9.09.2025 Pardon? Director's Cut.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 9th 58F/14.4C [8.00] A bright start leading to showers this afternoon. [This evening.]

 Up at 7am after being awake for hours in the night. I got up and sat on the computer for three hours. 2-5am.

 8.10 Time for a walk. 

 I had a hearing test in Assens at 13.00. They sent me to see the specialist just up the main street. Where I was tested again after having my ear wax scraped. I have another appointment with the specialist in November. My left ear is getting worse. More deaf.

 The last container/rubbish skip next door has been taken away. The entire house is swathed in white tarpaulins. The small, surrounding garden has been shorn and a few, overgrown shrubs removed.

 Having arrived back at home I had a very late lunch. 

 Then I drove into the village to shop and to collect my package. Containing the Schuko extension cord. Duly fitted. Ordered on Sunday afternoon. So Tuesday delivery is really next day service.

 I couldn't stay awake. So I had a 30 minute timed nap. 

 Dinner was sausage, mushrooms, an egg and chips. 

 

 

 

  ~o~

8.09.2025 More messing about.

 ~o~

  Monday 8th 60F/15.6C [9.00]  Bright sunshine from a clear sky.

 Up at 6.30 after a very wakeful night!

 8.50 Back from my walk. I met my nice neighbours walking their dogs and cat. Stopped for a chat. Traffic rather busy. No sign of the builders this morning. I dragged the recycling bin back with me.

 10.00 Morning coffee over. Whoops! My right hand is struggling to lift a 1kg milk carton without severe pain! I had better let it rest. So no e-biking or heavy work in the garden or at home.

 More home improvements? I was discussing kitchen door removal with my sister while she was visiting. It seemed impossible to just fold the door back into the corner. Not unless I moved all the furniture well to the left. My recycling cupboard would then become much more accessible and is quite easy to move. 

  The IKEA high level cupboard can also be emptied and moved. Though it would presently be in the way of the door when folded back. I positioned the IKEA cupboard to clear the new, tall fridge freezer on the left. So the fridge and both cupboards would have to be moved perhaps 15cm to the left. 

 The fridge has plenty of room behind the other kitchen door. Which leads to the [rear] main entrance hall. The problem is the rather short Schuko terminated cable on the Vestfrost fridge. Which plugs into a brand new Schuko socket. Recently fitted at great expense by an electrician. Who's van became completely stuck on my [previously] soft parking place. The socket is on the right hand wall in the corner but would have been better mounted on the back wall. The cable will not reach if I move the fridge to the left.

 I did a search for Schuko extension leads. Several outlets had 2m leads with a very flat plug. Which would allow the door to lie much closer to the right hand wall than with a standard [90º] plug. Cable duly ordered online.

 There would need to be an annual emptying and removal of the two cupboards. To allow the door to be folded back into the corner in early summer. Back again to normal service in the autumn. To allow the door to keep the heat in! The kitchen is currently heated in winter only with an oil-filled radiator. No central heating or heat pump. I am still waiting for a breakthrough in heating technology. One which doesn't cost a fortune to fit or to run. Wet heat pumps wouldn't pay for themselves until the great grandchildren inherit the place from their own parents.

 Without considerable work the double-glazed door. Leading out to the lean-to greenhouse. Is rather draughty. It was a recycled, hardwood, double patio/terrace door. Which I fitted two decades ago. The door reveal would need to be lined with new wood and draught stripping applied. 

 I haven't had much luck with doors fitted with draught stripping. It makes them difficult to close properly due to the spring effect! The sponge rubber strips are simply too stiff and won't compress!  Regardless of their exorbitant pricing!  

Door folded right back. Taken with G9 and 12-60mm wide angle lens.

 Removing the kitchen door from its hinges would require it be parked somewhere else. The kitchen ceiling is low and has exposed beams. Moving the heavy, fully glazed door would become increasingly difficult with advancing age. Not to mention reduced strength and fitness. Folding it back would be optimum. Despite the repeated fiddling with the cupboards at long intervals. 

 A much simpler solution would be to move everything to the left. Leaving the door hung as it is. This would improve access to the cupboards but still requires a longer lead on the fridge. I found an extension lead. The Schuko lead can replace it when it arrives in a couple of days.

 11.45  I cleared the top of the recycling cupboard. So I could lay the now empty IKEA cabinet on top. Dragged both cupboards far enough out to clear the door. As it was swung into the corner. By sheer luck and magic [?] the antique wooden door lever cleared the top of the cupboard.

 Wider angle from my phone camera. One+ Nordic 0.6x.

