13.04.2025 Ripped off by SuperBrugsen!

 ~o~

  Sunday 13th 45F/7C. Early bright sunshine becoming cloudy after 10am. Peaking at around 15C/59F this afternoon. Increasingly windy from the SE going southerly. Some rain later this afternoon. It has been very dry. Increasing the risk of wildfires. The farmers have been spraying their fields too. Where a water supply was available.

 Up at 7am after a busy night at the fire bucket. Though I slept well enough in between.

 No immediate plans but I really ought to have a ride. Particularly with some rain forecast every day for the next week.

 10.30 Returning from a 36km ride to town. It was unpleasantly windy but the cloud was slow to obscure the sun. I took a scenic, wandering, coastal route I hadn't traveled for years. Last time it was on my trike. 

 There was a cheap little house for sale. On a picturesque, narrow lane overlooking a pretty lake. So I would ride that way regularly. Just to see what progress was made in repairs. The house was in a very poor state but beautifully situated. Alas it remains largely unchanged all these years later. With a cement mixer parked in front of the entrance door.

 I called in at SuperBrugsen. The Danish equivalent of the British Co-op. A supermarket chain in rapid decline. With many branches closing. Where they were once the standard town and village supermarket. It seems their desperation for money has caused a serious drop in standards. They tried to rip me off to the tune of 6 kroner. 3 kroner difference between the shelf price and the checkout on two items. 

 It took all of ten minutes for the pre-pubescent teenager on the checkout to understand and repeatedly attempt to correct the mistake. While a long and impatient queue soon built up. As he failed to call another member of staff to open another till. Sadly Denmark has no consumer protection. So the supermarkets can easily get away with this sort of thing. 

 They have the perfect money printing system. Since they don't automatically provide a till receipt. Then there is the national standard shortage of staff on the checkouts. So fast loading and leaving by the customer is absolutely required. Just to keep the queues short and tempers subdued. 

 How is the customer supposed to check if the supermarket is thieving? How can they check if the price on the checkout is different from the price on the shelf? They can't. I remember from 40 years ago in the UK. Where massive fines were imposed on retail cheats for this sort of illegal behaviour. But then, the UK had proper consumer protection. Even all those years ago. 

 13.00 I started removing floorboards from the toppled observatory. None of the Torx screws would undo. So I tried levering the boards up with my modest crowbars. Slow and hard work. So I jumped in the car and went to three local flea markets. To see if they had any larger crowbars. They hadn't. There were spots of rain on the windscreen. 

 So I had lunch while I considered my options. They sell crowbars at the big shed outlets for quite modest sums. I don't want a huge example or its weight will be more of a handicap. My longest crowbar is 60cm or 2'. I can get one 910mm or 3' long in town. The extra foot or 30cm of leverage should [hopefully] make all the difference. 

 13.40 Raining hard! Off we go gain. 

 14.45 Back from town. Where I bought a 310mm crowbar for very little money. The rain came to nothing. I tried the bar on the flooring and it worked far better than my 60cm model. All the lower flooring is now gone. Along with a short joist. [See image above] The whole pier could drop on my head. If that single, last piece of flooring was removed. So I am being very careful. 

 Dinner will be chicken, mushrooms, boiled potatoes, peas, carrots and some artificial gravy. Using Danish browning powder to make a Sunday dinner. The gravy eventually looks like coffee with a dash of milk.

  ~o~

12.04.2025 The forest beckoned.

 ~o~

  Saturday 12th 44F/6.7C. Overcast. A grey morning followed by sunshine. The first rain in ages is forecast for tomorrow afternoon. There have been countless wildfires. Usually blamed on morons burning weeds.

 Up at 6.15 after a quiet night. My back is aching. No walk yesterday. 65F/18C in the room. I lit the stove last night and it rose to 69F/21C by bedtime. I have run out of two more kinds of tablets. I'll visit the apotek/pharmacy/chemist later. They should all be on constantly renewed prescription.

 The topsy-turvy observatory is still out there. I am not quite sure what I was expecting. Had the demolition fairies been around and sorted it all out overnight? One can wish.

 The wireless, remote control on the aquarium lights has stopped working. I inserted a new battery but it is still lifeless. A shame, because it provided stepped increments of brightness. To avoid blinding the fish. Or leaving them suddenly in the dark. I'll order a new one. Easier than returning it under guarantee. With all the palaver involved. It was quite cheap as I remember. If only I could remember which online shop I bought it from. I used several for the initial set-up to see how they performed. For supposedly future reference. 

 8.15. Going for a walk.

 9.15 And back again. Remaining grey, with a cold westerly breeze. I walked the wrong way, down the road, just for a change. Then up to the forest via the steep, farm track. It is steepest at the top. Where there is a drop in the elevation before it climbs again. To flatten in a plateau of fields surrounding a tongue of forest. Almost invisible from below.

