30.04.25 Cat collection in new cabinet.

 ~o~

 Wednesday 30th 49F/9.4C. Overcast and misty. A repeat of yesterday's early grey leading to warm sunshine. 19C/66F promised again.

  Up at 6.40 after a very quiet night. I could occasionally hear the grandfather clock ticking in its new position.

  Physio class after lunch.

  Meanwhile I have been adjusting the hinges on the new display cabinet. The glass door was scraping on the bottom board when almost closed. Adjustment was easy enough. Loosen the six hinge holding screws and lift the hinges in the slots provided. Re-tighten and all is well. I removed the door while I was doing this. As breaking the all-glass door would be a disaster. Since it is irreplaceable. 

The next step is to apply a self adhesive, warm white, LED strip. To the inside of one, or both, cabinet uprights. For nice, even illumination. Just as I have done to the kitchen display cabinets. I need a 2m long tape with the ability to shorten it. 3m seems to be the minimum length. I only have a 5m length but it will have to do. The tape is marked at intervals where it may be safely cut with scissors

 Deciding where to run the wiring is the next problem. The jack plug and socket set the minimum diameter of a feed hole. 12mm! Which is crazy! 

 Bringing the power supply in from the top means it can be more easily hidden out of sight. Since the cabinets are all too tall to see from above. I shall have to drill a new hole in a strategically placed position. The cabinet manufacturers used black wiring to a black light bulb fitting. From a hole drilled in the rear corner. Not very pretty! I quickly removed this vintage eyesore.

 The new corner cabinet presents slightly more difficulty. In shielding the eyes from direct LED light. Due to have glass panels on three sides. The obstruction of the hinges on the right side upright. Suggest a single string of LEDs inside the left upright only. Though this caused a degree of shadowing. If I do add LEDs to the hinge upright I shall have to add a light blocking strip somehow.

I had to remove all the glass shelves to do a neat job of adhering the LED strip. I am using Nordlux. Which comes complete with a plug-in driver/power supply. I am very pleased with them so far. They seem more robust than the cheap kits with remote controls. Which proved to have a greater chance of the glue coming off the tape than the protective paper peeling! The cheap sets are also very blue-white. Rather than a comfortable warm white. More reminiscent of incandescent light bulbs.

 Hours later and I have placed as many cats in the cabinet as I could find. Hidden away in the boxes upstairs. I must have placed them there when I got rid of the tall display cabinet. Which was plastered with white rot all over the back! The hidden cause of a strong musty smell for years. 

 Each cat was carefully unwrapped from its protective newspaper. Five cabinet shelves are almost filled so far. I tried to sort them into loose categories. With largest at the rear. Then in descending size towards the front. The paper was flattened as neatly as possible into a box. Equally time consuming.

 These few snaps don't really do the collection justice. Many are hidden behind the uprights. My wife must have had a remarkable memory. Even the one or two duplicates had different decorations. Yet they were collected over many years of patient searching in charity shops and flea markets.   

 I am considering how to display my wife's fruit and veg collection. In glass and china. It was always on display on the dresser in the kitchen. Or in the dark wood display cabinet at the bottom of the stairs. I could thin out the glass in the twin cabinets in the kitchen. Make room for the fruit and veg that way.     

 It has taken me three full years from deciding to display everything properly. First I had to find suitable glass cabinets. With detours into IKEA's wares. Though I eventually decided not to go that way. When these vintage display cabinets kept showing up in charity shops. They seemed more appropriate than modern metal and glass. At one tenth the price, or much less, the choice was obvious.

 Then there was the psychological aspect. I kept getting very depressed whenever I handled her stuff. Even going upstairs was hard for me. We lived up there together for over 25 years. It was more comfortable and warmer in winter. We slept up there too. Surrounded in decades of boxes and boxes of collected items. 

 It is only very recently that I can bring myself to look at pictures of her. I even have her picture on my phone now. Taken years ago when she was happily chatting to forestry workers. Who came to cut down some huge trees.  

 15.25 Returning from physio. Where, for once, I paced myself. A bit breathless at times but no dizziness. The Morris was attacked by two dogs. When I slowed by their home. To let a van pass the other way on a narrow lane.

 16.10 I thought there were cats missing. I have just found two more boxes containing the largest cats! Now what? Do I pack the corner cabinet tighter? To make room for the newly found cats on the bottom shelf? They have to be protected and preferably free from collecting dust. Another glass shelf would allow a denser display but might look slightly crammed in. Where would I get such an oddly shaped, corner shelf anyway?

 Another box. Four more, Finnish, glass bottles! I managed to sneak those into the kitchen cabinets. Now I need another cabinet! Three in a row in the kitchen? What are the chances? I have been extremely lucky to find so many so far. I know where there are more. At an antique dealers. They use them for display and won't consider selling them. I asked.

 I need to go grocery shopping. Or there's no dinner. Toast for three days in a row is a bit naughty. Even more naughty would be chips with a salmon pasty. 

 Tomorrow looks promising. Full sun, 20C/68F with a light SW breeze.

 ~o~

29.04.2025 43km ride and corner display cabinet.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 29th 50F/10C [7.00] Overcast, but sunshine and 19C/66F promised.

