31.12.2025 New Year's Eve.

 ~o~

  Wednesday 31st 34F/1C [7.45] A last sunny day before a monsoon season starts at new year. Peaking at 4C this afternoon. Breezy from the NW today. Going westerly and increasing to gales tomorrow. 20m/s gusts = 45mph!

 Up at 7am after another busy night. Less coughing, still have a bunged up chest and runny nose. Fuzzy head. Tired limbs. Weak and wobbly. 63F/17C in the room. I'll have to get the stove going soon. The supermarkets are closed tomorrow. Which means I'll have to go today.  If I need anything. I'd rather not bother. 

 10.30 I eventually lit the stove, had a smaller bowl of muesli and continued my self-improvement via YouTube. 

 I find it interesting that AI is already affecting the global online monopolies in searches, clicks and advertising. 

The use of power hungry data centres is strongly reminiscent of early computers. Which needed sports hall sized buildings to house them. I worked at a couple of these in peripheral roles in my early employment. Nobody seems to have asked AI how to overcome the difficulties of scale and power consumption. It doesn't have an answer. Except to discuss smart cooling.

 Another fascinating facet of AI is the threat of mass unemployment. Youth today enjoys a historically high level of apathy. This is happening just as the threat of mass unemployment increases exponentially. A neat coincidence. 

 There is also a global reduction in childbirth except in poverty stricken Africa. Most countries will not be able to support the massive increase in the elderly relative to the young. With pensions and healthcare uneconomical for much longer. Never mind. The robots can fill in.

 15.00 I have just discovered the local supermarket closes/closed at 15.00. I'll survive. I was loath to go out anyway in my current condition.

 Dinner was fried chicken slices on toast. Too dry but I had to thaw out frozen sliced bread.

 I did the washing up backlog. Under protest, but the authorities insisted. 

 New Year's night without a drink. I forced myself to stay up to 12 o' clock. Then tried to sleep as the neighbours let off their fireworks.

 

  ~o~

30.12.2025 Polecat.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 30th 28F/-2.2C [8.15] Another white frost. Supposedly sunny again. Breezy from the NW. 62F/16.7C in the room. I had better light the stove.

 Up  at 7.30 after clock watching for hours. It was 70F/21C in the room at bedtime but I was shivering violently. 

 So I slept in a thick, wool jumper over my usual t-shirt. This made me sweat but kept me warm. Particularly every time I had to get up to use the fire bucket. Another bad night. Too many wakings. Feeling bløødy awful. No breakfast. Just a glass of water and tea. 

 A polecat emerged from the shrubbery in the front garden in the middle of the night. [02.30] Caught on the front security camera. It headed off down the drive before going in next door. Dark fur and only slightly smaller than a cat. Shorter legs, with a white face and chest. I'll try to catch a still from the video which does it justice. Known as a Ilder in Denmark. They are widespread but Fyn is strangely absent from the map of their range. I can remember half a dozen dead animals on the roads of Fyn over the years. They are mostly nocturnal and like woods.

 A day spent dozing passively on YouTube. I can at least claim I am resting. Feeling mostly awful. Coughing but unable to clear my thick chest. Nose running at intervals.  Fuzzy and unsteady.

 I managed my usual rolls for lunch. Though I have already run out of crockery and cutlery. The idea of washing up repels me even more than usual.

 The stove kept going out without my careful supervision. Presumably I was napping.

 Dinner did not appeal at all. So I went with sliced chicken with mushrooms. Then added an egg towards end.  I sat on YT while I ate. To avoid  my thinking, at all, about the mechanics of eating. 

  ~o~

29.12.2025

 ~o~

 Monday 29th 36F/2.2C [ 7.30] Another sunny day is promised. 64F/17.8C in the room. 43F/6C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 6.40 after another awful night. 

 Hair trigger cough and snotty nose. I am sweating despite it being cold. Though I ought to light the stove.

 Spent the day on YT. 

 Had lunch but I can't face dinner. Cup of tea and a biscuit. 

 

  ~o~

28.12.2025 Home alone again.

 ~o~

  Sunday 28th 27F/-2.8C [8.15] A white frost. Mixed forecast of sunshine and cloud. 64F/17.8C in the room. 37F/2.8C in the greenhouse. I had better light the stove.

 Up at 7.40 after the worst night ever. The fire bucket was half full this morning. I am still trotting off to the bathroom at 15 minute intervals. Not sure what has happened to the cold symptoms. They have changed. I am sweating and fuzzy. Nose bleed in my left nostril overnight and visible when I blow my nose. I struggled to eat my muesli. I'd better keep the fluids going.

 9.30 The stove is going well. Two more baskets of logs brought in. Last basket of kindling. Ash pan emptied on the compost heap. I upset the gorgeous white horse. Which I hadn't noticed grazing near the boundary. It cantered/galloped effortlessly to the top of the hill. Beauty in motion. It is definitely a bit chilly out there. The Morris' windows are frosted even under the carport. I don't feel up to having a walk today.

 Bright sunshine. I have been cleaning the aquarium of poorly plants and algae. 

 A tabby cat and male pheasant are in the drive. The pheasant is running away. The cat sneaking through the absent neighbour's garden.

 Lunch, then a nap. Then I drove to the village. To catch up on the shopping. Several mature ladies smiled as I drove along. 

 Dinner will be poached eggs on toast. I can't face a cooked meal. 

 9.30 Early bedtime. I feel awful. It's lucky I keep a good stock of issues. Sneezing and blowing my nose has become a major pastime.

 

 

 

  ~o~

27.12.2025 Man cold?

 ~o~

  Saturday 27th 41F/5C [8.30] Overcast but brightening after lunch. Rather breezy until then. 62F/16.7C in the room. 46F/7.8C in the greenhouse. The moment I had finished breakfast I lit the stove. It is already blazing away.

 Up at 8.00 after a rather hectic night at the fire bucket. Chest and nose bunged up again this morning. Bedtime was earlier at 11pm. Neither of us could stay awake while watching "MIB International [Tedium]" Where they substituted a new cast in lieu of writing a storyline. 