 Two red kites went over minutes apart. Both heading north on the same track. Noisy geese circled and foraged on the fields. Ducks hovered. Wondering what I was up to. Then flew off. The ground was safely dry to use the edges of the fields. Without having to walk on the crops. Going well. I did not become the slightest bit breathless on the last, steep climb up to the woods. 

 The wind was cold on my hands. So I mostly kept them in my jacket pockets. It was interesting to rediscover the alignments. Between familiar, now distant features in the landscape. When seen from a completely different angle and elevation.  

 12.00 Returning from a shopping trip to two villages in opposite directions. There are different supermarkets in each. All of which stock different products not found in the others. The routes in both directions were complicated. By detours and road closures. For expansion of the district heating system. Of course there was nobody working at the weekend. Hopefully the locals could still reach their homes. 

 17.00 The room has reached 69F/21C with the greenhouse enjoying afternoon sunshine. Later 72F/22C. The backlog of washing up has now been dealt with.

 Dinner was a salmon pasty with organic cauliflower. The cauliflower smeared in butter on the pre-warmed plate. Both needed 15 minutes to be ready but the results were excellent.

 

 ~o~

11.04.2025 Demolition: So near... whoops!

 ~o~

  Friday 11th 44F/6.7C. Overcast and expected to remain so for most of the day. Quite a strong NW wind too.

 Up at 7.15 after a restless night. 

 Expecting a parcel but have no idea of delivery time. Which suggests I remain at home and continue work on the observatory demolition. Rather than running away.

 9.50 Tired and breathless! I have the building tipping but it won't move far enough to fall. There are still unmovable Torx screws holding the legs to the anchors. I'll just have to saw through the 4x4" legs as low as I can go. I was hoping to save these for recycling into a carport. I was also trying to keep my distance from the building in its current state.

 The central pier confuses the picture because its legs are naturally splayed. Though it is quite free of the building. 

 The heavily leaning posts at the front [image right] show just how far the building has actually moved. Or has it? It looks like the posts have tilted but little else. While the rear legs are still almost upright. I can't reach any more of the plywood cladding screws between the shed and the observatory. That is probably what is holding it all up. Stressed skin effect and the anchor screws at the base. 

 10.00 I'll have morning coffee while I recover. I have been dangling from the ratchet straps to apply tension! The further strap is anchored to the car's tow hook. And no, the Morris won't pull the building over either. The idea is to be able to saw through the observatory floor once it is nearer the ground. Thereby avoiding working at height on an increasingly unstable building. 

 One of the Danish dealers has kindly rung me. To confirm that the Cemo factory makes the large GRP containers strictly to order. Trying for different sizes did not speed up the middle of May delivery time. I had hoped they might have some other sizes and colours in stock. Now I have to decide if I want a larger, indoor pond in the greenhouse while I still have the chance. 

 11.15 Brief glimpses of sunshine. Still resting. I have decided to stay with my original order of a 1500 liter container pond in grey. Delivery probably towards the end of May. The larger 2200 tank would be preferable in theory. The greater the volume and surface area the better for the fish.

 However it increases the complication and risk. Well beyond the potential or theoretical fish keeping advantages. The larger container would also take up more room. As well as being deeper. I carefully considered the green option. Then decided it would appear too stark, perhaps even industrial, in the subdued greenhouse setting.  

 I had better get back out there. I'll put some tension on the building with the car. While I cut through the bases of the recalcitrant supporting posts. This should ensure it doesn't fall backwards on me while I am still close. There is little in the way of an escape route. Though the nearby trees would stop it going too far.

 11.50 Success. Of a kind. The Morris finally provided the necessary traction to pull the building over. One upright has lodged on the workshop gutter. Nothing I try will cause the building to move to the left. Away from the shed. Probably the result of letting it fall onto the heap. I'll have to work out what is stopping it from falling. Then remove each prop in turn. Hopefully without wasting the 4x4 timbers. Or killing myself!

 Rear view, wide angle. One of the foundation, anchor blocks has pulled right out of the ground. [At left] I tried sawing through that post but couldn't sever it completely. I am getting surprisingly breathless at the effort involved. So I will have to be more careful. 

 It all looks a horrible mess! I had trays full of jars with nails, bolts and screws. These were taken down from the observatory cross-braces. Which I had used as shelves. My huge equatorial mounting is in there somewhere. I'd brought that down and just left it on the ground inside the observatory. I shall never use it again and I doubt anybody would want to buy it.

 12.30 No rolls for dinner and I can't go out. Or I'll miss the post. I'll try the frozen sliced whole grain. 

 15.45 My parcel arrived just after lunch. Which was the usual but on toasted bread. Later I drove into the village to buy more rolls.

 I had to light the stove. The room temperature had dropped to 63F/17C.

 Dinner was a fry up of chicken, mushrooms, an egg and chips.

 

  ~o~

10.04.2025 A disappointment.

 ~o~

  Thursday 10th 37F/3C [8.20] Thick mist at first. Becoming bright overcast and mist thinning. Sunshine promised. 