 I had to move the IKEA support rail to the left. Before lifting the cupboard and rehanging it on the rail. Minus the doors and shelf to reduce the weight. So much for resting! 

 I replaced the doors, shelf and all the produce. Brought back the plastic baskets holding the bread rolls and fruit. Job done. Not a great image but I couldn't get far enough away. Not with the G9 and 12-60mm wide angle. [Image above] And yes, I should have painted the wall white first. Or even the door as well. I don't think my right hand could cope with painting at the moment.  

 12.30 Time to make some lunch. I am tempted to make dinner at lunch time in future. This is supposed to help me sleep. 

 Unbelievable! It is so much easier not having to juggle with the kitchen door. Even the fridge is easier to access. The cupboards are now effortless. One less door to open. When carrying coffee or tea to the living room. I am very pleased with this simple improvement.

 18.00 It is 75F/24C in the room but I am feeling cold in my t-shirt! 

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved cherry tomatoes. 

 

  ~o~

7.09.2025 Catching some sun.

 ~o~

  Sunday 7th 52F/11C [7.00] Another sunny, late summer day. Peaking around 21C/70F. Breezy from the east/SE. Some child has been doodling on the sky with a soft pink brush.

 Up at 6.25 after a very quiet night. Weird dreams and some dozing were involved.  

 A walk first to ease my lower back pain. My right hand and wrist hurt. Probably the result of having to tighten levers and knobs on the bike carrier. I may also have been overdoing it on the gardening and tidying. Not to mention having to stir the Danish marmalade. The last several jars have been solid peel on top and watery jelly underneath. No names. No pack drill.

 8.15 Back from a short walk. Sunday traffic was very quiet. There was a lot of thin, high cloud. In streaks and splodges. A few vapour trails hanging about. The hedgerows are full of berries. My aching back was soon cured. 

 The neighbour's cat clearly wanted to talk. Unfortunately I don't speak cat. So it wandered off after letting me stroke it's wet fur. Very unusual. It usually keeps a very wide berth. Perhaps it was complaining about the lack of rodents in my garden. Which it visits constantly. Day and night according to my security cameras.

 I spent the morning trying to take pictures of the sun with my small solar telescope. It was cloudy and the sun kept moving. Modest success was had just before lunch.

 16.20 Returned from shopping in the village by Morris. Lovely weather. Lots of people about.

 I took the recycling bin along to the corner to be emptied. I am not sure how well the lorry driver will cope. With the container/skip parked just there. 

 Sunday Dinner was organic sausage. With mushrooms, peas, mashed potato and Bisto gravy. 

 

  ~o~

6.09.2025 Getting ahead.

 ~o~

  Saturday 6th 50F/10C [6.00] A sunny weekend is promised. Peaking at 19C/66F today. Slightly warmer tomorrow. Light, westerly winds today.

 Up at 5.15 after an unusually quiet night. I woke at 5.00 and couldn't go back to sleep. 

 B17 "Special" in 2014. 

 It might be a good day for a ride. Changing the saddle to the well worn Brooks B17 saddle was a surprise. It did very well on my only proper ride on it. Albeit while wearing the obscenely expensive, Assos bibs. 

 The B17 is supposed to be for a more forward leaning, riding posture. My light tan, B17 has copper rivets and I laced it very early on its life. Which. as in previous examples, when the leather skirts are punched and laced, extended its life almost indefinitely. 

 The B17 has been sitting in  the sunshine in the greenhouse for several years. Greased with Brooks 'Proofide' at long intervals. It has none of the droop and extreme contortions of a typical, broken [in] B17. From a quick blog search, I believe I bought it new in 2013. The previous B17 "Select" leather had twisted. Making it unrideable. 

https://pedal-trikes.blogspot.com/2013/05/hi-honey-im-home-brooks-b17-champion.html

 7.30-8.15 My morning walk. The three deer were grazing on the prairie again. I was standing beside the road for ages. Snapping away with my G9 and the Leica 50-200mm. Trying to capture the decorative mist in the background while the trio moved about in various configurations and poses. I was moving slowly forward as the doe kept looking up. Eventually they panicked and ran for cover. Hundreds of meters away. Once they had gone I risked the spray tracks on the damp fields. Fortunately the ground was firm.  

 I have the spare e-bike battery on charge. While I prepare for a ride. Not sure where I want to go. Several potential targets have closed down. Which further limits my potential options. Choosing my routes, as I always do, completely on a whim.  

 Distant Munkebo cranes on the wharf seen from Fynshoved.

 I fancied a tour around the north east point of Fyn. It is too far for comfort on the e-bike. What if I drive there in the Morris? With the e-bike on the rear carrier. I really haven't done that enough. 