 9.05 I'll go for a walk in a minute or two. My Christmas guest is not an early riser. She will leaving around lunch time. Having performed her washing up duties with aplomb and without formal complaint. I could get used to having clean cutlery and crockery. 

 Though I am still waiting for my government supplied AI Robot to be delivered. For longer term cleaning and other vital chores around Chez Hovel. The way it is looking the robots will be policing the mass unemployed. Or carrying out repetitive tasks in factories. So there may well be a considerable excess of human cleaners available. 

 I'll start making a list of important requirements and vital [statistics] assets now. Since a free choice is very likely in the very near future. When selecting from the multitudes. At least it is judging by the endless online hype. Though I can say right now. That somersaults and karate moves will certainly not be required! I have to think of all my late wife's glass and other ornaments.

 9-50 Back from my walk. 66F/19C in the room. No barking dogs today. Though a sheet of ice, over an inch thick, still lay scattered across the road. Where it had fallen yesterday on a sharp bend. Presumably from a frozen puddle on a shipping container or trailer. Which would have been lethal. Had it hit a cyclist or pedestrian. 

 14.40 Back home. After driving 30km back from Odense with the low, blinding sun in my eyes. The fire in the stove has gone out. I have opened up the air control and added kindling. It is going again.

 We left at 12.30 and waited at the bus stop in the village. Only to realise it was Saturday. The promised bus did not exist. Because I had been using the weekday timetable.

 So I drove my guest to Odense station in the Morris. Only to discover there was no direct route to the station for cars. We had to drive kilometers further on before we could legally turn back and get closer. Even then there was another kilometer of underground parking to drive through before we exited to daylight. How anyone without an intimate knowledge of the Odense centrum would get there is anybody's guess. Of the dozen's of traffic lights on our route only one or two were green. 

 16.20 Woke from a half hour nap. 

 18.00 70F/21C in the room. I think I have a man cold. Runny nose, bunged up, wet and thick chest, eyes watering, loose brain, dull headache, fever, sore throat, hurts when I swallow, swollen neck glands, starting to shiver. I have added a fleece jacket over my thick jumper. I have had a flu jab. Just finished a course of antibiotics. 

 21.30 I am dozing in an armchair while feeding the stove. The bed is unsuitable for leaning back.

  

  ~o~

26.12.2025 Sprouts 'Я' Us.

 ~o~

  Friday 26th 32F/0C [8.15] A cloudy start with sunshine promised for this afternoon. 63F/17C in the room. 42F/5.6C in the greenhouse. 41F in the greenhouse pond. The goldfish have slowed right down and should not really be fed. They browse on the algae clinging to the walls of the pond.

 Up at 7.45 after a quiet night. No coffee after dinner. I had a can of beer instead.

 8.30 I have lit the stove and cleaned the curved glass in the door. Before it became warm. I just use fine wood ash on a dampened kitchen towel. Its quite magical how the glass becomes invisible. Giving the perfect illusion of an open fire. I can feel the heat on the back of my neck as I sit at the computer.

 Now I will have to bring in some more logs from the greenhouse. I am currently getting through two baskets full per day. I try to have one basket holding larger logs. The other thinner ones. This allows me to boost the fire as necessary. Or bung a big log on when the stove is going well and just needs more fuel. 

 Bringing logs in early maximizes the reduction of any residual moisture. As they bask in the warmth of the stove. Making one journey to the greenhouse helps to reduce heat loss. From opening the outside door to the cold. While the greenhouse acts as a shield for most of the southern facade.

 9.15 A uniform grey sky. Time for a walk. 

 9.50 It felt cold but the wind was absent. The roads still showed where the salt had been sprayed. A few gulls stood a nervous watch out on the fields. What sounded like a small dog barking furiously. Carried across the vast prairie to my left. My view of the mutt's likely position was blocked by a low hill in the field. So I continued on to the junction with the lanes. Where the lane turns sharply relative to the main road. Forming an acute triangle. My raised viewpoint should easily have revealed the source of the barking. Yet there was nothing visible where it should have been.

 There are no houses within hundreds of meters. The lane is straight and offers no hiding places. By now the dog had fallen silent. I scoured the fields with my binoculars. For abandoned or stray dogs. There was nothing unusual to be seen. 

 As soon as I had retraced a few steps. Back along the main road. The dog started up again. Then continued until I had almost reached home. Perhaps my ears deceived me as to direction? The hearing aids have obvious limitations but usually help me to clearly define the location of sound sources. 

 Another day of chatting and reminiscing with my guest. While simultaneously feeding the stove.  

  Dinner was chicken, sprouts, carrots, peas, mashed potato and Bisto gravy. 33F/0.6C outside. 71F/22C in the room. 

 

  ~o~

25*12*2025 Sans sprouts. 🙄

 ~*~

 A Merry Christmas to you and yours. Whatever your beliefs. Or lack thereof.

Wednesday 25th 28F/-2.2C [9.00] The forecast has been sunshine until now. Changed to cloud with possible sunny periods. More cloudy in the south. That's me, or rather us. A thick, white frost on the West Lawn. Only 61F/16C in the room. It was 70F/21C at bedtime. Stove lit and already warming the back of my neck.

Up at 8.40 after a late, but quiet night. Chest bunged up. I may survive. No immediate plans for a walk. My guest brought presents. So there are traditions to maintain. The Danes do the presents on Christmas Eve. Being
bilingual immigrunts means we had a choice.

 The day was spent chatting, searching online and talking on the telephone with family members. 

 There was a gorgeous red sunset after a rather grey day. I had to dash outside and around the house to capture it. My first and last venture out of doors today.

 I made the Christmas dinner but forgot the sprouts. Silly old wotsit! Chicken, mushrooms, peas, carrots, sauteed potatoes and Bisto gravy. With the now familiar organic 'O' red wine.

 The potatoes were my brother's idea and an interesting variation. I shall experiment in future on the duration of the simmering and frying phases. They were certainly edible but very slightly bland. 