 Up at 6.15 after quiet night followed by relaxed dozing. Feeling better today but dizziness is lingering. Probably an inner ear problem.

 Cooking class beckons. Visibility on the roads should not be a problem. Judging by the progress in the mist clearing.  

 Meanwhile I had my shower and dressed. I am enjoying finally having the kitchen clear, clean and organised. The washing up was put away. Instead of languishing on the work surfaces and drainer. The deep and tall IKEA drawers are like the Tardis when it comes to pan storage.

 I emptied the toaster of trapped crumbs. What a stupid design! I swept, mopped, swept and mopped the kitchen floor repeatedly. Emptied the recycling tubs into the dustbins outside. Told all the birds to stop complaining. It was my space as much as it was there's!

 Next I need to find a sensible storage space for all the winter jackets. They can't all hang in the hall. They would take up half the width! Their average darkness robs the hall of light. Upstairs beckons but I need sensible rails and hangers.

 The sloping ceilings up there make life unnecessarily difficult. Always have done. It pushes everything out too far. Do I really need the remaining furniture? Can I achieve better access to "the stage?" Without risking life and limb over the open stairwell. 

 It's a terrible waste of space and always has been. Though useful for housing assorted TVs and loudspeakers over the years. Viewed and enjoyed over the top of the banister rail. I wonder if I could make a rotating clothes hanger? Like an outdoor drier but better.

 8.55 Time to go.

 14.45 Returning from cooking class. Where we made some delicious dishes. I and a partner in crime made a salad. With a sauce, fried seeds and nuts. I also made the croutons. There was meatball soup, grated cheese and flutes. With a fruit cake to finish with creme. I am full up!

 An email came from the Danish dealer for the GRP containers. To say they can't supply until they end of May when the German manufacturer produces new stock. I have asked them to check if other sizes are available from stock. I can go up in size if I temporarily remove one pane of glass from the greenhouse. Plus the removal of a couple of aluminium struts. I thought it would be more difficult but the double doors can be pushed a little wider if need be. After a couple of decades I had forgotten how I put it all together.

 

  ~o~

9.04.025 Demolition ongoing.

 ~o~

 Wednesday 9th 39F/4C. Overcast. A sunny day is promised after early cloud clears.

 Up at 7.15 after a busy night servicing the fire bucket, then dozing.

 Physio after lunch. No immediate plans for this morning. Though I shall attempt to remove the plaster from my nose. Hopefully the appendage, to which it is attached, will remain safely in place. It did.

 8.50 Still overcast. Going for a short walk. 

 9.30 Still overcast. I looped around the spray tracks on the fields and then back along the new drive. A pair of wagtails were close but seemed unperturbed by my presence. My nice neighbour was tending her chickens. So I stopped for a chat. 

 10.30 Still overcast.  Back in to  cool off and have a rest. I have been removing timber 2"x4" cross braces from the observatory. This allowed me to withdraw the huge stepladder from the base. Out of the now open side of the observatory. 

 The Torx screws continue to disappoint. Probably only one in three will undo. Without the bit spinning uselessly in the head. Fortunately I can twist the timber by hand. If I can get one screw out. To release the remaining screw. By literally ripping it out of the timber! Using the cross brace as a lever. 

 Decades of  collecting ladders at rest. The two stretch builder's ladder on the right came from the UK. It may be nearly half a century old by now. 

 The Japanese, tripod ladders are much younger and were bought locally, over time, as needed. There is a local stockist who imports them. The wide bases make them very difficult to tip sideways by accident. Making them a safe support for trimming trees and hedges at height. The double rungs are also very comfortable for use over an extended period of work. 

 The stack of recyclable plywood and timber lies beyond in the background. With yet more to be added. This material is supposed to become a carport. 

 12.30 Back in after removing all the screws I could move at the base of the legs. I moved all the ladders clear of the building. Tidied the timber from inside the building. The chain hoist made no impact on tipping the building.  I am hot and rather breathless again. Slightly dizzy too. I'll have to give physio a miss today.

 I must have been overdoing it this morning. There was a lot of crouching. Lifting heavy ladders and moving them. Stacking dozens of lengths of timber. I wasn't feeling very well after I came back in. I had lunch early and a [timed] 40 minute nap later. The sun came out but it wasn't very clear nor hot in the greenhouse. The room just made it up to 68F/20C before I closed all the internal doors. Then watered all the plants. Then moved the crockery on the cupboard shelves to match how often I use them. Why does it take me so long to get around to these things?

 After much internal debate I finally ordered the large grey container I discussed earlier. To make a 1500 liter [400 gallon] indoor fishpond for the greenhouse. 

 I also ordered a well reviewed Oase Filtral 3000 UVC internal filter. To keep the water clear without hoses dangling everywhere. As is required for an external filter. The dealer recommended a smaller unit than I had carefully planned. Because I will keep so few fish in this volume of water. 