 Up at 6.50 after a quiet night. I have a dental appointment just after lunch. So I have a choice of what to do this morning. I think a ride to a charity shop with furniture might do. 20km each way. They don't open until 10.00.  

 I like the way Google Maps calls all routes flat. There are some short but very steep hills going both ways! Allow an hour each way plus browsing time. Home in plenty of time for lunch.

 I am still looking for a suitable cupboard for the front hall. For my battery charging. Something to hide the mess while it isn't being used. While providing a well ventilated surface for active charging. I don't see drawers being very useful.

 7.30. My morning walk. 

 8.15 Back from a tour around the fields by the spray tracks. A huge BMS mobile crane went past. While I was still on the road. A pig farm is expanding its buildings and storage tanks just beyond a nearby village. Lots of EVs on the Danish roads these days.

 9.00-11.15 43km ride to a distant charity shop. My guess as to the time required was spot on. Headwind going. Tail/crosswind on the way back. Saddle sore before I reached my goal. No cycling shorts. I raised the saddle by a centimeter but it didn't help. Though the new height felt better. My hands and wrists are aching again.

 I had time to change almost half the water in the fish tank.

 16.00 66F/19C.  The dentist told me to have a go with floss. Even provided me with some white "catapults" to practice with. 

 Afterwards I went on to the nearby charity shop. Where I immediately saw one of the corner display cabinets. Which matches the three I have already. I have been searching for a corner cabinet for ages! 

 So I had to return home for the trailer. Then return to collect the cabinet. 300kr is about £34 Sterling. Peanuts. Now I just have to find somewhere to put it! 

 There is only one suitable corner left in the room. Which already has a grandfather [longcase] clock in it. The other corners all have windows close by. Which means the cabinet would block the light. 

 Move the clock to somewhere else? Between the TV and fish tank? Why did I put the fish tank on the end wall? It could run along the long wall beside the TV. That would leave room for the clock on the end wall. The waist section doesn't project much. So it won't block the view of the aquarium. 

 Or, the clock could go on the long wall between the TV and fish tank. I'd just have to move the swan neck standard lamp. Into the small gap beyond the aquarium. Stop waffling and have a nap! Yes Chris!

19.15. No dinner yet. Clock moved and new cabinet shuffled into the empty corner. You would not belief what a struggle it was doing it myself! The cabinet and the clock are both heavy. The cabinet was propped up in the trailer and had to be lowered to horizontal. So I could slide it into the rear entrance hall. Before lifting it upright. 

 I had to saw off the arched window's windowsill before it would fit. Only just. Now I can display my wife's china cat collection and perhaps some of her teapots. It depends how much room the cats need.

 Dinner was two poached eggs with baked beans. It sounds odd but it was fine. I was halfway through before I realised I hadn't taken a picture. I followed up with a buttered bread roll and coffee.

 ~o~

28.04.2025 159km in the Morris to Fyns Havedam Aps.

 ~o~

  Monday 28th 44F/6.7C. Bright sunshine is promised for all day. Peaking at 17C/63F. A SW breeze.

 Up at 6.15 after a night of feeding the fire bucket. A foolish combination of beer, coffee and gravy with dinner. The heap of cauliflower may not have helped. Otherwise I slept well. All thanks to my deliberately low impact tactics.

 I have to see the doctor this morning. The strange patch of "age spots" on my back has changed in appearance. Which is a bit worrying. I also want to discuss my repeated dizziness at my physio class. 

 10.00  It seems I shall live to enjoy another day. I should also stop competing at my physio class. Silly old wotsit! What a perfect morning! Now I feel the need to go somewhere. 

 10.50 60F/15.6C I shall have a tootle in the Morris to a fishpond business on the other side of Fyn. I am just curious to see what they have. However tempting it may be, it is too far [at 60km each way] to cycle there today. As I rode 90km only a couple of days ago. I have ridden to the area on the trike. To look at a house for sale. Quite a long time ago of course. If I take my lunch with me I can swing down to Svendborg afterwards. Make a day of it. What's left of it.

 It took me two hours to get to my target close to the eastern coast of Fyn. Three hours for the return journey. I came back via Hesselager and Ringe. Rather than Svendborg.  This included a leisurely tour of Fyns Havedam Aps. [near Oure.] With pauses for lunch and snacks in lay-byes. Havedam means garden pond in Danish. 

 The proprietor was very friendly and happy to chat. Despite my not being ready to buy anything for the moment. His huge stock of [mostly] Oase filters [and others] plus hoses and specialist plumbing was absolutely mind blowing. All neatly laid out in several large outbuildings. Huge rolls of pond liner in assorted thicknesses and sizes in the yard. Preformed plastic ponds in stacks of familiar and unfamiliar  sizes and shapes. Well worth a visit for those within traveling distance. Check the website for opening hours first.

 He likes to be able to send items straight off without delay for online sales. The sales website is always open of course. Live visitors are very welcome during opening hours and are almost certain to find what they need in stock. He says he has had to expand his opening hours to cater for demand. There are multiple ponds housing cold water fish outside. Mostly Koi carp in variations of size, a myriad of colours and desirability. With stock to suit all tastes and pockets. Lots of bog and water plants.