 I'll have to do some homework on suitable seasoning. Salt and pepper were not quite enough alone. Still better than boiled though. So, another string to my cooking bow. Or whatever.

 My guest suggested I  use a sharp knife to slice the chicken breasts. Rather than my usual method of using kitchen scissors to produce chunks. I was duly rewarded with more tender, cooked chicken than I am used to.

  ~*~

24.12.2025 Humbug?

 ~o~

 Wednesday 24th 29F/-1.7C [9.00] It's supposed to be sunny but is mostly cloudy. A light frost. Light NE winds forecast. 63F/17C in the room. 41F/5C in the greenhouse. 45F/7C in the greenhouse pond.

 Up at 8.20 after a late night. [12.00] Only got up once.

 9.30 Going for a walk. A soon as the stove is going well.

 10.00 Gone for half an hour. It was cold but I was too warm in my [recycled] down jacket. No noticeable wind. Already a cosy 65F/18.3C in the room.

 Dinner was organic sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes and broccoli.  

 

 

  ~o~

23.12.2025 Fair trade.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 23rd 38F/3.3C. Another grey day with a cold easterly wind. 64F/18C in the room.

 Up at 7am after an unusually quiet night. Later to bed than usual.

 The plan is to go shopping in Assens. This will be the last day that the shops are open.

 09.30 Back from a half hour walk. It felt cold. Made worse by the wind. A sickly, yellow sun broke through fleetingly. Barely clear of the horizon. I have lit the stove.

 Our trip to Assens was largely wasted. The charity shops with websites made absolutely no mention of being closed today. A browse of assorted coat racks was not rewarding. I may have to make my own.

 We returned via the scenic route to compensate. Lakes, ponds, stately homes, vast brick barns, moats, suspension bridges, meandering, rural lanes, etc.. 

 Dinner was organic chops, organic mushrooms, organic carrots, organic potatoes and thick, Bisto gravy. An organic red wine to help things along. I did all the cooking. Unsupervised. My guest folded the napkins and will be washing up. It seems a fair trade. 

 

~o~ 

22.12.2025 Arrival!

 ~o~

  Monday 22nd 38F/3.3C[7.30] A cold, dry, grey and windy day. Peaking at 4C/39F.

 Up at 7am after an average night. 

 I am expecting a visitor today. Who will stay over Christmas. 

 9.30 And did, instead of a walk. Just back from the village supermarkets. Well stocked up for the holiday for two. Lots of shoppers. No Brussels sprouts! I could go for a ride, or a drive, to the next village. More outlets.

 After morning coffee I drove to the next village to the north. Where Brussels sprouts were readily available. A few more items, filled the Morris with petrol and returned home. 

 Meanwhile my guest had boarded the train from Copenhagen and was on her way. We kept in touch via phone messaging. There is free wireless on the trains if needed.

 14.05. A final tidy, I'd had my shower and was waiting at the bus stop in the village. We spent the afternoon catching up.

  Dinner was salmon pasties, chips and peas. Helped down by organic red wine. 

  

  ~o~

21.12.2025 Tidiness is a state of mind.

 ~o~

  Sunday 21st 40F/4.4C [8.00] A cloudy day maximum 5C/41F with wind increasing to 10m/s.

 Up at 6.20 after a fairly busy night. Aching from yesterday's activities with moving logs. 

 It's the big tidy upstairs today. To allow my Xmas guest to reach the bedroom [relatively] unscathed.

 9.30 Back from my usual walk. It felt colder than yesterday and windier too.

 11.00 I'm having a rest from tidying.  

  It was only a short rest. I am still at it. Hours later with only a break for lunch. I found a YT video on tidying for those with ADHD. I had ADHD before it was invented. And OCD. Probably somewhere on the Autism spectrum as well. So there! Just be grateful I don't have Tourettes! 😜

 Back to tidying. I started three more tubs of tools. To lighten the load on the others. It's endless! 

 Third washing machine cycle as I cleared the backlog. And the fourth.

 I also cleared the recycling from the indoor tubs out to the wheelie bins. 

 18.30 Time to think about dinner. I lit the stove during the afternoon. Now approaching 66F/19C.

 Mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. With tomato soup.

 

 

  ~o~

20.12.2025 Riches are a state of mind.

 ~o~

  Saturday 20th 43F/6C [8.00] Another grey day. Though possible brightness early on. Quite breezy again.

 Up at 6.30 after a quiet night. Got up only twice. 

 Not sure if I want to go for a ride. I'll see how cold it feels on my walk. Still pitch black outside at 8am.

9.25 Back from my brisk walk of 1.8km at an average of 5kph. No birds of prey today. The nice neighbour's cat spoke to me.

 I rode to the village on my bike for some essentials. Then drove to collect a trailer full of logs. My vendor was just back from holiday and was very generous with the firewood. Making up for the shortfall at the timber yard. Now I have to find room in the greenhouse. Without double handling the existing stock of logs. Which is an awful time waster.

12.25 Back in time for lunch.

14.30 I have put about half the trailer load in the greenhouse. The remainder is covered, in the trailer, with the fitted tarpaulin. Then wheeled under the back of the carport for extra shelter. My hands and wrists were becoming painful. So I could not continue to the trundle the last of the logs.

 A nap avoided my dozing off in a seated position. 

 I am enjoying "Dispatches From Elsewhere" on Netflix. It makes one to think furiously. To question everything. An excellent cast. 

 Dinner was a salmon pasty, peas, mashed potatoes and gravy. 

 

  ~o~

 

19.12.2025 Simultaneous threats.

 ~o~

  Friday 19th 49F/9.4C. A cloudy morning with light rain. Brighter after lunch. Light winds. Room 64F/18C. Greenhouse 53F/12C.

 Up at 6.45. 

 9.45 Back from a 3/4 of an hour walk to the lanes and beyond. I was slightly breathless throughout. One of the large, brown birds of prey was sitting on a field beside the lane. As usual it retreated. 

 I was tempted to go for a ride but the forecast put me off. I may go this afternoon if it brightens up from the present, miserable grey. 