 I have already discussed the potential benefits of the pond. In calming the soaring temperatures out in the greenhouse in sunshine. Even in spring it has already reached well over 120F/50C! Albeit without its shade netting. 

 The greenhouse has been an untidy storage area for far too long. Almost since it was assembled from two matching products. Halls Silverline. A 10' and a 12' model end placed to end but with out the gable ends in the middle. Resulting in a useful 22' long x 8' wide, glass covered space. Joined in the middle by a special profile sold for the purpose. 

 It is time the herringbone, brick floor was easily navigable on foot. From end to end! Getting the big tank/pond in there will force me to clear the mess. Which I have left untouched at the kitchen end of the greenhouse for three years. Mostly my wife's excess of household cleaning items. Multiples of the same.

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. Hopefully you will remember what that looks like. Because I failed to photograph it. Again.

 There is nothing to watch on Netflix. Also again.

 

 ~o~

8.04.2025 Another bloodbath, new chairs but not toast.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 8th 30F/0C. Another white frost followed by a sunny morning. A weather change after lunch.

 Up at 6.40 after a busy night. There must be a lot of water in salad. 

 I am intending to visit my English friend. Sadly, the idiot who borrowed the Morris to go shopping yesterday, left the lights on until bedtime. Fortunately the car started despite the white frost. Perhaps I should ride over there. Not been out since Saturday.  

 9.00 Bright sunshine. I am leaking again. Somehow I scratched the tip of my nose in the shower. It is dripping with blood at one second intervals. Like a precision clock. At first I thought it was a normal nosebleed. Until I saw the wounded proboscis in the bathroom mirror. It must be the blood thinners preventing my blood from clotting. I had trimmed my nails and they ended up quite sharp. 

 I was patched up by the nurse at the surgery. So now I am sporting a large plaster on my nose. Which only stopped bleeding after a full hour. I then drove on to visit my friend. We enjoyed a chat, with coffee and a spandauer each. In his excellent new greenhouse in the sunshine. While sitting in his comfortable chairs.

 Which has inspired me to make a real difference to my own greenhouse. The 22' long greenhouse I built myself. From two, lean-to greenhouses but was never allowed to be in. Except to hang more shower curtains. To pretend to keep the sun's heat at bay. The large space was wasted from the very start.

 13.30 Safely home again after visiting the shops on the way home.

 16.20 55F/12.8C. Bright sunshine.  I have opened the greenhouse door again to share the warmth. 70F/21C in the room.

 I am returning from a drive into town with the trailer. Where I bought two, moulded plastic, garden armchairs in a delicious, soft green. For use in the greenhouse. The colour hints at the colours we carefully chose for the woodwork of the house/hovel. All those many years ago.

 The chairs are remarkably heavy but  uniquely comfortable. We had a mixture of outdoor chairs from flea markets and charity shops but they were uncomfortable and never used. Certainly never in the greenhouse. Except to take up more space. As did a three piece cane and willow chair and sofa set which was already disintegrating from woodworm when we bought it.

 The books we had collected about furnishing greenhouses, to make magical spaces, were soon ignored. It was too hot. Too cold. Too wet. One year she grew the most tasty cherry tomatoes that ever existed on this planet. I was full of praise. Obediently thinned out the middle shoots to promote fruit growth under her watchful eye. But that was it.

 Today I tried all the dozens of garden chairs. On outdoors display at the three big box outlets in town. These outlets are in a neat row on a new build car parking area on the very edge of town. Which can't have been good for the distant, cobbled high street.

 Most of the other chairs had steel tubular frames. Which is cold and uncomfortable to the touch without some sort of padding. There was already signs of rust. I didn't even need a cushion to sit on these fabulous new thrones. The arms are just broad and flat enough to be comfortable too. In fact I may fit one of these chairs on my e-bike! 

 Dinner was meant to be a cop-out and something boring on toast. I had a "proper dinner" yesterday after all. I was looking for something in the fridge and saw the broccoli. My first use of the lower drawer in the new fridge. I have been very backward, even remiss, in stocking the new toy. What to have with broccoli? A salmon pasty of course. 20 minutes at 180º fan oven. 

 I washed up while it cooked. So it wasn't toast after all. It was something green and tasty. With a few blobs of vegetable pretend butter. Which was half melted in the heat. Before it was smeared untidily on the veg. To vanish without a trace. It felt as if something was missing. Cherry tomatoes? Probably.

 

  ~o~

7.04.2025 Making haste slowly.

 ~o~

  Monday 7th 29F/-2C. Another frost followed by all day sunshine. It should reach around 14C/57F in the afternoon. 

 Up at 6.30 after a quiet night and later dozing. I was aching from yesterday's activities when I turned over in bed. It seems to have subsided but I shall adjust my effort levels accordingly. 

 I am not sure I shall continue with the demolition this morning. It has reached the point of instability. Which needs to be carefully addressed for safety reasons. Or overcome with brute force! There is much tidying to do before I dare to saw through the "legs" and pull the building's remaining carcase down. Avoiding damage to the shed/workshop alongside is paramount.  