 The countryside going both ways [by different routes] was simply gorgeous. At its inimitable best. Spring blossom everywhere and beech woods. With fresh foliage filtering the light. My photography did not remotely match my own view. My wife and I visited the area several times in the car. Now many years ago. So there was a distinct air of nostalgia. As I recognized certain, strangely familiar features. 

16.30 I feel quite tired now. It has been a long, but very enjoyable, day. 

 I wasn't in the mood to cook. So I had mackerel in tomato sauce on wholegrain toast. I have just read that fish fingers are ultra-refined. So not as healthy as one might have hoped for its fish content. Now I need to check whether the brown bread and rolls I eat every day are cheating. Somehow they can get around the whole grain advertising rules. If they were just stored in the same warehouse for five minutes. 

  ~o~

27.04.2025 Timber!

 ~o~

  Sunday 27th 41F/5C. Two days of wall to wall sunshine promised. 14C peak today. With 17C tomorrow. Which seems very unfair after the poor Easter weather. 

 Up at 6.15. I am expecting a visitor today. To take away more of the timber from the demolished observatory.

 10.00 I have washed up and put it all away. Swept and mopped the kitchen floor repeatedly. Moved the car and trailer. Mowed the lawns including the 100m of drive. Not to mention the brambles on the far side of the western lawn. 

 I still need to mow the sides of the drive. However, the Makita batteries are already flat again. Now on charge. Again. At least I get a rest. No, not for that long! I went out with the DeW strimmer and tidied both sides of dandelions. The mower can trim later when the batteries are recharged.

12.50 My English friend has left with a trailer full of the timber he needed for his project.  We enjoyed Danish pastries with tea first. Then sorted through the remains of the observatory. Removing those screws which would come out of the timber he selected. There is still a vast heap to remove to a more sensible location. So the carport site can be cleared of screws, bolts and all the other detritus.

 The greenhouse reached 106F/41C unnoticed. Before I opened the roof windows and the eastern end door. The internal door is also open to share a little of the warmth. 68F/20C in the room is warm enough. I am expecting the English food van with some Bisto.  

 13.30 The driver has just left after we had a nice chat about old cars. He was a Scot and had driven from Copenhagen this morning. He had been here once before. The greenhouse has dropped to 83F/28C.  

 14.00 I have just had another go with the mower at a lower setting. On hopefully drier grass than first thing this morning. It is slightly optimistic to hope that it will even out all the lumps and bumps. The mole hills are soft enough to erase but there are limits. The drive is now done but the neighbours' hedges are leaning inwards. 

 Back to the carport: I weighed the curved roof spars at about 10kg each. Using an old pair of bathroom scales. I then weighed one end of a gutter. The scales indicated 26kg. So 2 x 26 = 52kg each. 

6 spars weigh 60kg. Two gutters weigh 104kg. Total weight of the carport roof is 164kg + the five sheets of polycarbonate roofing. Each of which weighs roughly 6kg. The total weight is now up to 194kg. Plus the nuts, bolts and screws. Which weigh 1700g or 1.7kg. New total = ~196kg.   

 The carport roof is supposed to be fully assembled. Before being tipped up and a pair of legs bolted into place. The roof + 2 legs are supposed to be lifted upright and the second pair of legs attached. Each leg weighs 26kg. So [by coincidence] 104kg total. Bringing the grand total of the carport weight up to 300kg.

Each leg is 2.11m high. Which become the height to the underside of the gutters. Plus any extra height to the tops of the foundation blocks above ground level.

 The question becomes: How many people are needed to raise the roof by 42º? To fit the first pair of legs from roof assembly on the ground. We can assume that half the weight of the roof is supported by the ground as the lift begins. The weight to be lifted reduces as the roof is tilted upwards. Because the centre of gravity moves closer to the lift point. At 90º [vertical] all the weight is on the ground.

 However, the entire roof, plus two legs, now have to be raised to bring the second legs vertical. This is quite a challenge. Even assuming half the weight is on the ground supported by the first two legs. 

 Once upright, the entire weight of the carport [300kg] must be lifted. To accurately place the foot plates onto the foundation fixing bolts. Four people would need to lift 75kg each. Hopefully briefly! 

 It would be quite easy to provide serious and comfortable grip. Using suitably long, lifting strops. As Prusic loops wrapped around the legs. It would be a struggle for most people to get a proper grip on the legs at 9cm diameter.    

Dinner was a "proper" Sunday dinner. With chicken, mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, boiled potatoes and Bisto gravy. A huge plate full. Which I managed to consume somehow by sheer stamina.

 ~o~

26.04.2025 Middelfart 90km.

 ~o~

 Saturday 26th 42F/5.6C. Bright sunshine expected to continue all day. Reaching 15C/59F at 16.00. Light southerly winds.

 Up at 6.45 after a quiet night. No ill effects from yesterday's heavy lifting.

 I was planning on a ride and today seems most appropriate. It seems that Google hasn't been informed of multiple road closures for the new railway line construction work. It suggested routes on Google Earth and Google Maps which are closed for months. 

