2.07.2026

 ~?~

  Thursday 2nd 61F/16C [7.30] Overcast with showers and wind. 22C/71F in the room. 16C/62F in the greenhouse. 

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night. 

 I have an appointment for an assessment chat with a physiotherapist in Assens. This is after numerous cancellations due to my own ill health. I attended the free exercise sessions the first time I had a heart operation. The staff were delightful, young people. Very attentive, empathetic and well trained. 

 Unfortunately there is a time limit on the number of sessions per heart patient. So after that I went onto fairly inexpensive sessions for elderly heart patients at a sports center. Which was a much larger group performing in a vast gymnasium. Which I didn't really mind. 

 It was the coffee and group chats afterwards. I simply could not hear the conversations against the high background, noise levels in a highly reverberant acoustic. Low ceilings, huge overhead beams, long tables. People would ask me direct questions and I could not hear a single word they said! Which made me feel like a fool. So I stopped going.  

 13.00 Back from town.  I chatted for an hour with the delightful young physiotherapist. I now have an exercise App on my phone and will probably start group physio sessions in August. Then I moved onto a Zeiss optician for a free eye test. He was incredibly thorough. 

 I bought a 30m network cable from a big shed store. To be able to mount one of my West Lawn security cams to face the house. The present car park cam looks towards the carport. It takes in a large area but I'd like a view to monitor the house itself. 

 I detoured to examine progress on the new cycle path. Running from Assens, through Ebberup to Glamsbjerg. The contractors on the section from Ebberup onward have already covered a lot of ground. With the rails and sleepers lifted. Leaving a long, earthen trough in a pretty tunnel of overhanging trees. The route will be absolutely gorgeous once completed. Hopefully some time around December. There is a very special atmosphere about abandoned railways. Not the conditions today to be taking pictures.

 It has been raining hard and blowing all morning. With larger puddles in the lanes than I have ever seen. One puddle near home was 3/4 of the way across the road and very deep. I waved down an approaching, touring motorcyclist and saw him apply his brakes in my rear view mirror. Just before he got there. I had used the wrong side of the road to pass the puddle and was still in very deep water. 

 Even at 13.45 it is still raining hard. I can see bright stripes of rainwater reflecting the grey sky. Working their way down the drive.

 It eventually brightened up and the rain stopped. Though remaining very cloudy and windy. I felt tired, head-achy and fuzzy. So I went to bed for a nap. 

 

  ~?~

 

1st July 2026 Deliverance.

 ~?~

  Wednesday 1st 61F/16C [7.15] Bright overcast. Dry morning but increasingly cloudy. With showers this afternoon. Possibly thundery. 73F/23C in the room. 62F/17C in the greenhouse. Pond water at 71F/22C.

 Up at 5.30 after an occasionally sweaty night. 

 I have to be here around lunchtime for a delivery. I'd like a ride. Not far. I need to shop at another supermarket chain. There isn't a local branch. 

 8.45 It's getting darker. I have watered the plants. Indoors and out. Then stacked the massive paving slabs to make a step outside the new glazed door. Just to get  a feel for scale, width, etc. They need to be properly leveled. Preferably without scraping my shin! Silly old whatsit!

 I have spent the morning working on a solar telescope. I was dizzy mid-morning. So I sat in an armchair and rocked quickly back and forth. From head between my knees, To staring upwards at the ceiling.  Holding each position for over half a minute. Eventually I felt a bit better. 

 13.30 The Abigail's British foods chap has just left in his van. Two bottles of salad cream have gone in the fridge. We always have a good chat. I'll go shopping this afternoon. 

 16.45 Back from the village supermarkets. I drove there. 

 Dinner was a salmon pasty with chips and peas.

  ~?~

30.06.2026 West Lawn Prep.

 ~?~

 Tuesday 30th 61F/16C [7.30] Bright sunshine behind the overcast. A return to more normal temperatures. 73F/23C in the room. 61F/16C in the greenhouse. The greenhouse pond water us at 71F/22C after climbing much higher. It was 78F/26C at one point. Not ideal for goldfish but they seemed active, hungry and healthy.

 Up at 6.40 after a failure to lift off at 6am.  In the absence of my morning walks I did 2000 steps yesterday. Just walking up and down the drive. To do "gardening" or to follow the robot mower.

 No visit to my friend today. He's busy and I ought to be.. That West Lawn won't prepare itself! 

 9.45 69F/21C. Sunshine. I have given the West Lawn an initial blast over at maximum cutting height. The Makita mower didn't like it at all. It kept being bogged down in hollows between mole hills. Or by the mole hills themselves. I am hot and tired. Morning coffee beckons. Watching myself struggling with the  mower on the security cameras. Only reinforces the battle to tame the uneven grass. Now I need to rake out the exposed earth of the molehills. There is plenty of bag compost lying around to fill in the hollows.

 Of course the Makita batteries are already flat. Makita R&D never tried to cut anything but a carefully prepared bowling green. Otherwise they would never have released this piece of crap onto a gullible public. 

  They wouldn't want to tell the public how the grass is constantly blocked from reaching the collection bag. How difficult it is to remove the grass basket/bag [every single time] due to the the IMperfectly placed crossbar.

 The image [top right] shows only about a third of the extent of the West Lawn. The posh title is fully intended to be ironic. Delusions of grandeur. White House ballroom with cheap, gold painted stickers. That sort of thing. 

 The image [left above] shows the hideous reality. The brambles I cleared are back. The vast wood pile of chestnut logs, to the right, is no less ugly. Bags of compost are lost in the even longer grass.

 While I was tipping the wheelbarrow full of grass cuttings over the back. I pulled out a lot of weeds from the gravel parking space. They came out quite easily if one doesn't tug or pull too hard. Grippy rubber gloves always help.

 After lunch I raked the molehills out. Using the back of the rake worked best for leveling. after breaking up the hill with the normal teeth/tines/whatever. 

 Dinner was the worst poached eggs on the planet on toast. Both yolks broke as they hot the boiling water.