11.15 I have been clearing the drain under the kitchen sink. It had been slow to empty of late. So I dismantled the trap. Which proved to be perfectly clear. The problem lay with the oversized "plug hole" being blocked. By a slow build up of food waste in the narrow spaces. Presumably from rinsing and washing up dinner plates. Pouring bleach down there had not made any difference. I keep a 6" rubber plunger nearby. That too had found its limits. All is well now. As good as new.

 The forecast was completely reversed. A dry morning. Followed by rain after lunch. 

 Another day spent on YT. I am much improved. Though none the wiser. As to the eventual outcome of our journey. We are confronted with multiple, simultaneous hurdles. For want of a better term. AI is making exponential progress. Seemingly without moral constraint. 

 Robotics continue to amaze. With new acrobatic tricks on a daily basis. Robots could replace all physical labour within a few short years. While AI could simultaneously remove all need for humble human brainpower in most forms of employment and even science.  

 Together, they leave us all twiddling our thumbs in the breadline. With no obvious means of financial support. Do IT billionaires have some unspoken plan for humanity? One  which still leaves them with customers for their robot factories? Do robots need to pay taxes when no ordinary human being can?

 Illegal immigration is threatening our very survival. Even before climate change leaves potentially billions without a habitable home. Civil war over much of Europe is a real threat and perhaps only weeks or months away. Our supposed leaders seem blind to the risks. Actively encouraging further immigration and censuring their own people if they complain.

 Science is facing a burning of all the [existing] textbooks. Most of their assumptions are proving increasingly illusory. As new instruments poke ragged holes in their fabricated, fabric of space. 

Quantum Mechanics throws lots of potential spanners into assorted works. Quantum computers aided by AI can alter our banking systems and deny us any useful form of online security and/or anonymity in the street.

 Reality itself is being increasingly cast as a simulation. The math says so. We can manifest wealth on demand.  

 We are faced with the reality, or otherwise, of UFOs/UAPs finally being exposed by officialdom. Aliens or human time travelers? Niether? All of the above?

 Putin is increasingly desperate and getting short of battlefield victims and the means to pay their widows. His returning, pardoned criminals are causing mayhem. Vast industries haven't been paid in a long time. He rants about nuclear weapons and invading NATO. 

Just as his blowjob toyboy [Chump] descends into complete oblivion. The USA is so close to the jagged rocks that its very survival is in very serious doubt. Vast numbers are unhealthy and on the poverty line. While its elites enjoy wealth beyond the dreams of avarice. 

 Our orbiting instruments are now revealing new details about well established historical sites. Only corruption prevents their further exploration on the ground. Or rather, under it. History and prehistory are becoming pockmarked fairy stories in the face of new information.  

 The established news media has become completely irrelevant. Most now get their news online. 

 Our young are all victims of spinal curvature. As they spend their lives on their mobile phones. 

 The list goes on. 

 Dinner was cheese on toast with tomato soup. 

  

 ~o~

18.12.2025 An overture to the subliminal.

 ~o~

  Thursday 18th 42F /5.6C. Another cloudy day with rain after lunch. Breezy from the south.

 Up at 6.50 after busy night. 

 8.20 A smudgy red sky! The whole sky. Even in the west. All the clouds are lit up with soft pink. I hope the shepherds are taking note! 

 9.00 Time for a walk. It's really quite breezy. Everything is moving.

 The wind made it feel much colder than expected. The two brown birds of prey retreated as I plodded down the road. Even though they were already hundreds of meters away. 

 11.40 I braved the cold wind to try and fix more screws in the carport roof. It was hopeless. The new, stainless steel screws would not go more than half way in. Despite the holes being pre-drilled. The screws were just spinning. When I tried to remove them two sheared off. I may check if M4 has a similar thread pitch to the self tapping screws. If I can tap the thread that might reduce the friction. Or, I can use M4 machine screws.

 I gave up and began to tidy up outside. To avoid wasting my time completely. More scrap plywood laid onto the brambles. Ladders carried out of sight. Tools put way. Barely making a dent in the visual chaos.

 Dinner was another fry-up. Organic sausage, mushrooms, an egg on toast, halved, cherry tomatoes. Another glass of organic red wine. 

 

  ~o~

17.12.2025 If it ain't broke..

 ~o~

  Wednesday 17th 43F/6C. The relatively mild temperatures remains stead for yet another day. Probably settling on 7C later. A damp start to a series of cloudy days. With light SW winds. 66F/19C in the room. 50F/10C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 6am after an unusually quiet night. I had a glass of organic, red wine with dinner, then coffee as usual.

 I ought to get out on the e-bike to go to the village. 

 9.35 Back from my walk. It was grey, cool and damp but not actually raining. Until I reached home.   

 12.30 Back from the doctor and chemist. In the Morris. It was raining.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. 

   

  ~o~

16.12.2025 Screws loosed.

 ~o~

  Tuesday 16th 41F/5C. Light winds. Peaking at 6C mid afternoon. Some sunshine is possible.

 Up at 7am. My friend is coming here for a change. So I have to tidy and clean the hovel. Dashing around like a headless chicken. 

 11.45 My friend has just left. He bought some nice cakes in addition to the usual Danish pastries.

 The screws for the carport roof are out for delivery. I have to go to the pharmacy and do some shopping. So I'll go there on my bike this afternoon.

 Safely returned in the dark. Via the Morris.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms, an egg and chips. 

 

 

  ~o~

15.12.2025 What a Rip-off!

 ~o~

 Monday 15th 44F/6.7C. Another cloudy, windy but dry day. 62F/16.7C in the room.

Up at 6am after setting the alarm for 6.30.  I have a doctor's appointment this morning.

 9.15 Back from the doctors. Shopped while I was in the village. 

 I have ordered new screws for the caport roof in Torx, stainless steel. 

 11.30 Brief, watery sunshine. It is bitterly cold in the wind. I have been sheltering behind the house while emptying the trailer of usable firewood. There were at least two large wheelbarrows of worthless rubbish in the last trailer load of logs. Even after my saving all the potentially useful bits for kindling. A bit disappointing given the price I am paying at the furniture factory. I am tempted to go back to the timber yard. Except that there is no guarantee of getting dry logs there. The price is much the same. 

