18.11.2025 Ice is not nice.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 18th 36F/2.2C. A cloudy day with showers is on offer. 62F/16.7C in the room. 47F/8.3C in the lean-to greenhouse. No doubt helped by yesterday's sunshine. 

 Up at 6am after another quiet night. The hand and wrist pain is hardly noticeable now.  

 I shall be visiting my English friend. Hopefully the roads will have been salted. As they have been over the last few days. There were many accidents on icy cycle paths in Copenhagen yesterday. With too many falls requiring ambulances to be called out. Aside from the vast numbers who cycle in Copenhagen. It must be remembered that cyclists are literally of all ages. A sudden, unexpected fall from a cycle in old age can be life changing! 

 The cyclists blamed the council for not salting the cycle paths. Somebody badly misjudged the weather forecast. The cycle paths are often the lowest priority. I am constantly having to duck to miss overhanging branches above cycle lanes and paths. Or having to crawl though deep leaves and moraines of twigs and vegetation. Built up over countless years of neglect. I would often joke about archeological finds being buried there. 

 The lorry snow ploughs often cleared the roads into the cycle lanes. Particularly in towns and villages. Forcing the cyclist out onto the road. Where the impatient traffic always wanted to break the speed limit. Just as they always do in fine weather. Risking lives to overtake. Just to gain one place in the gridlock to nowhere. The only way they know how to drive. Raving insanity.

 For years I have complained [here] about how perfect the roads alongside often were. Spotless billiard table surfaces as far as the eye could see. While the cycle paths had far more in common with extreme mountain bike trails! 

 I was incredibly fortunate to be riding a two-wheel-drive trike for most of those years. Which gave me a high level of stability. Not enjoyed by the often absent majority of cyclists in poor winter conditions. I could easily ride on black ice and snow. Even on hills. When there were literally no other cyclists to be seen all day. I wouldn't go out in icy conditions on the e-bike!    

 11.30 Safely returned and with shopping. The car windows were covered in water ice before I left. I had to dig out a spray bottle of de-icer.

 14.30 Back with a trailer full of logs.

 15.00 Most of the logs are now stacked in the greenhouse. The trailer is covered against possible rain to avoid wetting the remainder.

 16.00 59F/15C in the room. I had a nap and then lit the stove. I should really have lit the stove much earlier.

 Dinner was scrambled egg on toast and tomato soup.  

  10.45 32F/0C outside. I am keeping the stove going with more logs tonight. As it has only crept up to 66F/19C in the room. Which is comfortable for sitting at the computer in a thick jumper and fleece jacket. Which I obviously can't wear overnight. So when I get up, to attend to the fire bucket, it is much chillier as the room steadily cools overnight. 

 I have warmer down duvets but haven't felt the need. To change from the summer weight, down duvet yet. I wear a thin jumper over my t-shirt in bed when it is cold. There is a large tub of thermal underwear upstairs. Much of it years old. Which I wore on the trike in winter. Again I haven't felt the need to wear any indoors so far. Though I ought to wear it on the e-bike now the weather is cold. The modern TermaTech wood stove is much more efficient. Than the old Jøtel box stove. I am also sleeping downstairs. Quite close to the stove. Which has soapstone cladding to slowly release heat for hours after the fire has gone out. 

11.15 Bedtime. 

 

  ~o~