 

  

  ~?~

29.06.2026 And, repeat!

 ~?~

 Monday 29th 63F/17C [6.20] Cooler today but some sunshine. With a maximum around 22C/72F. A gusty, westerly breeze increasing slowly. 73F/23C in the room. 64F/18C in the greenhouse. I used the heat pump to cool the house yesterday but sparingly. 

 Up at 6.50 after a fairly quiet night. Again with weird, highly realistic dreams. Still coughing.

 The grass is too wet to send the robot mower out for a first spin. The grass cuttings would stick like glue to the undersides of the mower. 

 I had already noticed that the robot isn't recognized by the security cameras as "interesting." Yet they can see a cat in the far distance and will always record it as a possible security issue.

 The neighbour's cat caught a mouse yesterday and was chomping on it in the drive. The security cameras saw the cat and recorded its movements for later Playback. While the robot was ten times the size on the computer monitor but was only recorded for later viewing. Simply because of the presence of the cat. I use individual memory cards for Playback. Recording 24x365 involves expensive equipment and large hard drives. Is this lack of interest in mowers an AI recognition algorithm issue in the camera software? 

11.00 71F/22C After a nap I carried a 2m high stepladder along the drive. To clip the overhanging branches. The robot mower was trundling up and down but we avoided each other. I have taller stepladders but I am already breathless and sweating. The view along the drive is already clearer.

 11.15 The sun has broken through briefly. I have lowered the mower's grass cutting height to 50mm. [2"] I have also trimmed my beard.

 12.45 Sunny and more breezy. I just deleted the original map. To let the mower discover the drive all over again. I have cleared a lot of the obstructions along the edges. Which existed before the first map was saved to the mower's memory. The mower seemed inhibited from crossing the bare gravel strips to reach these grassy verges. It also seemed to strongly favour this end of the drive. Quite timid in pushing to the far end.

 I am now using my Windows PC via the Phone Link app to my Android phone. So I can use the PC screen and keyboard in the Eufy mower app. No more peering at the microscopic text on the tiny screen! I can instantly recall the Eufy app via the icon on the Taskbar at the bottom of the PC screen. All the wile monitoring the robot's movements. Live on my 28" HD monitor. Beside my main 32" 4k monitor via my 4k security cameras. Isn't technology wonderful?'

 14.45 75F/24C. I have been back out trimming the verges. Having watched the robot work its way along the edges. It doesn't like overhanging  plants and will treat them as valuable. So it turns away and/or goes around. All part of its programming to avoid damage to specimen plants. It's no use just letting trimmings fall. The robot will demand you tidy up! 

 This is interesting: Overlapping circles are appearing at top right of the security camera display monitor. It is trying to make sense of the robot! Is it worth recording as a potential hazard? Not so far. We shall see. Whoopee! The robot's movements are now registering as interesting. So they are recorded as short videos onto the camera's memory cards. 

 These Eufy mowers can show what the cameras are seeing. So called Live [view] on the phone or PC screen. It is fun to see where the mower is going and what it sees. Educational too. The reason for its occasional hesitancy is clearly displayed. Often just the arch of an overhanging weed. The log says the mower has had 34 trips, covered 900m^2 in 11 hours. The improvement in the drive is quite amazing.

 There are a number of options in the menus. Arias to avoid. Areas where not to cut but may proceed. Another is to treat all areas as lawn. Even where the grass is yellow or there is gravel. I have now chosen that option to see if it helps on the mixed surfaces of the drive. 

 Next I have to start the really heavy work. Getting the West Lawn into a condition where the robot mower can actually operate. The grass is foolishly high and the ground all bumps and lumps from hundreds of mole hills. I strimmed it and ran the big mower over it. "Ran" being the wrong term for a combat, tank training ground!

 Dinner was sausages, a fried egg on toast, mushrooms and Heinz baked beans. 

  ~?~

28.06.2026 More robo-mowing.

 ~?~

   Sunday 28th 67F/19C [6..45] Heavy overcast with the threat of thunderstorms and cloudbursts. Peaking at just over 27C/81F later this afternoon when the sunshine returns. Light, southwesterly winds. 75F/24C in the room. My ears are running. So I have switched on the heat pump to slightly cool at 22C/72F.

 Up at 6am after a quiet night with weird, often repetitive, meaningless dreams. 

 I checked the car. The Noco Genius 5 charger has yet again resurrected a completely flat battery. It has been worth every single penny. I leave it to do its thing overnight and it has always succeeded. So far.

 Car headlights have to be on by law while underway in Denmark. All the lights in my Morris Minor are controlled by a single toggle switch. Well over to the right of the "dashboard." 

 I have added the labels and arrow to the image for clarity. The toggle switch does not easily lend itself to flashy advertising. In the form of a light or brightly coloured extensions. 

 You'd think it would be automatic to remember to turn the lights off when I park, but no. Most modern IC cars in Denmark are fitted with lights which come on with the ignition. Morris missed this trick at the close of the 1960s. No foresight for the future Danish market and changes in Danish law in 1990. 

 At least they put the steering wheel on the correct side. And the pedals. The headlight dip switch is a press button on the floor. The bonnet is released with a stiff puller under the passenger side glove compartment. Impossible to reach and requiring considerable strength. This might improve with lubrication of the cable but I have not explored this option to date.

 10.15 71F/22C. Humid and overcast with occasional drops of rain. I have just finished strimming both sides of the drive. Then running the big Makita mower over the debris with the basket fitted. To pick up as much as possible. The batteries needed recharging. 

 I really ought to grass rake it all clean but am I too tired for the moment. The robot mower has already discovered the exciting new boundaries and is exploring. I shall have morning coffee while I have a rest. The robot mower has gone back to recharge. Saying that it has completed the mowing task. I have switched off the heat pump at a comfortable 73F indoors. Temperature is entirely subjective.

 10.40 Sunshine! I have sent the mower out again from indoors. The security cameras are not being triggered by the robot for Playback. Yet it reliably picks out birds and cats. I have reset it to "All Movement." That didn't help. I may have to increase the sensitivity of detection. 

 While I was exploring the mower's menus I discovered the map can be rotated 90º. Which makes more sense with a long, narrow mowing map. Not that many other users will have such extreme areas of "lawn."