 I need to fetch more logs. I am down to only a few day's worth. In theory I have a lot of firewood in the vast heap of chestnut. The problem is that I have no idea if any of it is dry. Three years of exposure to [limited] sunlight and wind should have done some good. I had better try some logs with the moisture contents meter.  

 The furniture factory, log vendor was on holiday. Not back until Saturday. I would have run out of logs by then. So I risked a run to the timber yard. Which is practically on the way home. 

 I ordered and paid for half a cubic meter of logs. What I got was less than a quarter. The red line at the top of the picture is half way up the sides of the trailer. That is exactly half a cubic meter. 

A young man brought the logs to the trailer in a bucket on a front loader. Dropped half of them on the ground and just walked away. Chip on his shoulder? Or what? It is no wonder their vast firewood shed is literally full to overflowing! If this were Gravely Blighted I would have rung the local Trading Standards Office. Denmark has no consumer protection. If I name the timber yard here [online] I will end up in jail or be heavily fined. The guilty are protected by law. The victim often pays far more in fines for invasion of online privacy rights. Than those found guilty in court! 

 Dinner was sardines on toast with halved tomatoes. No pictures.  

 

  ~o~

14.12.2025 Twenty screws short of a set.

 ~o~

  Sunday 14th 42F/5.6C [7.15] A cloudy forecast but dry. Windy with SW gusts to 15m/s. 64F/17.8C in the room. I can see patches of frost on the western lawn in the security camera images.

 Up at 6.30 after a busy night. How can the volume in the fire bucket exceed intake by an order of magnitude? I had a tin of beer to celebrate the carport progress. I'll blame it on that. 

 The wind is expected to continue for some days. Which makes the fitting of the huge roof panel decidedly problematic. I can have a biplane. Or a single, larger wing, of low aspect ratio. Choose one. The car won't mind if it's dry. I could apply ratchet straps. To hold the panel in place on the roof while I fiddle with the screws. I'll see how windy it really is. When it is light enough to see the carport across the gravel wasteland turning and parking space. 

 10.00 Back from a short walk. Only to loop along the neighbours' drives. To capture a couple of dozen photographs of my house and carport from the rear. Newly visible through the gap in the trees and winter leaf loss. It was windy where exposed. Not so bad in the garden. Thanks to the shelter belt. The first bird I saw was a Red kite. Which was circling and calling beyond the road to the south.

 I shall have to fix the missing roof panel as soon as possible. Or at least restrain the panels on either side. Which are lifting on the windward side.    

 12.00 The self-tapping screws will not screw in. Regardless if I drill the holes again. 4.2mm screws into 3.5mm holes in the arched steel  rafters. Have the screws corroded? I have enough screws fixed to hold the windward edges. Until I decide what to do next. Buy some new screws? Torx instead of cross-head?  

 I had to go shopping before lunch was even possible. The local supermarket had no "wholegrain" bread rolls yesterday. Nor edible bananas. 

 Dinner was yet another fry-up. As is my wont. Organic chicken, mushrooms and an organic egg on wholegrain toast. I added some cherry tomatoes for colour. Perhaps as a foil to the yolk of the undersized egg. They may be crossing their chickens with pigeons. Perhaps they are merely undernourished?

 I washed up as I went along. As you do. I have an early appointment with the doctor tomorrow. To follow up on our last meeting of a month ago. 

 

  ~o~

13.12.2025 The impossible just takes a little longer.

 ~o~

  Saturday 13th 45F/7.2C. A wet and misty morning is promised. 64F/17C in the room.

 Up at 2am until 4.30. Back to bed. Then woke again at 6.45. 

 I have to finish the foundations of the carport. To ensure all four legs are upright. Before backfilling the remaining holes.   

 10.00 Back indoors after making the legs upright. I used assorted, leaning ladders to achieve a slight bias. So that backfilling would make everything vertical. 

 My idea to make the second foundation holes oversized worked. I used 2x4s to lever the foundation blocks sideways as required. I pounded the backfill with another 2x4 as I went along.

 It felt like rain at times but I was safely under cover. My outer clothes don't feel wet. Though I am sweating I don't feel fatigued. I just went back out to take a couple of snaps. It is definitely raining now. 

 The legs don't look upright. Because of lens distortion in the phone camera. I have checked them all repeatedly with a 1m builders level. The ground falls to the left for drainage.

 The mess on the ground is mostly wet leaves. Accumulated over months. As I struggled to decide the safest way to erect the framework while working alone. In retrospect I would have erected the frame first. Then added the roof panels working from one end to the other. 

 The instructions said to do the roof first and then lift it with multiple helpers. I checked the AI calculator of an online app for small building works. It suggested £1000 equivalent for labour charges. Just for erecting the carport! 

 Apart from tidying up I still have to put the central roof panel back on. I also need to add the few screws in the feet. Which I couldn't insert in the dark. Because of excess galvanizing in the holes in the feet. Though generally speaking the galvanizing is fine. 

 12.30  I completed the bolting of the feet. Then tidied away the accumulation of detritus and raked the leaves away. Now I do need a rest. The watery sun came out. I have yet to fix the central roof panel. That should be amusing!  Lunch first.

 15.30 After lunch I continued to tidy the parking area. I raked the leaves away. Then ran the gravel leveling rake across the entire area. This hasn't been done for a while. Though the gravel seems to remain stable and reasonably smooth. Requiring very little upkeep. Except for the grass. Which insists on growing where it isn't wanted.  

 The scrap plywood can go down the garden to suppress the brambles. The ladders can wait until I have completed the carport roof. 

 I had a trial at parking the Morris and its trailer. Plenty of lateral room but not quite enough depth to fully cover both. The trailer has its own, fitted tarpaulin. So can brave the weather for years. By being moved back just a little. Which will shelter the Morris from nose to tail. For scale: The nose of the Morris is 13m [42'] from the house wall.  Now I really must go shopping in the village. I have run out of essentials.