 That's interesting: I have now requested some more local directions. It sent me on some very long detours to avoid these same road closures. 

 However, it is still recommending a road [Roldvej] which is closed for six months until September. It made no difference whether I chose a bicycle or car as my means of transport. Local government warns that it is impossible to pass due to the building of a bridge and deep excavations. Not even foot traffic is permitted.

 8.00 Going for a short walk. Just a loop around the neighbours gravel drives. Lots of birdsong and alarm calls.

 15.20 Later I went for a ride. I checked on Roldvej and Little Roldvej. Both were closed. With major construction work, cranes and earth moving machinery. Then I meandered northwards to Brenderup. Where I could join the northerly main road to Middelfart. Where I sat on a quiet bench and had lunch. Right beside the water. Within sight of both bridge crossings. The image [top] is the newer, Motorway bridge. I forgot to take a picture of the old railway and road bridge. Which is an antique, wrought iron construction.

  I saw several supersportscars. A very low, red BMW, with a rounded bum [twice], a black Ferrari and several unusual Porsches.  

 I saw two more arched carports. A wide and obviously expensive double in black. Also a budget, single example. The same as my own. The latter had been given a violent sideways shove by the look of it! I hope this wasn't due to the wind. Though it looked pretty well protected by enormous hedges.

 Literally hundreds of motorcycles were going the other way all day. In groups, or long, staggered convoys, all heading east. All of them large machines. Even a single trike. It was the Egeskov Meeting. To mark the beginning of the season. Egeskov is a magical palace with a moat. It houses a large cycle, motorcycle and transport museum in large outbuildings. Most Danish motorcyclists avoid the winter. Probably because of the cold air and icy roads. When the weather is warm and sunny they can get quite over-excited on our twisting and humped road!

 A few Hell's Angels were on Harley-Davidsons and heading the wrong way as I approached Middelfart. We were passing under a wide motorway bridge simultaneously. The rumble from their combined exhausts was absolutely amazing!

 I was saddle sore from about 40km. Despite wearing my obscenely expensive Assos bibs. Stopping for short breaks seemed to help again. The Endura rain jacket never came off. It was never warm enough. Though the jumper I was wearing underneath soon did. I was just warm enough after that.

 Dinner was a fry-up to restock my fat levels.

 ~o~

25.04.2025 Carport incoming! 👍

 ~o~

 Friday 25th 42F/5.6C. Overcast. Mist clearing. A similar forecast to yesterday's. With later brightness after a cloudy start. 

 Up at 5.30. I was awake and had been warned of an early delivery of my carport construction set. Not this early it seems. I hope the driver rings me before dumping it on the verge or in the drive. 

 Only last week a large parcel was just dumped in the drive. A potential blockage for my neighbours returning from work. Or the builders renovating another home. The recipient had not been warned of its arrival and was grateful that I told him it was there. Placed foolishly out of sight of his home behind a hedge. 

 6.37 I just had a phone call to say the carport is half an hour away. I asked him to ring me again when he arrives.

 07.30 The carport has arrived and is resting safely in the parking area. The helpful young driver delivered it for me on his amazing, tricycle, fork lift truck. Which could drive sideways or straight ahead. With a high lift to go over Scrapman's overgrown hedge. At yet another of his countless, abandoned building sites. 

 I quickly cut the webbing to release the components. Very impressive packaging and construction throughout. There is nothing flimsy about any of it. All the component parts are sturdy, kept as simple as possible for DIY-ers and disturbingly heavy. It's no wonder they recommend a minimum of two workers to assemble it. 

 The unit is arranged within two pairs of welded bridges for safe support in transit. For which the customer pays a very modest sum. As they are non-returnable. These allow easy handling of the packaged carport with a fork lift. Making it as compact as one could possibly wish for. With only a few straps and protective cardboard, protective pieces to dispose of.  All the minor parts are stored safely within the gutters. The galvanizing looks really excellent.

 Somebody really thought this whole thing through. The gutters are generous in proportion and one piece to avoid any risk of leakage. Rainwater is fed down a pair of the uprights. To exit via helpful stub pipes at the bottom. So the owner can easily arrange hoses or rigid pipe to suit their own location. The gutters have numerous cross-braces for extra stiffness.

The roof consists of clear, 10mm twin-wall, UV protected polycarbonate. To help to avoid condensation and dripping onto the vehicle below. The five panels are sealed with bright aluminium strips. With screws going down into pre-drilled holes into the arched roofing spars. Which are not pre-drilled for the cover fixing screws. These holes are to be drilled through the existing aluminium strips.

 The curved roof spars bolt between the hefty, 5.2m long gutters. The width is 3m between upright centers. With the four upright poles bolting to the undersides of the gutters. It could not be any less simple. No midway uprights to guarantee damage to vehicle doors! As is common and completely unforgivable in vastly higher priced carports. Many of which are narrower than this example.

 I have yet to discover any printed instructions. Though they are readily available online. For downloading and then printing if desired. Which I have already done of course. 16 sides of A4. The instructions are clear and in correct Danish. They are very well illustrated and show the entire roof is built first. Which means that there is vastly reduced stepladder work of the fiddliest parts.