 The carrier has been languishing unused. Which is an awful waste. Not only the initial expense but the huge, potential increase in range. 

9.40 e-bike loaded on the Buzzrack. Scorpion-1.

10.30 Time to go. Showered, lunch packed, apple drinks.  

 I arrived at Fynshoved [Fyns Head] at 12.00. Ate a roll, unloaded the e-bike and rode 35km. I saw dozens of cyclists today. There was even the annual road race. e-bikes everywhere. I left at 14.10 and arrived back at home at 15.30. It was a perfect day. Solid sunshine but not too hot. 

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. 

 

  ~o~

5.09.2025 What a rigmarole!

 ~o~

 Friday 5th 59F/15C [7.40] A wet morning, with light winds. Followed by sunshine later this afternoon.

 Up at 6.50 after a quiet night and deliberately dozing until I became bored.

 I was considering a walk but it is already raining quite hard. I could hear it falling on the greenhouse roof. As I gave the fish their breakfast.  

11.15 Returning from a short walk along the road. 

 It rained later. 

 14.30 After lunch I tidied upstairs in the bedroom. Mostly reminding myself what was up there. I found even more boxes of glass and china! Then onto the balcony room. Sort through all the boxes and tubs again. Drag the huge volume of hifi, computer, astronomical and electrical cables across the room. Nest and throw all the empty boxes to the other end. 

 I found some useful stuff. Which should have been more accessible. Mostly tools. I should move some steel shelving out there. Lift the tubs off the floor. Where they can be more easily seen. Take up less room on the floor. 

 18.00 When I became bored with tidying upstairs. I decided to try using my laptop again. To see if my astronomical cameras were still working.  I want to have another go at solar imaging with my little Lunt solar telescope. It is ages since I last used any of it. Though I replaced the battery a couple of years ago and kept it topped up. Every piece of software wanted to update. Including those I wasn't interested in using any more. 

 Then I had to transfer a license key to the laptop from the PC. That took an hour to work out how to send the text to the laptop without an active email service. I had to set up gmail on the laptop. Finally managed it after numerous failures to enter the correct passwords. 

 I hate the tiny text on the small screen. I always used a 28" HD monitor in the observatory. Now a 32" 4K screen on my PC indoors. I could never get on with the touch pad either. So I had to find a working mouse and matching receiver. So I could continue to use the PC alongside the laptop. 

 Dinner was a chicken omelette. It broke up as I lifted it out of the frying pan. The tensile strength of fried eggs is not all they are cracked up to be. 😉

  

 

  ~o~

4.09.2025 Wot a busy boy!

 ~o~

  Thursday 4th 63F/17.2C [7.00] It is very dark this morning. A cloudy and rather windy day from the SW. With some sunshine promised but showers possible.

 Up at 6.15 after a busier might. The price of having my last small tin of real beer with dinner. Nobody local seems to be stocking it any more. They are too busy trying to sell weird variations. The rapidly shrinking shelf coverage. Of this once popular brewery's products. Seems to reflect the lack of demand. 

 I ought to stay at home and do some gardening. Will he? Wont he? 

 10.45 68F/20C bright sunshine. I have belted along the drive with the mower eight times. Three times along the enter and twice both sides. Then a final run along the centre. Medium setting '6' on the Makita mower. 

 Then I moved to the western lawn. Highest setting of 10. Mower constantly stalling on the longest grass as the batteries go flat. I raked the giant molehills down to the low points first.  Laid a steel bar across the handle to hold the rear grass flap open. 

 No point in collecting the grass. The basket would fill in seconds. I have made real progress on the western lawn. On the grass which was not hidden by weeds and brambles and junk. The batteries are now back on charge. The sun will help to dry out the horrible mess. I'll have another go later. 

 12.00 The mower batteries are still charging. I have been tidying the garden tools. So many, that I had to come in for a rest and to cool off. I am knackered! 

 16.00 69F/ 20.6C. Dripping with sweat. Back over the western lawn again and again. This time with grass collection. Trying to lower the cutting height. Pushing the boundaries. Helping to clear the brambles and weeds. Working my way onto the flower bed. Where the weeds have completely taken over. 

 I can't stay awake! I keep dozing off on YouTube. 

 Dinner was beans on toast. 

  

  ~o~

3.09.2025 Pardon?

 ~o~

  Wednesday 3rd 59F/15C. Bright start but becoming cloudier this afternoon.