 The legs are solidly anchored to buried, concrete foundation blocks by sturdy steel-work brackets. They will not willingly give way nor lift until sawn through. Though they can probably flex enough to allow the building to fold and collapse. The cladding was largely responsible for the building's inherent stiffness. That safety factor has now been removed.

 The observatory floor does not want to let go of its Torx screws. It could hold together as a unit even if the building was pulled sideways. Using a bayonet saw while working up on the floor would be risky. I foresee sawing through the legs above the brackets as the safest way forward. Let the legs fold as they will. While I am working from the outside of the building. 

  The octagonal shape of the building adds some complication. The legs are unlikely to fold like a simple parallelogram. Not with such a difference in radius relative to their footprint. It is not a simple, square box or rectangle. Which is always inherently unstable unless triangulated with braces, stiff walls, or using stressed skin cladding. 

 I still have a sturdy steel post set in concrete to the SW of the building. This once held a large [2.3m] parabolic antenna for satellite TV reception. I could easily attach my chain hoist to this post. To apply strong and adjustable tension to the building away from the workshop. This could pull high on the nearest upright. Hopefully bringing the observatory down as safely as I can manage. From the safety of distance and a clear escape path.   

 7.45. The sun is well up. Time for a walk.

 9.00 Only a short walk. Then I set up the chain hoist and a heavy duty ratchet strap. The building seems far stiffer than I had imagined. The central pier is still bolted down. So that needs sawing at the base of the legs. I still have to remove the huge, warehouse stepladder. It is no longer attached to the building but there is quite a lot of timber to cut before it can be freed. I am sweating profusely despite the lingering frost.  

 With regards to some recent dizziness and concerns about my low blood pressure: The doctor has suggested I reduce the dose of one of my tablets. I take two of those tablets per day. So reducing to one is easy.

 16.45 Returned from a tootle into the village in the Morris. I bought some salad items as the weather is more suitable now. Plus some veggie. I have hardly been near anything green for ages. 

 Dinner was salad. I can't remember how long ago it was that I last had it. Heart lettuce, sliced cucumber, a hard boiled egg, grated carrots, tuna, halved cherry tomatoes and grated, extra mature, Cheddar cheese. I don't think I forgot anything.

 

 ~o~

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~

5.04.2025 Greenhouse pond?

 ~o~

  Saturday 5th 39F/4C [7.30] Bright but rather cloudy. Increasingly breezy from the north east. The clouds seem to be moving quite quickly from the north Two more days of sunshine promised but at lower temperatures. Today might reach nearly 9C/48F. 

 Up at 6.15 after another quiet night. Lower back pain may be the result of a day wasted on the computer. No immediate plans beyond my morning walk. 

 8.40 41F/5C. Overcast! Well past time for a walk. 

 9.00 And back again. I only walked a few hundred meters along the road before turning back. The wind made it feel very chilly. Not nice at all.

 Moved here from yesterday's post: 

 The Chemo/Cemo colour options [and blue.] These are a smaller model but images of the 1500l are hard to find online. The image below of the grey container is the correct model but gives little sense of the proportions.

 I am looking at options to house a raised, rectangular goldfish pond. Using a green [or grey?] GRP, industrial storage container out in the greenhouse. The outside of this container could be covered in timber boards. To make it look more attractive. Though the tanks themselves are smooth and cosmetically acceptable in their own right. Shall we say more purposeful than deliberate greenhouse furniture.

 A level, plywood base would not raise it any more than necessary. The base would need to be strong and load spreading. Only high enough to allow a seated person to easily admire the contents. The container could even be sunk into the brick floor. If I thought it was useful. I laid sand under the bricks.

I do not have any reason [at all] to be out in the greenhouse at present. Which is a bit of waste. The greenhouse's considerable volume could house many plants. Though probably only the hardiest of cacti at present!

 The limitation of container size is the size of access to the greenhouse. The greenhouse's double, open door width is 85cm. The range of containers I am admiring are [by happy coincidence] 81cm high in a variety of increasing volumes. So I could easily slide quite a large container on its side. Through the open greenhouse doors. 

 The tapered walls and projecting rim would cause it to lean. I would use suitable battens, boards and scrap plywood on the ground outside and on greenhouse floor. Which will protect the container's finish. While making it upright while siding on its edge. The dry weight of the larger 1500 liter containers is just under 50kg. Manageable, but a bit lumpy for one old fart to move around on his own. One mistake and the greenhouse could become an expensive repair job!

 The next size limit is how much I am willing to allow the tank to project. Out into the greenhouse area from the glass, front wall. With some nominal clearance, of course.

 The kitchen end of the greenhouse is presently no man's land. This is due to several years of untouched clutter. Mostly my wife's gardening and cleaning stuff.  If that was cleared there would be lots of room. I rarely need to go in and out of the doors at that end of the greenhouse anyway. Only the doors at the opposite drive end are ever used. For bringing in logs using a wheelbarrow.