 Dinner was a huge chicken curry with mushrooms. 

  ~o~

12.12.2025 The big lift!

 ~o~

  Friday 12th 45F/7.2C [7.15] Cool and cloudy with light winds.

  Up at 6.30 after  an unusually quiet night.

 A walk first. Probably after 9am to allow it to get light enough for road safety. Or, I could start on the carport as soon as I like.

 I shall be returning to lifting the carport while the weather remains dry and less windy. Which means moving the ladder pyramid. To the other side of the building. The folding ladders do the heavy lifting and weigh much more than the other two. Which I am only using for stability. To avoid sideways toppling under load.

 I shall have to clamber up and undo the lashing holding the ladders together. I should have used short lengths of rope but never do. I am always afraid I won't have any long lengths left when I need them. It also saves the ropes from unraveling. 

 Once free I can remove the side ladders. Then clear the raised roof section with the folding ladders. A simple somersault inside the empty panel space should do it. I can sort out the straddling once the ladders are safely on the other side. This will be a higher and heavier lift. As the entire carport pivots upright on the two, existing feet on the ground. 

 I was a bit worried about moving the raised carport accurately over the foundation blocks. Due to the considerable weight and friction with the ground.  In fact this proved to be quite easy. Once the weight was taken up by the chain hoist. 

 I just needed to bias the direction of pull of the lift to match my needs. As simple as sliding the lower lifting strop along the gutter. When the tension is taken off. 

 8.30 Just light enough to work by but not for a walk yet. I'll save some time by moving the ladders now. Instead of wasting time on the computer. I decided to outside and start work. I'll get plenty of exercise without needing a walk. 

 10.00 Time for a rest and morning coffee. All four legs are fitted and bolted in place on the undersides of the gutters. The legs are still splayed. Because they aren't standing centrally over the foundation blocks. 

 The right pair need to move about 15cm/6". The left pair much more. Which should bring them all upright. I still have to bolt the stainless steel plates down to the foundation blocks. Before I can bolt the carport feet onto these plates.  

 I rescued some anchor fixings from the observatory. Then couldn't find any suitable galvanized bolts for the plates. 25mm x M12 would be best. I have used 10mm bolts temporarily. I'll have to go to the builder's merchants this afternoon. The fixing to the ground anchors must have some stiffening effect. On the rather flexible carport framework.

17.00 Back from the builders merchant with 16 x M12 nuts and M12x30mm bolts. I used a torch to fit as many bolts as I could. Just in case it gets windy overnight. Several holes will need to be cleaned of excess galvanizing. Before the bolts will drop in. Quiet winds tonight but 40mph gusts are forecast for Sunday.  

 I still have to refit the central panel and all the screws. Which means I have to come up with a safe way of accessing the carport roof. Not while it is safely on the ground. While it is over 2m high!

 

 

Dinner was beans on toast.
 

  

  ~o~

11.12.2025 Hooray and up she rises!

 ~o~

  Thursday 11th 46F/7.8C. Another cloudy and breezy day. With light rain this morning. 64F/17.8C in the room.

 Up at 6am. I was wide awake. 

 9.40 Back from my walk. 1.8km. 2800 steps. It felt strangely cold and raw. Dark grey sky, though not particularly windy. Only one bird of prey today. Two goats, two ponies and assorted chickens. Distant horses.

 After lunch I decided to ignore the weather and erect the carport. Well somebody had to do it. and I was the only one here. And, probably, the only one daft enough to try.

 First I lashed the pyramid of ladders together at the top. Then added a lifting strop around the top rungs. Next I had to undo all the nasty screws holding the central polycarbonate panel to the roof. These screws penetrate aluminium strips to spread the wind loads. Hopefully providing the vitally necessary security against lifting. 

 They were cross-head, self tapping screws and reluctant to come undone. Which meant leaning over the roof and using a manual screwdriver. Only once they were almost free did the DeWalt battery screwdriver make any useful progress. I was careful to mark the strips and roof panel. To ensure they go back the same way on the roof. 

Once the panel was removed I could now insert one ladder through the gaping hole in the roof. I checked all was secure and then climbed a ladder to hang the chain hoist from the lifting strop. Another lifting strop was looped around the carport's structural gutter.  

 Then began the lift. Quite effortless for the chain hoist. Though noisy, I kept going. Taking snaps at intervals to record my genius and the lack of supreme effort involved.  

 Finally I was able to lean two carport legs against the gutter. Followed by fine adjustment of the gutter height to allow the leg bolts to slip though the holes in the gutter. I used a stepladder to be able to reach inside the gutter.  

 A ratchet driver made short work of tightening the eight 10mm nuts and bolts. Remembering to fit the rubber gasket between the rear leg flange and the gutter. Rainwater collected in the gutters is sent down a large hole in the gutter and flange. To exit out at the bottom. 

 Last, but not least I moved the ladder pyramid towards the house. Enough to use the chain hoist to effortlessly lift and drag the carport. To align the feet with the foundation blocks. I can't bolt anything down until the carport is fully upright.

 The two other foundation blocks are sitting in oversized holes. Though of the correct depth. The idea being to ensure all the legs are upright without lateral strain. I kept the soil for backfilling. Within easy reach on scraps of plywood. To avoid contaminating the granite chippings. 

 During the preparation phase I was careful to level all the blocks with my laser level. The four foundation blocks are also accurately spaced within a couple of millimetres. Or were when I started this project months ago.

 By now it was too late and dark to continue. As I was tidying up, my lovely neighbour was chasing her little dog all over the marshy, back field. This being the small, hairy guard dog. Which I meet occasionally on my loop along the shared drives. 

Dinner was another fry-up. Organic sausage, an organic egg on wholemeal toast, tomatoes and Heinz baked beans. I used up the last of my recommended olive oil.

 

  ~o~

10.12.2025

 ~o~

  Wednesday 10th 48F/9C. Mild but mostly cloudy but dry. With a gusty, south westerly wind.