 With obvious safety advantages and incredibly easy access. The downside is the considerable load to be lifted. Which must be well into the hundreds of kilos. Albeit halved by being in contact with the ground. Temporary, but sturdy, wooden props would seem a really good idea to take the loads. While the assembled roof is tipped up at ~45º and the first pair of uprights fixed. 

 Finally the already assembled parts are tipped fully upright. So that the last two uprights can be bolted onto the underside of other gutter. Rubber gaskets are supplied to ensure a seal on the pair of rainwater uprights/downpipes. The finished structure is 2.5m to the peak of the arched roof. Higher still if plinths are built to adequately support the completed carport. Normally the sturdy foot plates would be bolted to a concrete pad or concrete footings. The carport is rated to wind gusts of 25m/s and EU approved.

 I am delighted with everything so far but slightly confused by two extra long pieces of aluminium angle profile. They aren't listed amongst the components. Nor shown during assembly. They match the length of the gutters. So could be covers for the ends of the polycarbonate roofing panels. To prevent unsightly insect and algae intrusion into the channels. A little research suggests I need diffusion tape. To allow moisture to escape from the channels. While preventing insects, dirt and algae to enter. 

 I have now moved all the components over to the house. To free up access to the demolition site. While simultaneously clearing the turning space for the car. Everything feels very heavy!

 14.00 60F/15C. Sunny afternoon as promised. Back to demolition. I am splitting and removing the terrace/deck flooring from the 2x6 floor joists and 2x10 beams of the old observatory. It is now light enough that I can move it about as a whole. 

 The few remaining boards beyond the main beam are next. I am breathless and sweating profusely again. Am I having fun yet? 

 15.00 Finished dismantling the floor, joists and beams. Which mean there are no more large and heavy bits to worry about. It just needs to be sorted into timber sizes and moved well out of the way. First I need a rest!

 15.30 110F/43C in the greenhouse! I forgot to open the internal door to the house. Presently 67F/19.4C indoors. The heat transfer from greenhouse to indoors is very inefficient without fans to move lots of air. I have opened the greenhouse roof lights as well. 

 18.00 I went shopping. Then had a blast around with the mower on its highest setting. The grass was at least 15cm high on the west lawn and full of weeds. I ran the batteries down and have put them on charge.

 Dinner was fish fingers, peas and chips.

 

~o~

24.04.2025 A pair of chocolate pears.

 ~o~

 Thursday 24th 43/6C. Misty start but clearing quickly. Overcast but no brightness yet. A max of 13C/55F later in the afternoon. Brighter later. A repeat of yesterday's forecast.

 Up at 6.45. Cooking class this morning. Not warm enough for a ride.

 I tested the pond filter/pump in a storage tub. To avoid wasting water. It produced a perfect bell/dome shaped fountain with the correct fittings. I plan to use this form for increased aeration of the greenhouse pond with minimum noise.

 9.00 Left for my cooking class. 

 There is a kindergarten opposite the ex-school building with the kitchens. Where there were four small children on a large, round swing effortlessly managing nearly 180º! They were standing up and chatting away. Absolutely fearless!  

 At my cooking class I made stuffed pears with chocolate sauce, burnt almonds and ice cream. The ice cream melted in the time it took to thaw from a rock solid block in the freezer.

 14.00 Returned from cooking class after shopping and picking up a parcel on the way home. The latter containing a new blade [or guide bar] and chain for my DeWalt chainsaw. 

 An email came to say my carport [construction kit] will be delivered early tomorrow. 

 I just managed to reach 66F/19C with a little help from the greenhouse. Before the sun went behind the trees. It dropped back to 64F/17.8C as the evening wore on. I put on a fleece jacket but knew it would cool further overnight.

 21.00 I lit the stove to boost the temperature to a more comfortable level. It took only one fat log to reach 68F/20C.

 No dinner required as I had eaten at cooking class. 

 

  ~o~

23.04.2025 48km and new slippers.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 23rd 42F/5.6C. [7.40] Thick mist clearing. Bright overcast. Light winds. Temperature peaking at 13C//55F at 16.00. Promise of sunshine this evening.

  Up at 7am after a very quiet night. I was just thinking I haven't had a nosebleed for quite a while. Then I blew my nose and it started bleeding. I'll try pinching it for five minutes.

 7.55. Physio after lunch. I'd like a ride this morning. Not too far. A walk first. 

 8.30 Back from my walk around the fields on the spray tracks. My trousers were wet up to the knees from the long, wet grass. Lots of bird activity. Though a small warbler lay dead beside the road. It looked unhurt but must have succumbed to the speeding traffic.

 9.00 Going for a ride. 

 11.30 53F/11.7C. Returning from a 48km ride. To inspect all the road closures. For the new high speed rail line and the rural expansion of the district heating system. At times it seemed as if every other vehicle was a 7-axle tipper truck. 

 There were tower cranes everywhere. Hovering over deep excavations, new concrete and blockwork. [Blue is the new, 250km/hr [155mph] high speed rail track. Red, the old railway line. With stations or stops at towns and villages. In the image above.] The new line runs mostly parallel and close to the motorway. Which is shown in black. This has produced some complication. Where bridges and cuttings allow local traffic to cut cross the motorway route.

