclable plywood. Out of sight to the left. 

 I soon became extremely breathless, slightly dizzy and hot! So had to came in for a rest. 

 13.15 47F/8C. Lunch over. Going back out. Room at 68F/20C. The greenhouse door has been open for ages but has still reached 100F/37.8C. It feels very cold in the shade outside. I'll wear a thinner jacket than earlier. To avoid overheating.

 2.40 Back in again. Many of the screws sold for terrace boarding failed to respond to the Torx bit. The structure has lost its stiffness without the cladding. Which was providing stressed skin triangulation.

 So I turned my attention to the central pier. Removing the dozens of screws holding the 18mm cladding. Which stiffened the pyramidal form. Yet again the Torx screws failed to come out. So I was reduced to using the crowbar. Breaking 18mm plywood is hard work. I am dripping with sweat again. 

 I am not sure how best to proceed. Should I pull the whole thing over? I need to remove the ladders first. To avoid them being crushed and bent.

 It eventually reached 74F/23C in the room. I waited until the sun went behind the trees before closing up the greenhouse and all the internal doors. 

 At which point it was do the washing up or starve. There was no clean crockery, cutlery nor pans left to allow me to make dinner. It took a full half hour. Including washing the oven and baking trays.

 Dinner was organic sausage, mushrooms and what I am loosely calling an omelette. I managed to successfully turn the omelette onto a cold plate. Before dropping it back into the frying pan. It looked better the correct way up. You'll just have to take my word for it.

 

  ~o~