 Up at 2am. I was wide awake. So I got up and watched YT for a couple of hours. Before returning to bed and dozing until 6.30am.

 I shall be visiting my English friend today. 

 13.10  Returning from my visit. 

14.45 The sun is pretending to break through the cloud.

 I had a nap to catch up on my lost sleep. 

 Dinner was cheese on toast with halved tomatoes. 

 

  ~o~

9.12.2025 You couldn't make it up!

 ~o~

  Tuesday 9th 47F/8.3C [8.45] Another dark, grey, misty day. With rain after lunch. Modestly windy from the SW going southerly mid morning.

 Up at 7am after a fairly quiet night. 

 I am still baffled by the huge bang outside last night. Just before 10pm. It was pitch black at the time of course. I walked around the house with a torch but could see nothing.

 It is still struggling to get light now at 8.50. I am waiting to go for my walk. My main concern is always the commuter traffic. Many drivers don't alter their course to avoid me until the very last moment. They are obviously not concentrating on the road ahead. Often they are driving insanely close to the car in front. Despite 5km of solid, double white lines. Which they must surely know about if they make the journey more than once. 

 So overtaking other vehicles is illegal. This rule does not apply to pedestrians, cyclists or slow moving vehicles. Though crossing the double white lines on every single corner is considered the done thing. The double white lines on bends literally wear out long before those on the straights. Are drivers simply too lazy to drive all the way around a corner? Why do they cut blind corners where many drivers overshoot the double white lines?

 Meanwhile I am always walking as close to the verge as possible. Often taking to the grass, or usually the weeds, to avoid literally being run down. I have no alternative but to walk along the side of the road for several hundred meters. Before I can escape to the quieter lanes or the single farm track to the woods.  

 Every few meters there are branches, brambles or wild roses arcing out of the roadside hedges. So escaping to the verges is not always easy. I am constantly monitoring for traffic from the rear. Because some drivers are afraid to pass me against oncoming traffic. While many drivers have never heard of the 1.5m rule anyway. Or are too sociopathic/drugged senile or drunk to care about taking a life?

 9.15. Almost light enough for my walk. Wish me luck.

 9.50 Back again. Traffic light. Slightly cold on my hands. No near misses today. The two, large brown birds of prey were back on the fields but left on my arrival. No sign of a possible cause for the loud bang.

 11.45 I have been looking at the TV problem again. The correct height, to match seated eye height, looks much too half mast.  When the TV was sitting on the small chest of drawers it was the same height. It looked fine. Now the lack of visual support, from below, makes it look distinctly undernourished. Like droopy, half mast trousers nailed to the wall. It needs to be at least 6"/15cm higher. For the TV to look as if some thought had gone into its installation. 

 I have temporarily moved the chest of drawers to the other end of the room. With an aspidistra on top to help it to look semi-domesticated. I really don't like it there. It is too deep. My wife kept a chest of drawers there for years. I shall have to look for more suitable furniture in the charity shops. 

 Ideally I need a low, shallow shelving unit with a backboard. To go under the TV. A few ornaments will make it look as if it was meant to be there. I may be able to use the large chest of drawers. To absorb the contents of the small chest. The drawers in the larger one are truly vast. Some plastic tubs or trays will help to tame it all. I already spend hours sorting through the clothing in there. So it is always a complete jumble.

 Back in the kitchen I am thinking of rotating the washing machine by 90º. To stand against the far wall. The plumbing will still reach. Nope. The door opened the wrong way. I settled on a more forward position. To bring it flush with the oven and its cupboard. It better looks the part now. Washing machines are heavy! The image at the top of the page nicely confirms hovel status. Daylight is actually kinder. 

 16.15 Back again from a tour of all six charity shops within about 35km radius from home. None of them had what I was looking for. Until the very last. Only about 7 miles away. Absolute perfection for £5 equivalent in ye olde monie. It even went in the back seat of the car. Though it was a hell of a struggle. Because cars had parked closely on either side while I was paying for my find.

 I'll have to find some ornaments. To make it look lived in. The new [recycled] shelving unit even makes the TV look the right height again. 

 Those of you who see this search and eventual purchase as small beer should consider the odds. Of finding exactly what I needed in such a small sample of charity shops within two hours. Yes, I could have gone to IKEA and spent a couple of hundred pounds equivalent. Or any other furniture retail store. 

 The same held true with the display cabinets. They were suddenly coming out of the woodwork. So to speak. Precisely when I felt I needed them. I saved in excess of a thousand pounds equivalent. Had I succumbed to retail purchasing of so many. 

 The period character of the cabinets added a certain mystique to their contents. They became museum like displays of my wife's, precious glass collection.  Safely and inexpensively protecting them from dust and trivial accidents. Without looking cheap and nasty. 

 Dinner was organic sausage, an organic egg and chips. I washed up while it cooked. Which explains why the sausage is slightly overdone.

  ~o~

8.12.2025 OX-ON Eyepro Comfort safety glasses.

 ~o~

  Monday 8th 46F/7.8C[08.30] Another grey day but with extra wind. Gusting to 17m/s [38mph] at lunch time. Rain later this afternoon. 62F/16.7C in the room.

 Up at 6.20 after an "interesting night." I saw the flashing lights of the bin lorry at 5.30. First at the front. Then later at the back of the house.  

 I was going to play with the carport. Though it might be wise to wait until the gales pass. The curved roof would act as a giant wing. It might lift itself. Much too far! 

 9.25 Back from a walk down the road and back. The roads were fairly dry so no tire spray today. I dragged the two recycling bins back long the drive with me.

 Earlier, I found a pair of OX-ON Eyepro Comfort safety glasses in the drawer. Bought but never worn. Still in the display bag. 

 Good wrap-around of the large, single, clear lens. Side screens and close fitting around the moulded nosepiece. They were excellent in today's wind. Regardless of how I turned my head to find weak spots in their wind protection. There were none. 