 I saw a red kite circling over the motorway. It really wasn't very warm this morning. My gloved hands were cold and my eyes streaming behind my wraparound sunglasses. The battery dropped from 75% to only 10% charge. The cold conditions? Or is the battery losing its capacity?

 13.00 Off to physio class.

 Returned from physio.  I pushed myself too hard again and became dizzy. It affected my sight again. With stars and sparkles. I'll talk to the doctor about it when I see him next. I shopped on the way home. As I had run out of stuff to eat.

 Returned from another car journey. To fetch a parcel from a pick-up shop. I had paid for home delivery. After countless years wearing the old ones as slippers. I invested in another pair of Rohde slip-on sandals. The last pair had cracks across the now, highly polished soles. The new ones have a grippy tread I had completely forgotten existed. I have gone from wheelspin on ice slippery to 4WD on chunky tires. Which might help me avoid accidents or even falls.

 Dinner was a huge plate of salad: Heart lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, grated carrots, grated extra mature cheese, tuna and sliced boiled eggs. Yet again I forgot to take pictures. I was doing the washing up as the eggs simmered.

 9.00 I lit the stove as it sank to 64F/17.8C in the room. There was never enough sun today. To use the greenhouse for warmth.

 

 ~o~

22.04.2025 Jo, Heave-ho!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 22nd 48F/9C. Bright overcast as the sun tries to break through. A day of light rain and some sunshine.

 Up at 6.45 after a couple of false starts. Thankfully I no longer have to get up. To escape from the torment of memories of my late wife. It took me three years to accept my human imperfection.

 No immediate plans for today. My hands are still aching from handling the bayonet saw on the observatory timbers. It is a heavy and vicious tool. With massive vibration however I try to use it. I might have had more luck with the chainsaw. Though the blade and multiple chains are all knackered. So the chains often shed at the first attempt at a cut. None of the big shed outlets carry the 16"/40cm spares. So I will have to order them online.

 The remains of the observatory are a hideous mess. Which requires sorting and neat stacking. Preferably where it doesn't get in the way of further progress. Again this requires my hands can manage the loads involved. I ought to rest them after yesterday's demolition antics. Even a longer ride on the e-bike takes a toll on my hands and wrists. Despite my organizing a bolt-upright riding position. Lifting the electric kettle and screwing up some packaging proved painful this morning. It's my own fault. For pretending I am still a teenager.  

 8.10 Enough waffling. Time for a walk.

 8.45 I limited myself to a loop around the neighbour's, shared drives. The sun broke through but only for a few minutes. Birds were everywhere. Singing, calling and flying. Even a flock of starlings. Still no sign of any swallows. The nice neighbour's goats were standing on their hind legs and browsing on an apple tree. Spring has fully sprung. With fresh green foliage and blossom all over the place. 

 I had a call from the carport dealer. They can't provide a smaller delivery vehicle. The packaging is over 5m in length. The longest components being the gutters. The packaged, construction kit is loaded onto lorries from the side. Using a fork lift truck. 

 Which, going on past experience, usually means the driver will just dump it on the verge. At the far end of the 200m drive. On the fast and busy road. On a sharp, completely blind corner!

 My only option then, would be to open the packaging. To take the components along the drive separately on a sack truck. There aren't that many and none of them is likely to be too heavy to manage alone. [Image borrowed from the online instructions.] 

 Or, I could lift the bits into the little trailer. Which is rather small unless they stand up inside the cage. A bit of padding will protect the galvanized finish.

 I have ordered the carport anyway. There is a special offer discount of about £50 equivalent finishing tomorrow. Which will go towards the £100 [equivalent] delivery charge. Now all I need is for somebody to clear all that timber which is in the way. Oh, and remove all the concrete foundation blocks. Level the gravel, compact it and lay some decorative gravel on top. I'll just do that.

 17.00 I had run out of some groceries so went for a drive in the Morris. It turned into a circular tour of several shopping villages. 

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. No pictures.

8.45 I had to light the stove. It was only 64F/17.8C in the room.

 

 ~o~

21.04.2025 Demolition: It's down!

 ~o~

  Monday 21st 47F/8.3C. Overcast but mostly dry this morning. Possible light rain this afternoon.

 Up at 7.15 after dozing for ages. A fairly quiet night. 

 8.10 already. I ought to have a walk. 

 9.00 Just returned from my walk to the lanes. Cool, overcast and slightly misty. Dozens of small voices in the hedgerows and overhead. It took ages to walk off the lower back pain. Traffic very light. A helicopter passed directly overhead at very low altitude completely invisibly.   

11.00 No more lazing on YT! I had better see what can be done with the remains of the observatory.

  I have bought some cheap new blades to replace the crap supplied with the DeWalt bayonet saw.

 I am having to be extremely careful. The 4x4s [100x100] upright posts are heavy. The whole building is resting on the ends of these. So it could drop or tip over as I saw them away. 