 11.30 I became dizzy just from looking at both computer monitors and the phone. I shall definitely be seeking a new optician to have my eyes tested. 

12.30 80F/27C. Bright sunshine. After a short nap I have raked both verges. To remove the grass left by strimming and mowing. A bit breathless but I managed. I need to keep exercising within my ability. I have also expanded the edges to be cut on the Eufy mower app. The mower is much more interested in the edges now. It's not ideal because of the luxurious plant, tree, hedge and weed growth on each verge. None of which I own. The bare gravel is recorded and avoided by the mower. Though it can be ordered to mow any area by choice. Or avoided if desired.

 The mower is showing increased determination to explore and mow these edges. Even if it is hesitantly at times. Once it has covered this new ground it records its coverage and adds it to the map in its memory. Patience and considerable preparation certainly pays off. Most of this work only needs to be done once. Moreover it would have been done [and repeatedly] using the normal mower and strimmer routine anyway. Just as I have done for years. Now the Eufy mower will cheerfully do everything automatically.  

 Heavy duty and professional robot mowers will overcome most obstacles. Though usually by demanding alternative means of location. Always at hideously extra cost and tiresome set-up time. Fine for those with the land and depth of pocket to match their needs. Most gardeners just want a neat lawn. Without exhausting their free hours in tedious repetitive chores under a hot sun. Or trying to catch up when the lawn gets away from them. How do you value your free time relative to the cost of investment?

 17.00 80F/27C. Bright sunshine. Giving the robot another run at a lower cutting height. 

 Dinner was salad. With tuna. Plus eggs this time. 14 minutes simmering after being lowered into boiling water. Then cooled in cold water for five minutes to aid peeling. They were perfect. Sliced like a dream. No salad cream. More is on the way.

 

 ~?~

27.06.2026 Not again?

 ~?~

 Saturday 27th 72F/22C [6.50] Bright but a milky sky. Winds light from mostly a southerly direction. A high of 32C/90F is expected. 

A sweaty 75C/24C in the room. I have switched on the heat pump. Set to 20C. It is 72F/24C in the greenhouse. Despite it being wide open all night. 

Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night. I was too warm at one point but pushed the light duvet off. Only to need it as I cooled off. I'll try a sheet tonight. My forearms are still pink after yesterday's ride. I'll buy some after-sun. I am still coughing. No ill effects from yesterday's ride.  

 I have to go to the pharmacy. Having run out of some tablets. I hope I don't need a new prescription. The doctors surgery is closed at the weekend. 

 Now I need to water the outdoor plants. Done. I lowered them to the ground from their stands. I thought it might be cooler for them.

 9.15 84F/29C. Uncomfortably warm even in the shade. I went for my first walk since my fall. Taking the usual shared drive to get away from the road and traffic. Not that there is much on Saturday mornings. The small, hairy guard dog came charging towards me. As I was standing and chatting to a lady neighbour. 

 The dog's owner came along and the dog retreated. I did not not want to cause any further disturbance. So I turned back. The sward on the new paddock, between the two drives, is looking superb. All thanks to the Husqvarna robot mower. 

 When I came home I monitored the mower. As it mowed the grass yet again. I have gone back to the tall mast and the longer cable at the far [west] end of the greenhouse. Yesterday I was leaning a pole against the drive end of the greenhouse. To be sure of a good signal. Fortunately the mower could still function despite the much greater distance to the Wi-Fi Access Point. I am hoping to have a good signal on the West lawn. 

 I have discovered that the robot is afraid of long stalks of overhanging grass. It seems to avoid them every time. So I need to go along with the strimmer if I want cleaner [mown] edges to the drive. It keeps exploring the verges but the sheer roughness of the weed growth is inhibiting it. 

 9.30 The room has dropped to a more comfortable 71F/22C thanks to the heat pump. Currently set to Cool 20C/68F. It is becoming more breezy outside. I shall have morning coffee and then go shopping. Probably in the car. Or not.The Morris battery was flat. Some idiot had left the lights on! I went on my bike. 

 10.30-11.30 90F/32C.11km. Everything was going well until I started feeling dizzy at the checkout of the second supermarket. Both shops had air conditioning. So felt pleasantly cool. Going outside was like walking into an oven. I sat on a stack of compost bags in the shade for a few minutes. Wondering if I was going to be able to balance safely on my bike.

 It seems I was. So I selected Turbo for maximum speed with least effort. Hoping for a cooling effect from the headwind. It was more pleasant riding through the cool tongue of forest. Too hot everywhere else in full sun. It clouded over just as I reached home. Typical!

 I splashed my face, arms and neck with cold water. Which helped me to cool more quickly. I just finished my 4th glass of water. In addition to the usual tea and coffee. It's a pleasant 71F/22C in the room. I'll have a lie down. It was too cool. So I reset the heat pump to 22C.

 14.30 94F/34.4C! After a nap I had lunch. As I was scrolling though YouTube videos I started to get dizzy again. So I had to stop and have another lie down. 

 Then I remembered that I had to tip my head back. To see what was on the top  shelf at the supermarket. My usual cooking oil as not on display again.  This same head movement used to trigger dizziness years ago. Back when I was building my observatories. 

  I have attached the smart battery charger to the Morris Minor's battery. It was unbelievably hot outside. Like a walk-in fridge at 73F/23C indoors. I have the air direction blades pointing along the room towards the stairs. It is cooling the whole ground floor effortlessly. 100F/38C in the greenhouse.

 15.00 It has suddenly  become heavily overcast. There are thunder storms with lots of lightning to the west! These will probably reach us at 16.00. 

 Dinner was four sausage rolls. I wasn't really hungry. They were very filling! Two would have made a meal.

22.10  72F/22C. More thundery storms are likely tonight. Some very powerful gusts and heavy cloudbursts were measured over west Fyn today. Over 40mm of rain and gusts exceeding 30m/s. It is 76F/25C in the room now and it feels cold! I had to turn off the heat pump because it felt so chilly. Or rather, I did. Temperatures will fall to more normal levels during the week.

 

  ~?~

 

 

 

26.06.2026 Friendly robot +51km x 87F/31C!

 ~?~

  Friday 26th 60F/16C [6.50] Unbroken sunshine and 29C/84F. With a nationwide heatwave warning. Still much cooler than elsewhere. Expected to be hotter still at the weekend. 