 Up at 6.10 after a disastrous night. I woke about 1am and turned over as usual. To go back to sleep. Instead of which my world started spinning wildly when I opened my eyes. So I lay there with my eyes clamped shut for a while. Testing at intervals with a peek at the violently spinning room in the darkness. Then I badly needed the bathroom. I stumbled the length of the house with my eyes tight shut. Feeling my way by the furniture and memory.

 Where I remained for an hour. Checking at intervals if the open door was still twisted at 45º. Before I felt strong enough to return to my bed after 2am. Fortunately I had the sense to have taken a jumper with me. Or I would have added hypothermia to my symptoms. 

 Needless to say I feel somewhat fragile this morning. The dizziness is gone and I managed breakfast. Just to add to my misery. I have an itchy swelling. Where I excavated a deer bug buried in my chest yesterday morning. I saw no choice but  to scrape it out with assorted finger nails. It was flush with my skin before I attempted its removal.

  8.00 Do I feel strong enough for a walk? I have an appointment at 14.00 in town. To see [?] about my hearing aids. Which continue to bitterly disappoint in wind and against any background noise.

 8.15 Finally ready for my walk. 

 Pleasant conditions for a walk. Though I only went half my usual distance. I stopped to chat with my nice neighbour as he walked his dogs. No sign of the heron today.

 10.30 Bright sunshine and windy. I have opened the greenhouse skylights to lower the temperature out there. I risked a half hour nap but can't say I feel any better. Yesterday's downpour amounted to just under 15mm.

 11. 67F/19.4C. I wonder if the work being done on the thatched house. Will lead to a desire for tree felling or hedging by the owners? This would save me a lot of effort and a potential conflict of interests. The hedges and trees have literally soared. In the years which have passed since anybody last lived there. 

 15.20 Returned from town. Where my left hearing aid response was boosted. I have an appointment next week for a retest of my hearing after three years. 

 The builders had blocked my drive with their car while I was out. Which gave me a chance to look inside the house. The place was a mess after years of the thatched roof leaking. My wife and I were given the full tour two decades ago by the then owners. It went downhill after that. After a series of rentals.

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushroom and tweggs on toast. I thought the toast would be less unhealthy than fried bread.

 

 ~o~

 

2.09.2025 Heron? What heron?

 ~o~

  Tuesday 2nd 58F/14.4C [7.30] Bright, but the views are softened by mist. A cloudy morning but sunny afternoon. Ending with potentially heavy rain and wind in the late afternoon. 

 Up at 6.10 after a very quiet night. Woke at 5am and dozed. The lack of evening coffee and afternoon naps seems to be working. I just have a glass of organic apple juice after dinner. Stay in bed once I wake up. This avoids the sleep deficit. Which would make me want a nap later.

 7.50 Time for a walk. 

 8.30 Back from my walk. The overnight rain had left everything wet. A large, grey heron circled and landed on my neighbours' roof. Probably interested in their pond full of very large fish. I was almost hidden by the hedge until I drew too near for its nerves. The sun came out at intervals as the thin mist steadily lifted. I was much too warm in my jacket. Taking it off at the turn to face and enjoy the light breeze. The builders have a newly emptied container. Parked well out of my way.

 11.30 Back from the shops. There was far too much to fetch to go on the bike. 

  12.00 70F/21C. Bright sunshine with smudgy, high cloud. The greenhouse was showing 92F/33C when I came home. I opened one half of one end door and it quickly dropped to 82F/28C. Four greenhouse skylights open. Including overnight. The room temperature has been hovering comfortably between 70 and 71F for ages. [21-22C] 

 15.30 A sudden cloudburst! A narrow bank of thundery rain is moving up form the SW. It made me realise I had left the car windows open to let the heat out. I put on an anorak and dashed out to close them. I sat straight in a puddle on the driver's seat to reach the far window. Trousers already wet in the two seconds it took to reach the car and race back. Stop sniggering at the back! 15 minutes later and it is still tipping down and the Hall's greenhouse is a sieve! 

 16.00 Occasional thunder, lightning and another massive downpour. I wouldn't mind if it cleaned the greenhouse glass but it doesn't. It is so heavy it is ignoring the silly little gutter. Pouring right over it like a waterfall. It stopped eventually as the band of thundery rain passed over.

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. Followed by a small glass of milk. 

 

  ~o~

1st September 2025 A busy day.

 ~o~

  Monday 1st 63F/17.2C [6.50] Bright and breezy. Golden light is working its way down the tall trees on the western border. The stubble fields are glowing. With grazing light emphasizing their contours and texture. Cloud promised. Rain this evening. 

 Up at 6.10 after another quiet night. No afternoon nap. No coffee after dinner. It seems to work.