 12.15 Back in from sawing protruding timbers from the observatory.  I am hot, breathless and knackered but recovering quickly.

 The last panel of plywood cladding is still attached next to the shed/workshop. Its weight and stiffness is holding the remains at an angle.  13.30 Lunch over, so I went back out. As soon as I had sawn through the lower double beam it started raining. The beam dropped as if free at the far end. Though it is completely inaccessible to the saw at that end. 

 I wonder if the whole thing would tip forwards. If I pulled it with the ratchet strap using the car. I fear that panel would resist rotation. Or even damage the shed.

 17.00 Back for a rest. I am dripping with sweat! I managed to sever the timbers attaching the last cladding panel. Then I attached the car to the ratchet straps and took up the tension. I leaned on the straps. The whole floor unit toppled over and I was so surprised that I fell on my bum! No harm done.

 Now I just have to cut up the flooring. To free the joists. The stainless steel, Torx screws showed no interest in coming undone.

 Dinner was a chicken and mushroom curry. More than twice as much as I needed! I washed up while the rice simmered.
 

 

  ~o~

20.04.25 Tooing and froing.

 ~o~

  Sunday 20th 46F/8C. Heavy overcast and drizzling. Rain expected to die out later. South westerly breeze.

  Up at 5.45 after another quiet night with weird dreams. 67F/19C in the room. 

 Too wet for a ride. Too wet to be collecting "stuff" to get rid of. Too wet for demolition. Too wet for grass cutting or any other gardening. Too wet for a walk. My lower back has been very painful for the last two days. Lack of a walk? Too many hours in the computer chair? 

 I tried measuring the various trolleys floating around Chez Hovel. None of them will replace those in the front hall. This is where I charge batteries and store them. For the e-bike and umpteen tools. The present pair of trolleys are far too low. Too busy and far too cluttered. Too completely undisciplined. Too me! 

 Yet they were my wife's. When the front hall was hers. A small space full of light. Thanks to the recycled, double glazed, double doors I fitted in place of a single, solid wood, front door. The one that came with the house. The one with a 4" gap underneath. With a hideous porch affair outside. Long gone and most of the front, southerly facade now sheltered by the 7m long, lean-to greenhouse. I built shelving units for her plants. Even hung led growing lights. It didn't work and severely blocked the tiny hall. 

 Not that it was the open thoroughfare it is now. The living room door was permanently closed and blocked with thick curtains and large, unwanted paintings. I often have the glazed, hall doors wide open. It is the shortest route to the kitchen. My kitchen now. After three years it is time to take the hall back. Make it my own. It just needs a bit of a makeover. Currently bare cement render on that wall.

 Shelving unit or a cupboard? No more than 80cm wide. It can't be too tall. Because the consumer unit and electricity meter dominate that narrow wall at head height. A working surface at a comfortable height. For the battery charging. 

 The tallboy chest of drawers is the only bit of spare furniture looking for a new purpose. It wouldn't work there. I can't put a grandfather clock out there. Because of the aforesaid meter and fuse box. Oh gawd! this means I have to go searching for something suitable in the charity shops. It's the bathroom cabinet search all over again! 

 7.45. I feel as if I have been up for hours. I am going for a walk. Whether it is raining or not.

 8.40 Back from a walk in the drizzle. Lots of birdsong and alarm calls. A pretty pair of Yellowhammers shook the wet off their foliage. A woodpecker moved away in short flights after crossing the road. Countless slugs, dead and alive, decorated the asphalt. A few, bright yellow snails similarly tried their luck in the sparse traffic. The niggling breeze was roaring in my hearing aids after the turn into the lanes. Wetting my jumper until I closed my jacket. I opened my jacket again but was sweating on the way back. Never fully escaped from the lower back pain.

 12.00  I wiped the car down with a clean cloth and rainwater but it still looks grubby as it dries. I have been tidying up and emptying the trailer of the dusty, waste wood which came with the logs. It is no longer raining but still feels very damp.

 14.45 Returning from a local flea-market. To which I donated a couple of vintage public clock dials about 3'/90cm in diameter. A Singer sewing machine treadle table. A turret clock-like mechanism for controlling railway, level crossing arms. A heap of large cooking pots in enameled steel. And a partridge in a pear tree. All bought years ago from flea markets and stored away untouched. 

 On a cycling note: My brother and I were discussing tire pressures and saddle comfort. I just checked the Moustache. Though first I had to swap the rubber seal on the JoeBlow 'Sport' track pump. I hardly ever needed to use it these days but the valve seal still wears out. Due to piss-poor, or deliberate, design.

 I swapped the rubber ring from a cheap, plastic, frame fit pump and it worked fine. I had already had to buy a replacement seal for the track pump. Back when I was triking. Anyway, the pressure was only about 30PSI. I upped both tires to 35PSI and left it at that. The marking on the Schwalbe 240x650B Super-Moto-X sidewall said to use 30-55PSI. Who am I to argue? 

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

 A recycling bin has to go along tonight. I wasn't expecting an Easter Monday collection.

 

 ~o~

 

19.04.2025 Another nice little earner!

 ~o~

  Saturday 19th 44F/6.7C. Heavy overcast. 24 hours of rain in the forecast. Amounting to 17mm or 0.75". 