 Sharply angled railway bridge near Grønnemose. The old main road to Odense will eventually pass beneath. 

 A comfortable night at 68F/20C in the room thanks to the heat pump set to Cool and 20C. It was 75F/24C at bed time. I could feel a slight cold draught on my face in bed but it was not unpleasant.

 All the internal doors open and several windows left on the catch for ventilation. Even the kitchen was 21C/70F this morning. It has been around 75F/24C most days. I slept well. Apart from the usual attending to the fire bucket.  The heat pump has been switched off again this morning.

  I am coughing more. With an unpleasant taste in my mouth. So I have restarted the penicillin tablets. Having checked with the doctor while I was there yesterday.  

 The outside plants have been watered. Before it gets too hot. 

 I really want to go for a ride today. I'll head north and check the progress on the massive earthworks for the new railway. It is some time since I visited the many sites where there are road crossings. With lots of newly cast bridges and cuttings. I shan't go too far though.

 The old main road approach to the skewed bridge. 

Success! I reset the Wi-Fi Access Point and robot mower. With fresh passwords. Existing maps deleted. Whereupon I was rewarded with mapping with mowing. Previously, Eufy owners would have to wait for the time consuming mapping before starting to mow. One still has to monitor the mower. In case it gets bogged down in a hole or can't avoid an obstruction. 

 So far it has mapped and mowed 12m^2 in 10 minutes and automatically returned to the base station for charging. It has the growing map area showing on my phone screen. With the mower shown as a moving rectangle. I have parked two recycling bins across the far end of the drive to avoid random visitors running over the mower. The central grass strip has been cleared of debris.   

 I have now activated live video. From the mower's onboard cameras. It is expanding the initial map. Which only reached the greenhouse. Remote control with an on screen joystick! I sent the mower to the far end. It refused to mow. Saying that it was off the lawn. I need to do some homework on map expansion. 

 The new railway track, near Ejby already has ballast over a long, rural stretch. The motorway runs over the further bridge. Its sheer width is lost here.

 The phone even shows the charge on the mower batteries. And a paler stripe on the lawn map where it has already mowed and the percentage completed. All thanks to AI vision. The downside is if it recognizes tall grass as an obstruction. I ought to have run the ordinary mower along to get rid of the tall dandelions. Which had grown up since I first played with the robot mower.

 9.45 Getting the e-bike ready for a ride. I'll have morning coffee before I leave. Make sure I am topped up. I am already on my third glass of water. I'll wear the obscenely expensive Assos bibs out of respect for my lack of recent mileage.

10.30 77F/25C. Full sunshine. Off we go! 

 13.10 87F/31C. Back from a 51km ride. Hot and tired. Arms and legs aching from early on. I have lost some fitness. I drank two micro cartons of organic apple juice. The Bosch Nyon computer head lost an information screen. My favourite. With Cadence [pedal rpm] and speed in large digits. I have forgotten how to set these screens. So I'll have to do some online homework.

 14.30 84F/29C. It's like an oven out there! I have now mowed the drive with the battery, push-along mower. Six lengths! To give the robot a chance. I am watching progress on the phone and on the security cameras. Will the robot voluntarily explore the drive now it is mowed short?

 It is certainly pushing the boundaries but is rather hesitant. It is currently widening the map to take in the verges. Which I have just shortened. It is a shame the phoned doesn't do auto-rotate for landscape viewing. It was making excellent progress along the drive. Then decided to return to the charging station. I have sent it out again. All control is remotely from indoors. Via Wi-Fi on the Eufy app on the phone. 

 17.15 I had a nap and then let the robot run up the drive again. It is still pushing the far end. Then turning back to tidy up areas it has missed earlier. This is all part of its programming. It's been good fun now that it is behaving properly. My own fault I think for confusing passwords. 

 I am presently cutting at maximum height of 75mm/3". I am not sure I need to go any lower. I'll try 65mm. Just to see if it looks any different. I have now set the cutting stripes to auto-rotate. To allow for the gentle kinks and curves in the drive. 

 I have seen the big Husqvarna robotic mower from time to time. Working on the neighbours' extensive grounds at the rear of Chez Hovel.  The quality of the sward was amazing when I passed on my bike this morning. I haven't walked along there to look since I had my fall. 

 So their robot has obviously been busy in my absence. Repetition of mowing is the magic ingredient. It suppresses the weeds and leads to tighter growth of the grass. Without having to run a large tractor and mowers over it. While avoiding the inevitable damage from the great weight and tire treads.  

 Dinner sardines on toast. 

 15.30 Black sky with fierce, gusting winds! A storm front? I have shut the greenhouse doors and skylights. It is almost dark indoors. 

 15.46 First flash of lightning. 15.48 First thunder. 15.50 Heavy rain. 15.53 Torrential rain! We are unlucky. Right in the path of the storm.

 16.00 Constant lightning and frequent thunder. This will last for half an hour according to the DMI. Grr! All the outdoor plants have blown over. 

 

  ~?~

 

25.06.2026 Round and around.

 ~?~

   Thursday 25th 9.30. Warm sunshine. Breezy. Reaching 26C late afternoon. Room at 73F/23C.Greenhouse at 70F/21C.

  I woke up at 6am feeling dizzy. Tried to go back to sleep but every time I opened my eyes the world was rotating.

 Feeling nauseous. I just made it to the toilet. Where I threw up once into a bucket. There was just clear fluid from the glass of water I'd had earlier. Which didn't make it any less unpleasant! I sat there for an hour and half trying different exercises at intervals. [Semonts or Eppley Maneuvers. There are lots of different names.] These are supposed to help with dislodging inner ear crystals. 

 Finally I wobbled back to bed and slept until 8.30. I have made an acute appointment with my doctor for 11.10. The spinning has stopped but I dare not have any breakfast. I am sipping water and cool tea. My right ear is making bubbling sounds when I swallow. 

 Still coughing now and then. Temperature 34.3C. Suggests mild hypothermia according to Google. I was feeling hot in bed. The bathroom is at 22C. So I shouldn't have been chilled by being out there for so long. 