 The cost of these containers is a fraction of any glass, fish tank of remotely the same length or volume. Goldfish tend to grow rapidly in suitable conditions. They are already stretching the acceptable limits in the secondhand aquarium I bought. 100x50x50cm and 250liters. Two tiny fish have grown to almost half the 50cm dimensions. Well, not quite, but appearances aren't that far off. 

 The minimum size of container I would consider is 700 liters. With 1100 and 1500 liter models readily available at the same height but increasing cost. Depending on how much floor space I am willing to sacrifice out in the greenhouse.  

 The 1500 liter container is my favourite choice at 182x139x81cm measured externally. That would be six times larger than the indoor aquarium. The greenhouse is 2.6m deep between the greenhouse front and the house walls. 260-139=121cm. Plenty of room to move past the tank. Which will be quite low at about 85cm to the rim. Just below waist height. I'll try not to fall in! At least not when the water is cold.

 Reasons to go indoors: Any outdoor pond risks becoming the prey of the many herons in the area. I have already suffered from the attentions of a heron's pointy beak. While rescuing it from a protective net on the outdoor pond. If Danish winters ever return to normal. Then the outdoor pond would be covered in thick snow or ice for weeks. 

 Not to mention the constant rain of leaves. Falling from the surrounding and overhanging trees. The fish were never visible before they ended up in a heron's tummy. Thanks also to the floating pond weed. While an indoor pond would allow me to watch their antics. Perhaps in slightly greater numbers than the indoor aquarium.

 The downside is that I will not get the side view of the fish. Afforded by an inset window or glass aquarium. However, the much greater width and length of the pond. Will allow a clear view as the colourful fish approach the surface. I do not much like black ponds. So will not use rubber or plastic sheeting to make my own indoor pond from plywood. A preformed container will also avoid ugly folds in the rubber membrane. 

 The grey colour option is beginning to seem far more sensible than my first choice of green. It will reflect more light than green. Making the fish easier to see under constantly changing light conditions. No doubt the inside surfaces will soon become green with algae if not cleaned regularly. Particularly in sunlight. The container is said to be smooth inside and out for easy cleaning.

 Meanwhile, there are clear plastic cylinders widely available. Which allow fish to swim above the pond surface. The cylinder remains constantly filled with water by excluding air during filling. See image above. Such a feature might make for an interesting addition. 

 One vital detail I haven't yet mentioned is water's ability to store heat. Such a large volume of water [1500 liters or 400 gallons] will help to ameliorate the rapid temperature changes. Which are currently enjoyed by the greenhouse. The water will absorb solar warmth during the day and only slowly release it overnight. This should help to reduce the soaring, daytime temperatures. While preventing rapid cooling overnight. 

 It is common practice to stack oil drums full of water in solar greenhouses. To act as heat sinks. This can moderate temperature swings. Enough to allow plants to survive and even grow well. Where outside temperatures are totally unsuitable for plant growth. In desert conditions or old, northerly climates.

 The recent run of sunny weather has resulted in afternoon greenhouse temperatures exceeding 110F/43C! This is in spring. With only quite modest outside temperatures. Around 50F/10C or slightly higher. The greenhouse temperature extremes are entirely due to solar gain and a lack of heat sinks. A solar oven by any other name. 

 I laid a herringbone pattern of bricks on the floor when I built the lean-to greenhouse. This helps to absorb some heat but the sun only reaches it in summer. The southern house wall is white painted brick. With a few, rather small windows and a glazed door. Not much heat sinking there.

 I should soon be adding the doubled shade nets to the greenhouse roof.  Because they reduce the sun's heat from entering the greenhouse. Once it has passed through the glass the sun's heat is very difficult to control. I have both double end doors open during the day in summer. For any through draft to help vent some of the heat. With fine weldmesh security and insect blocking netting over the wide open doors. Plus the commercial quality shade netting on the roof and front wall of the greenhouse. 

 It is obvious that I do not want stray animals or insects entering the warm greenhouse. Deer are regular visitors and wander everywhere. Then there are numerous domestic cats and strays. Rodents would enjoy the cosy conditions too. I have seen a tiny mouse running into the corner out there. To promptly disappear into the floor. 

 10.20 43F/6C. It is brightening up as the cloud thins. I feel a modest ride would be in order. Somewhere around 25-30km will take me to several places I want to visit.   

 13.00 46F/7.8C. Sunny. Back from a 37km ride to the shops. There was a horribly cold wind throughout. With my eyes streaming despite the wraparound sunglasses. There was no protection for my nose streaming. I was just beginning to feel saddle discomfort towards the end of the ride. Am I having fun yet? 

 The greenhouse is at 100F/38C again and all internal doors door have been opened. It reached 68F/20C in the room.

 8.15 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. Followed by a glass of the excellent, locally produced apple juice. Kindly provided by my English friend. The room has already dropped to 64F/18C. I had better light the stove.