 Up at 6am. My back is aching.

 I have to visit the apotek [chemist or pharmacy.] Having gone without one of my six tablets for several days. After a prescription ran out. They open at 9am. There will have to be grocery shopping. To cover two more days of Easter closures. Man cannot live by chips alone. Though, god knows, he can try.

 I was surprised to discover how inferior Kleenex Original tissues have become these days. They couldn't make the pack any smaller so they made the tissues thinner. The comparison only came up because I found a pocket pack of tissues in a jacket. The difference was night and day. I could make one of the pocket tissues last a whole week! 

 The same goes for DGF orange marmalade. The last two jars have been all jelly and nothing else. I like the chewy bits in my marmalade on my toasted rolls. Perhaps it is a reaction by DGF to a new proposal for a minimum percentage of fruit? 

 9.00 Raining. Morning coffee over. Off we go.

 9.45 Returning heavily laden in a fogged up Morris. Continuous rain all the time I was out. One of the supermarket checkouts was crippled by another attempt to get away with daylight robbery. The customer was overcharged yet again. The checkout operator seemed [yet again] unable to correct the error. So the queue soon stretched into the next village. This was in a different supermarket chain from yesterday's  customer fleecing.

 You'd think the EU had rules for consumer protection. Presumably Denmark opted out of consumer protection. When they opted out of the Euro and all in for retail monopolies. Last time I checked there were three retail chains with 89% of grocery sales. 

 The former, discount chains [like Aldi] are gone or shrinking. With frequent closures of the large, chain's outlets as well. Centralization is robbing the smaller villages of access to their local grocery outlets. Further reinforcing rural depopulation. Surprise-surprise! Denmark's grocery prices are higher than elsewhere in the EU. The tendency is towards ever younger staff on the checkouts and rapid staff turnover. 

 I know it is boring but I am still working on the ideal siting of a carport in my "yard." I had hoped to find an AI website which would suggest the idea situation. It seems they haven't progressed much past making fluffy green cats behaving unnaturally.   

 The ground plan for Chez Hovel. There are currently steep banks beyond the brown lines. These limit potential turning space. Though I had planned to add rubble. To level out to the boundary on the north side. Beyond the shed and carport. 

 After much thought I am going to place the carport beside the shed. The car is driven in nose first to park. Or simply in preparation for reversing on a curve. To bring the car near to the house front door. Though with the drivers door on the offside. Polite parking service for the passenger? 

 The car can then leave the house. By turning sharp right into the drive. Or is driven forwards on left lock to place it back into the carport again. This avoids reversing into the carport under poor visibility. With the risk of striking one of the supporting posts. 

 It doesn't look like I have much room to maneuver. Though the 15 x 11m meters parking and turning space. Is quite generous in reality. Far better than many people struggle with. The car can always be reversed into the carport in daylight if desired. 

 I am sorely tempted to have a double carport or two carports, side by side. This gives the trailer its own shelter. The lawnmower or other gardening equipment would benefit from protection from the weather too. Security is easily provided with a locked wire cage or box. The slender construction of arched steel components. Will not interfere with the view of the rural background.

 Dinner was a fry-up. Of chicken, mushrooms, tweggs and baked beans.

 

  ~o~

18.04.2025 Not more carports?

 ~o~

  Friday 18th 45F/7C. Overcast with rain. I woke to find the southern sky the colour of lead. It soon started raining heavily but seems to have eased off. Breezy now from the NW. With more rain forecast this morning. Supposedly drier this afternoon with lighter winds. 

Up at 7am after an odd night. I was aware of being awake and checking the clock. 

 I was going to restart the demolition [again] but everything is sopping wet now. Dare I risk a walk? 

 I had a short walk down the road but the wind was cold and I wasn't in the mood to go far. 

 After morning coffee I drove to the next village to search for more arched metal carports. It rained for most of the morning.

  12.50 I returned in time for lunch. Having captured several carports hidden away in the quiet cul-de-sacs. Including several examples of the one I was intending to buy. Even a double. I have not put myself off the purchase after exposure to real world examples. 

 Though I have rethought the siting in place of the rotary clothes airer. Reversing out would be too critical in avoiding the workshop. So I shall place the carport near to where the observatory stood. 

 Shopping can be carried in with the car parked near the door. Then the car can be reversed into the carport. When I want to use the car I can reverse out to bring it near the door again. Though facing the opposite way. Which would suit another user loading family members. The car would then be facing the correct way to proceed along the drive.

  It is long overdue that I had lights with movement sensors. We had one years ago but it stopped working. In an ideal world I would have a wide, arched double carport with no central supporting posts. It would be very easy to reverse in. 

 Alas, there would be little or no change from £10k equivalent. There are no [relatively] cheap kits for these extra wide doubles. They are the exclusive wares of  "carport designer studios" and architects. They usually want to carry out the construction work themselves. To ensure it is done correctly and to a high standard. I am not in that market.

 I wasted the afternoon on the computer as the temperature in the room slowly fell.

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. There was little else in the fridge or larder. I lit the stove.

 ~o~