 I have just watered the outdoor plants. I couldn't risk losing any more. I should plant them out into the garden somewhere. But not today. It is already 70F/21C outside. 

 12.00 76F/25C. Very hot in the car. Back from the doctors. I am to to visit an ear, nose and throat specialist. I have a headache. Not eaten anything yet. Back to bed for a nap.

 I wasted more time on the robot mower. It will not connect to the Wi-Fi. To show maps and allow changes. Yet it works independently. 

 Dinner was salad with tuna. I'd forgotten to buy eggs but the sheer quantity made up for it. Now I have run out of salad cream. It's not a stock item in Denmark but has to be ordered online. From British produce suppliers.

 

  ~?~

24.06.2026 The Visit.

 ~?~

  Wednesday 24th 61F/16C [6.25] Bright overcast with a light SW breeze. Another warm, sunny day is forecast. Reaching 27C/81F. Progressively warmer each day this week. Sunday is scheduled for 34F/93C! The room is at 72F/22C and I was too warm in bed. Alternating between pushing off the duvet and covering up again. The greenhouse is at 62F/17C. The greenhouse pond water is at 70F/21C. Despite the skylights, open end doors and shade net. I ought to add the second shade net.  

 Up at 5.30 after a sweaty night. I am going to try setting the heat pump to Cool and 18C/64F to see if it helps. Not until I dropped the set temperature to 16C/61F. Now I can feel a cool breeze. The thermometer is showing 10C/50F in the airflow and still dropping! 8C! I have increased the desired temperature to 18C/64F. Still blowing at 10C/50F.

 I had another dizzy spell yesterday evening. I was fine until I went back to the computer. To add details of dinner and a picture. My vision suddenly started spinning. Low blood pressure because my stomach was working hard on digestion? Who knows? I lay on the bed and it slowly passed.

 I am expecting a visit from the nice young lady from the Council's, elderly support service. Later this morning. I haven't seen her in ages. She was instrumental in dragging me out of the shock and depression after my wife died suddenly. Now four years ago. I got in touch again after my recent fall. With concerns for my relative isolation in the event of another fall. Perhaps out of sight of any of my neighbours. There are schemes for volunteers to ring every morning. Just to check all is well.  

 8.00 I am working steadily to clear the endless clutter which always gathers around me. As if I had my own gravitational field. The round, sponge strip is easy to fit. To quickly get a tidy appearance around the new doors. Better than the naked rock wool strip which the carpenter fitted and left me with.

 The heat pump airflow is down to 7C/45F and still falling. Which is pleasant but very slow to lower the room air temperature at the computer. Currently 70F/21C and dropping very slowly. Not that it needs to be chilly. Greater comfort being the only sensible goal. I have the upstairs windows on the catch to try and get a chimney effect. Or a cross flow between the windows. Without insects getting in.

 8.40 I have watered the indoor and outdoor plants. Vacuumed the ground floor. Cleaned the toilet. Next is mopping the tiles in the kitchen, bathroom and fireplace. Done.

 10.00 71F/22C. Cloudy. As ready as I'll ever be. Washing up done. Showered. Cleaned and scoured the sinks. Two lots of laundry done. 

 11.30 The nice young lady has left after an hour of chatting in Danish. I shall register for a morning phone call from volunteers.  

 I have run out of essentials for lunch. Should I ride or drive? 

 13.10 Returning with two, full carrier bags from the village supermarket. It felt like an oven going back out to the car park. The car was hot too. Even with the windows open. 

 14.00 82F/28C. Sunny periods but rather cloudy and breezy. 

 18.00 80F/27C. Full sunshine. I have been dozing on the computer. It is 75F/24C downstairs. I have switched the heat pump back on the cool the room. Fan speed only on 1 to reduce draughts. Temperature set to 19C/66F. Airflow currently at 8C/46F. Now 5C/41F. It fires the cold air upwards at about 45º. Chilly! 

 I can park the armchairs in front of the floor unit. To force the cold air upwards. That helps. I shall raise the set temperature to 20C/68F. It actually feels too cold now! Reset to 22C/72F. I need a jumper! The airflow has risen to 16C/61F. 

 I have had to put long trousers and a jumper on. The room temperature hasn't changed yet but it feels quite cold. 27C/81F in the kitchen. I can go out there and get warm again. It's a toast day. Mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. With halved cherry tomatoes.

  

  ~?~

 

23.06.2026 Robot Wars!

 ~?~

  Tuesday 23rd 58F/14C. Bright overcast. We are promised wall to wall sunshine and 24C/75F in the late afternoon. 70F/21C in the room. 61F/16C in the fully open greenhouse.

 Up at 7.45 after a 6am attempt failed dismally to lift off. A quiet night punctuated by strange dreams. The last one I remember was about a desert filled with giant loudspeakers. It sounds about right.

  9.00 62F/16C. Full sunshine. From a milky sky. I have just been out to water the outside plants. Using a large, green, plastic watering can. It has lasted for years out of doors. The garden is full of birdsong. The overgrown grass is damp with dew. I shall be visiting my English friend. However tempting, I shall not be riding there on my e-bike. 

 13.20 Back from visiting my friend. We had a pleasant chat, with coffee and Danish pastries. Under a huge umbrella at his outdoor table. Before wandering around his extensive garden. 

 I passed several heavily laden touring cyclists. Including one on a mid wheel sized bike. About 20" wheels at a guess. I was going  to stop and watch him pass but there was nowhere handy to park. 

 17.15 75F/24C. I have spent hours this afternoon. Trying to get the robot mower to work. It would not connect to the Wi-Fi. Despite having done so straight out of the box last time I tried. 

 Dinner was an excess of chips, a short serving of chicken and peas. It was the last of the chips so I used them up. Probably a mistake.

   

  ~?~

 

 

22.06.2026 Just more gallivanting.

 ~?~

  Monday 22nd 57F/14C [7.40] Wall to wall sunshine promised. Peaking at 22C/72F with a light northwesterly wind. 