 7.00 I went along to see if the dustbin had been emptied. It had. So I brought it home. Rumbling along the graveled drive. My neighbours' dog to the NE was barking just beyond the trees. Though I couldn't see it. That's a first. They must have been taking an early morning  walk along the newly formed path around the paddock. The dense trees of the absent property developers' screen everything from view to the east.

 I am expecting the container/skip lorry to arrive at 8am this morning. If they don't clear my drive as promised. Then I shall contact the council to have the containers removed. At the property developer's expense and inconvenience. It is illegal to block access to a home or business. 

 My access has been blocked for days. I had to put off two visitors and the dustbin lorry was badly inconvenienced. The county council [Kommune] expects 5 days notice to provide the necessary permission. Before a container/rubbish skip can be placed on a road or shared private drive.  

 8.30 Overcast. For want of any better reason than the 1st of September. I have taken the shade nets down from the lean-to greenhouse. This is not without its own problems. Largely due to the sheer size of the lengths. The greenhouse is 7m long [22'] and the nets overlap both ends and down over the front wall. I was able to lay the nets singly on the gravel on the diagonal. To roll them as neatly as possible for winter storage. 

 Winter warmth now takes priority. So heat gain from the lower sun becomes important. Though only if the sun can reach the greenhouse.

 Now I have to attack the overgrowth in the front garden. I have trimmed the beech hedge inside and out but not the top. The remaining conifers have grown wildly. I had promised myself a bit of squared off topiary. Just for a bit of fun. The shrubs have gone completely mad. Unwanted hazels have taken hold too. Though I was glad to see I hadn't killed the Cornus. It is over six feet tall now. In only one season. After being cut right down to the ground. The main branches were dying. A prostrate, golden Taxus [Yew] has spread over many square meters. Far too untidy to be decorative if fully exposed. 

 9.00 Still no sign of the promised container lorry.   

 10.00 67F/19.4C. Still overcast. I have clipped the beech front hedge down to head height. Lots of brambles had grown through it. I  have lopped off assorted ash trees, hazels and hawthorns at ground level. Trimmed the conifers to make a path along the beech hedge. Room for a short stepladder. My arms are scratched to hell from the brambles. I am dripping with sweat again. I need a rest.

 I have just spoken to the builders. I warned them that I was close to calling the kommune. To have the containers removed at their expense. They say the container lorry is supposedly coming soon. 10.30? So much for the 8.00 time line. It's a good job I didn't have to call an ambulance!

 I had chest pains last night after dinner. The nitroglycerine spray quickly solved that. Suggesting my heart, or its plumbing, continues to be a problem. Particularly when I push myself too hard. Moving all those heavy blocks, branches and weeds yesterday obviously took its toll. Though I felt just a dull but uncomfortable pain in my left chest. There was no localization. 

 Meanwhile, my nice neighbours are having home charging for their cars. Or so it appears. A trench being dug to the carports. Electricians hovering by their white van. My understanding is that this needs a high power supply but I'm only guessing.

 11.00 Still no container lorry. Sunshine and increasingly breezy. I was able to complete my UK pension Life Certificate over the phone. All my personal and bank details were required but it went smoothly. The Danish postal service has stopped their letter post. I am not even sure how their letter reached me. After almost a month for delivery. Denmark has always been at the forefront of online services. With most official communication via secure websites. 

 11.45 It has clouded over again. I have rinsed the OASE pond filter in a bucket of pond water. To avoid killing the beneficial bacteria in the sponges. Long overdue and they were filthy. Though the muck does provide an extra fine filter layer. It also exposes the bacteria to extra water flow. The water has been crystal clear until now. I used the dirty water to feed and water the dark leafed plants outside. The gunk is supposed to be perfect plant food.

 Sometime between 13.00 and 13.30 the large skip disappeared from my drive. The remaining skip does not affect my access at all.

14.10  I have returned to the fray in the front garden. Topping the conifers and squaring off the sides. Cutting down and trimming anything not needed nor wanted. I remember my wife warning me about poisonous shrubs. I'll have to use Google Lens to identify which to watch out for. The tallest protects the greenhouse from South Westerly gales. I have a feeling that was the one to avoid direct contact. 

 The light in the greenhouse and indoors is completely transformed. Despite the overcast. Ridding myself of the shade nets and wild plant growth has achieved amazing results. It could be brighter if I attacked the hedge. On the other side of the drive from the east end of the house. I need a rest first. If I am to tackle that next.  

 4.45 I had to go out and rescue the tools. It was raining. 

 Dinner was beans on toast. 

  

  

        

 ~o~