 All the advantages of goggles without the instant misting. Unbreakable polycarbonate lens with 99% UV protection. No optical power or distortion. Strong and instantly comfortable. The adjustable length earpieces are sensibly designed. For easily sliding under helmets. They cost around £4 in real money online. So, around 1/80 of the price of the Oakley crap that weekend warriors wear. Even when it is heavily overcast. Good grief! I am beginning to sound like an influencer! I had better improve my portrait with a beauty app! 😎

11.45 I have been tidying. The detritus of everyday living has got away from me, again. I desperately need a clothes rail for my umpteen jackets. In addition to the one upstairs. I need something downstairs. Neither hall is wide enough to take jackets at right angles to the walls. The coat hooks, in the entrance hall, darken the place once loaded. It makes it feel stuffed, cramped and untidy. I certainly don't want clothing stored in the kitchen.  

 The under-stairs area is wide open but too limited in space and free height for jackets. I have two IKEA racks for my umpteen shoes under there. I could be disciplined and reduce that to one rack and take the rarely used shoes upstairs. I will never wear my SPD cycling shoes again. They don't need to be taking up that space. The same with my heavy, walking boots. I am fooling myself that I'd go for long walks like I did in the past. Charity shop fodder I think. 

The kitchen feels slightly crowded with two display cabinets. Standing side by side on the end wall. As if the space could be much better used for something else. They make access to each corner almost impossible. Could I squeeze one display cabinet into the living room somewhere? 

 I can't raise the TV or it will be too high for comfortable viewing.  Seat height 42"/106cm. The same as the centre line of the TV. Fitting the TV above the large, oak, chest of drawers would lift it much too high. I'd like to get rid of the small chest of drawers under the TV. It is vintage, scruffy, dark oak and rather hideous. I have a bookshelf which would fit under there. Bung some ornaments on there instead of books.

 I could finally fix the TV to the wall. With the wall bracket I bought years ago and never used. Though I fitted the hooked brackets to the back of the TV. I was always afraid the wall would not support the weight. The TV is in the only place it can be fitted and watched comfortable in the room. So it can't make space for display cabinets. I only watch for an hour of two in the evenings. Still no reason to get rid of it. 

 12.00 The sun has broken through the overcast. Though it is still very cloudy. I mustn't get distracted by solar imaging!    

 12.30 Move the large oak chest of drawers back to the bottom of the stairs. Move the aquarium into its place. A cabinet could stand in that corner with the drawers no longer needing clearance. Pull the tank out to the window edge. So it wouldn't be masked by the cabinet on the north wall. Where it would be standing between the tank and the TV. Lots of work and it all seems a bit extreme.

 16.30 The sunshine didn't last long. I have managed to hang the TV on the wall. This required I swap the positions of two mirrors. Including moving the supporting screws and repositioning the string/wire fittings. The small chest of drawers wouldn't come out. The rear bar, intended to stop stuff from rolling off the back, was caught behind the TV. 

 Which meant removal of the TV. Lots more fiddling and refitting the brackets. A 55" TV is rather heavy and fragile. So I had to lie it face down on the bed. Which meant clearing the furniture between the bed and where I was working. Collecting several different screwdrivers in assorted types and sizes along the way. What am I to do with the homeless chest of drawers now? 

 Dinner was an organic pork chop, mushrooms, an egg and boiled potatoes. 

 21.00 48F/9C. The milder, outdoor temperatures mean the room has quickly warmed from 60-70F[15-21C.] 

 10.00 There was a huge bang just now. Not a firework or a shot. Louder, deeper and heavier. It felt almost as if the house shook. I have looked all around inside and out but can't see anything. There is no sign of any debris on the ground. 

 

 ~o~

7.12.2025 Carport musings.

 ~o~

  Sunday 7th 43F/6C [7.30] A grey, wet and windy day.

 Up at 6.30 after a busy night. I had brought down a winter, down duvet to see if it helped me sleep. It proved to be too heavy and too hot for the living room. Where the temperature at bedtime is close to 70F/21C. Much warmer than when it was used upstairs in the bedroom. So I had to take it off and retrieve the summer weight duvet from upstairs. I was much more comfortable after that. 

 I have started to wear synthetic long johns and matching, long armed vests again. They used to be the norm every winter. They are warm and comfortable for sleeping and just sitting around. Which means I am not pressed to light the stove at the crack of dawn.

 9.40 Back from a short walk. It was misty with very light drizzle and a light, southerly breeze. Being passed by speeding cars with their tire spray and noise was no fun. So I limited myself to a loop of the neighbours' drives. Just to get away from the traffic. I was gone for no more than 20 minutes. At least I got out. The guard dog did not bark today.  

 I have had a new idea for lifting the carport. I will remove the central polycarbonate sheet. Then lift one side of the carport at a time. Using an A-frame of ladders and the chain hoist. The problem has always been the lack of access to frame members for the lift. The roof covering hides the structural gutters.

 Removing the twin-wall polycarbonate panel is a bore but necessary. To expose the sturdy gutter sections. I may be able to get away with freeing only a limited length of the arched, roof panel. Accessing the central section to refit the fixing screws would be very difficult once raised.  It was difficult enough while resting on the ground. 

 The first lift is to allow the first pair of legs to be bolted to the gutter section on one side. Leaving the carport roof resting at an angle. This is only to just above head height.  

The second lift is to raise the whole carport. While rotating it upright on the feet of the initial pair of legs. This lift will be heavier and higher. I must avoid bending the first legs. Once upright, the second pair of legs can be attached. 

 Can I do all this safely while working alone? The chain hoist has plenty of load capacity. Are the ladders tall enough to allow the chain hoist to dangle from their junction at the top? Yes. Should I attach the feet of the first pair to the foundation blocks? To ensure initial location. Rather than having to lift the entire carport bodily and then moving it laterally. Not an easy task on loose gravel. Though there is always scrap plywood to hand. 

 I have just been outside to erect the ladder A-frame and do some measuring. The other ladders can act as side braces to avoid potential instability. It is miserable out there and feels too cold and wet. To be doing this sort of thing today.

 18.30 I have just taken two recycling bins along the drive in the dark. Stove lit. Time to think about making some dinner. 

  Dinner was beans on toast. 

  ~o~