 72F/22C in the room. 55F/13C in the greenhouse. With both end doors and all skylights open. I am trying to limit the temperature of the pond water.  It reached 73F/23C yesterday but has dropped back to 70F/21C overnight. The greenhouse doors are steel screened against animals and insects while allowing the free flow of air.

 Up at 6.45 after what should have been a quiet night. I was coughing in the night and felt dizzy at times. Remaining a little wobbly when I got up. Taking care to move slowly and drink a glass of water before starting to make breakfast.  

 I was planning to have a gentle ride into the village this morning. To do some light shopping. I haven't been out on the e-bike for ages. I feel it would do me good. Rebuild my confidence in my mobility.

 I have an appointment at 14.00 at the city hospital for a follow up to my ongoing heart treatment. I shall have to drive there. 

 8.30 60F/16C I brought the recycling bins back. Then wandered up and down the drive. Mapping Wi-Fi signal strength. Using the WiFiman app on my phone. I am feeling quite a bit better now. After earlier fuzziness. 

 10.30 Pleasantly warm. Back from a half hour, 11km, shopping ride to the village. No problem. Apart from saddle discomfort. No padding! It was good to be out again. Clear the cobwebs. The countryside is lush. The warblers shouting their little heads off today.

 17.00 71FF/22C. Back from my trip to the red light district. Aka: Odense. Home of universally red traffic lights. No pure bred Dane has invented sequencing yet. Sop they are at least 50 years out of date. They had sequenced lights in the UK long before they invented roundabouts. 

 I had a nice chat with the specialist nurse. All in the medium of Danish. She suggested I just do more of the same. Exercise. Keeping busy. Not talking poor Danish.

 On the way home I shopped for round, sponge, sealing strip for the doors. Plus some silicone sealer. The carpenter would have been back by now. To finish the job. If he had any morals. Or anything resembling a conscience. 

 The problem is that these types will always take an easy con. The lazy way out. Instead of opening themselves up. To multiple, well paying jobs from the same customer. I had ceilings, walls and other doors and windows. All needing his skilled attention. I pointed out what needed doing. While he was here. 

 He chose the quick and dirty con. He was talking about starting his own business. It would always be one job at time. Never able to go back. Never enjoying word of mouth recommendation. Never sure who the next mark would be. Living hand to mouth. Until his wife left him. He lost the house but kept the car.    

 Dinner was boiled eggs on toast. It was supposed to be omelettes but it all went horribly wrong. I'd dropped the whole eggs into the boiling water without breaking them first. Thinking about something else.

 

  ~?~

21.06.2026 One step forwards..

 ~?~

  Sunday 21st 61F/16C. [6.40]  Bright overcast. Another warm and mostly sunny day. Peaking at 23C/73F. A northerly breeze. 74F/23C in the room. 63F/17C in the greenhouse with the doors and skylights open.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet  night. Though I was too hot at times under the summer duvet.

 8.15 I am going to drive into town to buy a 20m network cable for the Wi-Fi Access Point. I can't reach outside with only 10m of cable. I shall do some shopping while I am there. There are no longer any local branches of certain supermarkets. 

 10.00 68F/20C Full sunshine. Back from Assens. The entire town center seemed to be blocked off. Only my experience of riding and driving there for decades allowed me to find my way to the various supermarkets. 

 11.00 I have mounted the Access Point on a windsurfing mast. Plenty of height without having to climb up high. 

 11.30 71F/22C. That was disappointing. The AP isn't reaching along the drive. Despite having a clear view. It even dropped the signal. Which it didn't do yesterday. I am hot, sweating and breathless. Just from walking. Now what?

 I continued until the software accepted the Access Point. The results were better.

 Two recycling bins had to be dragged along to the junction. 

 Sunday Dinner was chicken, peas, carrots, mashed potato and gravy. I washed up while it cooked. 

 

  ~?~

 

 

20.06.2026 Wi-Fi Access Point.

 ~?~

  Saturday 20th 66F/19C. Overcast, overnight rain. Thundery shower possible. Brightening later. Peaking at 26C/79F. 72F/22C in the room. 69F/21C in the greenhouse. The southern house windows are wet from rain blowing through the greenhouse skylights. I don't remember that ever happening before. 

 Up at 7am after a fair night attending the fire bucket. I have coughed a couple of times but nothing dramatic. I hope I am finally on the mend.

 8.00 My parcel arrived. I can play with the outdoor Wi-Fi and robot mower at last. It was interesting to see the car appear earlier. Thanks to moving the camera. I shall definitely move it further. 

 Hours later I am still struggling to make the new toy work. Meanwhile the software App will no longer launch. Probably password confusion. I deleted the app and it all started working.

So I did a walk along the drive and around the West Lawn. To scan the Wi-Fi signal using the WiFiman app on my phone. This is with the new Access Point hanging upside down, upstairs on the landing. I really need a 20m network cable to reach a better position. Preferably outside, to avoid attenuation from the roof. 

Now I have to go shopping. Having run out of essentials. No rolls left for lunch and no milk.

 I went shopping and came back late. Had lunch and then felt fuzzy. Needed to lie down.

 The afternoon was spent trying different things with the Wi-Fi. Wandering up and down on the drive. The same old fart on the security cameras. Scanning for signal strength. With the Access Point in various positions indoors.  

 As I made a proper dinner last night I went for toast again. I feel it eases the burden. Not in cooking but in stuffing my face. So dinner was cheese on toast. 

  

  ~?~

 

 

 

 

19.06.2026 The sun has got his hat on.

 ~?~

  Friday 19th 65F/18C [7.20] Bright overcast and breezy. A warm day with sunshine is promised. It could reach 28C/82F by late afternoon. A light southerly breeze. 

 Up at 6.45 after a fairly quiet night. I am only dizzy when I cough.

 Still no parcel containing Wi-Fi access point. When do deliberate lies about delivery times become blatant fraud? The website said 2-3days. It is now 6 days from ordering and no updates. Not since the delivery service changed their tracking notice yesterday. After admitting receipt of the parcel from the "remote warehouse" at around 14.00.   

 It gets worse! A DAO delivery car has just delivered a pamphlet but not the parcel. Did they forget? Was the parcel even in the small private car they were in? Customer service telephones open at 8am. I expect there will be a long queue. 