 

 ~o~

4.04.2025 Third anniversary.

 ~o~

  Friday 4th 36F/2C [7.15] Another sunny day is promised. Reaching just over 13C/57F after lunch.

  Up at 6.20 after a quiet night. Yesterday was the third anniversary of my wife's death to cancer. Each day that passes it becomes slightly easier to accept. I still have bad days but my memories no longer pull me down into that bottomless black hole of despair. 

 Our over half century together inevitably provides an endless collection of unique memories. Some good, but none so bad I can no longer let them go. Moments pop up quite involuntarily and inexplicably. I constantly relive some moments. Mostly leading up to the time of her death. As if hoping for a different outcome. Could I have saved her? Had I been more firm. In getting the medical help she so desperately needed. But determinedly denied herself until it was far too late.

 Those who told me that time would eventually heal the wounds of my loss were correct. It just took much longer than I had imagined. It took this long for me to accept even seeing a picture of her. One where she was happy. Albeit taken over 20 years ago. It may sound very odd but I never saw how we were both aging. Not until I looked back through the few pictures I do have. She hated having her picture taken. So I must rely on those taken by rare family visitors. Or sneaked while she wasn't looking.

 Despite my limited social contacts I am not lonely. I have always been a bit of a loner. Albeit with my constant partner. Until her tragic loss. I feel no need whatsoever of a new partner. Certainly not an intimate one. I find myself laughing at the mere thought of it. The last time I was not really looking for a lifelong partner I caught a beautiful, blonde, Swedish teenager. It was love at first sight. At 78, however, I must seek an entirely different person. One who more closely resembles pictures of my great grandmother. If I had any.

 In retrospect, I enjoyed a lifetime of sharing all our ups and downs. There were things I would give anything to change now, but cannot. So must suffer the lingering guilt of failing to be perfect under sometimes very difficult circumstances. Neither of us was perfect. We were simply human. The fragile products of our own upbringing. Damaged goods. As are most human beings. Tread softly around those you hold most dear. Once carved indelibly into your timeline together. Nothing can [ever] be undone. 

 8.00 Enough waffling. Time for a walk in the sunshine.

 8.40 Back from a deliberately brisk walk to the lanes. The doctor has asked for more blood pressure readings. I wanted to capture the result of exercise. Since my recent dizziness followed lots of exercise. I was concerned that my BP had dropped too far as a result of my medication. 

 The lowest reading followed five minutes of sitting quietly: 96/75 at 75bpm. I'll try again after half an hour of sitting at the computer. Lowest reading after 40 minutes: 98/76 pulse 75. My pulse is usually much slower.   

 I am feeling tired and lazy today. So not much is happening. I cleaned the glass on the goldfish tank. Inside and out. The greenhouse is warming the house again. Currently 72F/22C in the room. 106F/42C in the greenhouse! It eventually reached 73F/22.8C in the room. 75F/24C in the kitchen. All internal doors open.

 Dinner was organic sausage, mushrooms, peas and chips. It was all perfect. Healthy? Who knows?

 ~o~

3.04.2025 62km.

 ~o~

  Thursday 3rd 36F/2.2C. Another sunny day. Reaching almost 17C/62F mid afternoon.

 Up at 5.30 after another difficult night. Was I really awake for hours? Or only dreaming I was awake?

 Happy Birthday Dave! 

 7.10 A walk. 

 8.10 46F/8C. Back again. I was treated to several sunrises over local obstructions. As I walked the wrong way down the road. Then up to the forest by the steep track. Where I saw at least four bucks with antlers grazing under the beech trees. They were about 200 meters away. 

 What I hadn't spotted was a single deer in the corner of the field. Just beyond the boundary hedge. It glared intensely at me for a while before dashing away down the edge of the forest. The grazing deer sensed something and stared. Before they too sprinted way into the forest. 

 I descended towards home via the spray tracks. A cold, quiet morning with no wind. It needed my hands in my pockets for most of my walk. Though the local group of turbines were all turning briskly again. 

 It should be a perfect day for another ride. Or would that be foolish? Many of my rides head north. Which raises a serious issue. The railway building work crosses most of my familiar routes. With no obvious detours. I just did a search and now have a timetable for road closures. I think I can reach several of my charity shop goals by going further west. I am not quite sure why I continue to visit charity shops. Just habit I suppose. I no longer need any more display cabinets. There is nowhere sensible left to put them. 

 2.20 61F/16C. Back from a 62km ride. Four charity shops and a load of groceries to show for it. I stayed just south of the railway work. Tensioning the saddle did not solve the discomfort problem. I wore another pair of bibs. [padded cycle shorts with soft braces]

 17.15 I opened the greenhouse door before I had a 40 minute nap. It was 115F/46C out there. Only 66F/19C in the room. The temperature in the room has now reached 72.5F/22.5C. While the kitchen has risen to 75F/24C. The greenhouse has only dropped to 100F/38C. I had better bring in the towels. Which I hung on the outside clothes airer before leaving.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. I caught up with the washing up backlog first.