 One short phone call later: They must have used my phone number to trace the parcel. It might be delivered today or it might be delivered tomorrow. They couldn't say. Eeny meeny miny noe? 

 DAO has now updated with a message to say the parcel will be delivered over the weekend. Despite it being in their possession since Thursday. Despite their saying it wold be delivered yesterday. Despite saying it would be delivered overnight last night. Despite the fact they were delivering this very morning to my postbox. 

 11.30 78F/26C. Bright sunshine. It feels like an oven outside. The outdoor plants had a much needed drink. I have opened the end door to the greenhouse. To push some warm air out of the open skylights.

 I have also been trimming the overhanging hedges along the drive. Where they were encroaching over the roadway. Only as high as I could comfortably reach with the hedge trimmer from the ground. 

 The protruding branches were blocking the front security camera's view along the drive. I may move the camera further over the greenhouse. To improve the view towards the end of the drive. Which bends twice over its 100m length.. The limitation to moving the camera is the first greenhouse skylight. Not to mention my comfortable reach from a ladder. Of which I am increasingly wary. I could be lying there for days or nights if I fell. 

 Success! I can now see the far end of the drive to the T-junction. I'll move the camera further along when it isn't so hot. For a clearer view of the junction. To better monitor the robot mower. I may be able to fix the camera mounting even further along by opening a skylight and sliding it out of the way. 

 I am struggling to mount the camera so tight under the gutter. I ought to mount the camera on a scrap of plywood. Then it will be far easier to choose a spot for the camera. With the fixing screws already in place.

 12.15 I was suddenly dizzy. Too hot? Overdoing it? I have been sipping water for hydration. I lay down for ten minutes and the dizziness passed.

 I had a call from my contact at the County Council. She mentioned a safety telephone call system. A short morning call from volunteers to ensure all is well. For the elderly who live isolated and alone. She is going to visit me next week for a chat. 

 Dinner was fried chicken, mushrooms and tweggs on toast.  

 

  ~?~

18.06.2026 Spinning.

 ~?~

  Thursday 18th 59F/15C.[7.30] Overcast, brightening later and warming up. Reaching 23C/74F. Light westerly winds becoming breezier this afternoon. Gusting to around 8m/s. 66F/19C in the room. 62F/17C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 6.30 after a remarkably quiet night. After yesterday's long naps I feared hours of sleeplessness. I have coughed a couple of times but not that desperate trying to clear thick glue. 

A baby black elder. Planted by my babysitter. 

 I am expecting the delivery of a Wi-Fi Access Point. To boost the Wi-Fi signal out of doors for the robot mover. After initial tests I discovered that the mower could not reliably map the far reaches of the drive. The Wi-Fi signal hardly extended beyond the house. I could have used my mobile phone but decided against it.

 The router is now downstairs. Where once it was located upstairs in the rear dormer window. Of largely wooden construction and therefore transparent to radio waves. As was the observatory. Which gave me an excellent signal over in the dome. Now demolished and I have moved all the computer equipment downstairs. 

 According to the tracking the delivery company have yet to receive my parcel! Lies. damned lies and online sales platforms. The parcel arrived at the delivery agent's premises at 14.00 today! On the day of delivery! Here's a capture of the 2-3 days promised delivery on their own website. As part of an email AFTER I HAD PLACED MY ORDER! This is false advertising. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am still waiting for their promised email with dispatch details.

 As I was feeling a bit stronger today I have cleaned the pond filter of algae. The perforated cover has to be scrubbed with a stiff brush to make any progress. I used the hose and rinsed the internal filter mats as well. Then dropped the filter back into the greenhouse pond. I am now using the spray head to top up the pond. The level had dropped by 10cm due to evaporation. 

 I had a call from the Council heart physiotherapists in town. They want me to come in, next week, for a chat. Before deciding if I am ready for heavy exercise. My recent dizziness, coughing and heart problems are all being stored and shared in my online, health journal. 

 A truly valuable asset. Which avoids my having to update every new and existing contact. Moreover, I can read the journal myself online. To catch up on the professionals' reports when I am taken to hospital and released. I can also see my latest medication. 

 Which is often updated in the light of my changing health issues. Then communicated to the chemists. They can access my information on production of my health insurance card and verbal permission. The card is also a form of ID and readily accepted. The serial number includes one's date of birth. I have nothing but praise for the Danish health service and its use of technology. The staff are always so professional, helpful and kind. 

 Even the free parking at the hospital includes online registration of arrival. On a computer screen at all the relevant, outpatient clinics. Arrival at the doctors surgery is registered via a scan of the same health insurance card. The monitor calls you by name, time of your appointment and asks you to take a seat. No queuing at the receptionists window.

 It is all so effortless. Teenagers asking for cigarettes and booze at the supermarket are asked to show their card to prove their age. I have never, ever heard anyone complain about invasion of privacy. We were miles from home once and stopped at a routine police checkpoint. This was outside a vast, annual, car boot sale. I showed them my Welsh Driving License and they began to question my identity. The printed language was completely alien to them. So I showed them my insurance card and was waved cheerfully on. We belonged.  

 I started feeling dizzy so lay down for an hour. I am wondering if I need me eyesight checked. In relation to the time I spend on the computer. I chose a weaker prescription for my first "proper" reading glasses in 40 years. Though that doesn't explain the dizziness every time I cough. Which is a apparently a well known problem with lots of Latin names.  

 Dinner was tuna on bread rolls. There was just enough in one small tin. Two tins would have been excessive.

 

  ~?~

17.06.2026 Black beauty.

 ~?~

  Wednesday 17th 54F/12C [8.20] Overcast. Expected to be cool and cloudy. Then afternoon rain. Peaking around 16C/61F. SW wind going southerly. Gusting to 8m/s.

 Up at 7.40 after a weird night. Woke at midnight with my head spinning. I was going to get up at 6.40. Then it was 7.20 and I was coughing. 

 Sambucus nigra "Black Lace." A dark leaved Elder. It appears much blacker to the naked eye. Planted years ago in the garden. Always invisible behind a huge hedge. Until I removed the hedge. 