 I rang my brother to wish him a happy birthday. We were reminiscing about motorbikes in our teens.

 ~o~

2.04.2025 Why is everything fuzzy?

 ~o~

  Wednesday 2nd 40F/4.4C. Another sunny day is promised. Close to 50F/10C mid-afternoon. Light winds. 

 Up at 6am after a bad night. I was awake for hours. No idea why. I got up eventually to have a drink of apple juice. I didn't dare sit on the computer with black coffee.

 I am expected at my friend's place this morning. With physio afterwards I will have to go a bit earlier than usual. I don't feel any ill effects from yesterday's marathon ride. Three tablets short of a set when I sorted out my heart medication. I'll have to visit the pharmacy. 

 7.20 Going for a short walk top check my fitness..

 The blinding sun was over the horizon. The birds were typically noisy. With only a chilly NE breeze spoiling the fun. I looped around the neighbours' drives. No ill effects from yesterday. Time for a shower.

 8.15 Leaving.  

 12.00 Returned from my visit. It was very pleasant wandering outside in his extensive grounds.

 13.00 Leaving for physio. The car keep hiccuping!

 15.30 Back from physio. Where I became rather dizzy towards the end. My vision became all fuzzy and sparkly. Probably pushing myself too hard. Perhaps my blood pressure has dropped too low and my medications need adjusting. I'll make an appointment for a chat with the doctor. 

 15.45 Time for a nap. I opened the greenhouse door. It is 118F/48C out there! It reached only a modest 68F/20C in the room.

 Dinner was yet another fry-up. Fried chicken, brown mushrooms, tweggs and cherry tomatoes.

 

  ~o~

1st April 2025 115km/71 miles.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 1st 30F/-1C. A white, overnight frost. To be followed by another sunny day. Promising 13C/55F maximum after lunch. With light winds from the NE going more easterly later. A perfect day for a ride? I have put the spare battery on charge. After it dropped to 50% during yesterday's short [23km] ride. With further rides before that.

 Up at 6.40 after yet another quiet night. I am aching as if I had worked hard yesterday, but didn't. An early walk will help. The room has dropped to 61F/16C overnight. I did not light the stove as it reached 71F/22C in the afternoon. Thanks to the boost from the 100F/38C greenhouse. 

 It is a chilly 41F/5C this morning. There is little thermal storage out there. Apart from the brick floor and house wall. So temperatures fluctuate violently between overnight frost and unbroken sunshine. I have made little attempt to control the shrubbery in the front garden so far this year. So I could achieve a little more solar gain by reducing shadowing. 

 A more cosmetic "gardening" approach would be rather more sensible. Because I shall soon be shading the greenhouse with commercial quality shade net. Once the excessive daytime temperatures are no longer desired. To warm the house in lieu of expensive firewood. Of which I probably have slightly more than a week's worth of reserve toasting in the greenhouse. Plus the huge heap of chestnut logs outside if times become really hard. They have been out there for three years so should be combustible.

 8.00. 33F/0.6C. Sunshine. Time for a walk. I see there is ice on the small pond this morning. I had better wear my down sweater.

 8.30 38F/3.3C. And back again. Another loop around the spray tracks and back along the neighbours' beautiful drive. Only half an hour elapsed but probably slightly more exercise than walking the busy road. I must have chosen a poor time because the traffic was nose to tail. With a few gaps. My bare hands were cold but soon warmed up in my pockets. The total absence of discernible wind helped. Despite the local turbine group all turning briskly! 

8.50  I'll have morning coffee while I decide where to go for a ride. 

 Bogense, on the north coast, would be a pleasant destination. My plan to go via the least busy lanes is thwarted by a [minor] road closure. A new railway bridge is crossing the expanding motorway. Lots of work stretching along that entire area. So I'll have to look for another route. Or another destination. While avoiding the main roads. Which I have ridden numerous times on my trike. All the roads are undulating and beautiful but spoilt by the traffic while cycling. No doubt they feel much the same way about us on our bikes/trikes. 

 Change of destination. Otterup is 50km away via minor roads. So a 100km round trip. Unless I detour. As is my wont.

 10.10 46F/8C. Lunch packed, time to go. 

 17.00 Back from a 115km ride to Otterup. The detours forced by multiple road closures were a torment! Particularly as they occurred towards the end of a long ride. Just under 7 hours total duration. Averaging 21.5km/hr while moving. 

 I felt as if I was being cut in half by the saddle for most of the ride. Having to stop frequently to escape from the pain. I was wearing my best Assos bibs. A fool and his money are soon parted. 

 I felt dizzy and my sight went fuzzy as I sat at the computer. So I went straight to bed for a 40 minute nap. Fortunately I felt better after that.

 Dinner was baked beans on toast. With a buttered roll.

 

  ~o~