 I'd like to go for a short ride but don't feel safe. I started feeling dizzy again. So I went outside to get away from the computer screen. I even walked along the drive and brought back the recycling bin. 

 Still feeling dizzy. Lay down for an hour. 

 16.00 Same after lunch. Went back to bed. I have no idea how I will sleep tonight. 

 It rained during the afternoon and evening. Saving me the effort of watering the outside plants. It became quite breezy.

 Dinner was a lot of mashed potato with fried chicken and mushrooms. The idiot in the kitchen forgot to make gravy. He was too busy washing up a week's worth of neglect. 

 

  ~?~

16.06.2026 Not again?

 ~?~

 

 Tuesday 16th 51F/11C [7.00] Overcast morning brightening later. Peaking around 16C/61F. Dry with reduced, westerly winds. Gusting to 9m/s. 65F/18C in the room. 56F/13C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 6.30 after an unusually quiet night. The coughing seems to have stopped for the moment after returning yesterday.

 This rose hasn't flowered for years. Now it is struggling against brambles and other invasive plants. 

 

  I shall be visiting my English friend. Going in the Morris.

 13.30 Returning from my visit. Where we discussed outdoor Wi-Fi amongst many other things. My friend has years of experience with the equipment involved. I shopped on the way home. 

 I had another dizzy spell during the afternoon. Not nearly as bad as last time. I think it was triggered by scanning my pictures as thousands of thumbnails. I managed to reach my bed and repeatedly tried the Epley maneuvers. This seemed not to help. 

 So I went to bed and slept for probably an hour. I woke half way and the room was still spinning slowly. So I fell asleep again. I am feeling a lot better now. Interestingly, one of my blood thinners causes coughs as a common side effect. Another causes dizziness.  

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. 

 

  ~?~

 

15.06.2026 Lift off aborted!

 ~?~

  Monday 15th 53F/12C [7.00] Heavy overcast and breezy but dry. Westerly winds reducing slowly. 65F/18.3C in the room. 57F/14C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 6.15 after a difficult night. I was awake for a couple of hours. Coughing reduced again this morning. Noticeably deaf in my right ear again.

 I have a hospital appointment just after lunch in the heart department. For a follow up on my treatment and medication. I have been taking my blood pressure 9 times a day to provide some data.  

 Whoops. My appointment is cancelled. The  nurse who was supposed to see me has gone sick. New appointment pending. 

 Another day on YouTube. 

 Dinner was a chop with tweggs on toast. I broke one egg lifting it out of the pan. Oh the shame!   

 

  ~?~

14.06.2026 New cycle path started.

 ~?~

 Sunday 14th 52F/11C [7.45] Overcast. Another wet and windy day.

 Up at 7am after earlier motivational failures. 65F/18C in the room. 56F/13C in the greenhouse. Unusually cool after unusually warm weather earlier in the year. Still coughing.

 12.10 Torrential rain. It lasted for about five minutes. I spent the morning On YouTube. 

 And the afternoon. Not even a nap!

 Still coughing. Still getting dizzy. I shall discuss this with the heart department at the hospital tomorrow.

 The removal of the rails and sleepers of the long disused railway has begun. The route was part of the national rail network until 1966. When passenger traffic ended. Some goods traffic still ran until the early 1980s. 

 The track bed will be converted to a cycle and walking path. Providing a safe connection between Assens and Glamsbjerg. Three different companies will be responsible for particular stretches between certain villages. The route runs east to Ebberup before turning north. The old station buildings still exist. As does the remains of a barrier, from the distant past, on the road leading out of Ebberup. There would once have been a warning bell struck by a hand wound clock mechanism. 

 Once completed, the cycle path will have a total length of 17.5km. There are numerous schools [at least 8] along the route. Which will gain from a safer connection. There are some main roads to be crossed. Which will have to be safeguarded using light controlled barriers. The path will take about six months to construct. It is expected to be opened by December of 2026.

 Whoops I haven't taken the recycling bin along! Done.

 Dinner was sardines on toast.

 

 

  ~?~

13.06.2026 A Rest Day.

 ~?~

  Saturday 13th 55F/13C [7.30] A bright start but with westerly gales, rain and thundery showers. 65F/18C in the room. 57F/14C in the greenhouse. 

 Up at 6.30 after a disturbed night. I was awake for around an hour at 4am. Somehow I resisted getting up. Then it was 5am and then 6am. The cough felt as if it was over. Until I took my tablets and it triggered an eye-watering explosion of coughing. One of the nine tablets probably went down the wrong way!

 Still no chance of a ride. Still no chance to tame the West Lawn.   

I wasted the day improving myself on YouTube. I have been radicalized on outdoor Wi-Fi. Even placed an order for an outdoor access point.

 The afternoon was punctuated by very heavy showers. With sunny periods in between.

Dinner will be chops. I have no idea if the spuds are still edible. They were not. I washed up while dinner was cooking.

 Dinner was chops, tweggs on toast and mushrooms. 20 minutes in the frying pan produced a perfect chop. It practically melted in my mouth.

 

  ~?~

12.06.2026 Aah!

 ~?~

  Friday 12th 55F/13C [8.00] Overcast and breezy. Brighter start becoming cloudy with rain.

 Up at 7.00 after drifting for hours. I'd glance at the clock and go back to sleep. Several bouts of coughing. The last forced me to get up. 

 A huge, Labrador retriever sleeping in a local shop. It was very affectionate yesterday when it was awake. It loved being petted. Even sitting on my feet so I couldn't escape. I forgot to take a photo. So went back today. To find it guarding the till. 

 I need to go shopping slightly further away. There aren't local outlets for some things. Like coffee. Only one spoonful left! Panic!

 15.00 Going shopping in the Morris. My blood pressure is incredibly low at 97/74 Pulse 79. Measured a quarter of an hour after lunch after ten minutes of rest. Still coughing occasionally. Still causing humming and dizziness, black vision, with sparkling diamonds! 

 16.00 Back from the shops. It rained lightly all the time I was out. I tried not to cough. A gentleman was loading his Tesla Model S in the car park of one supermarket. I have never been sure how to decide which model is which. The "S" looked huge in comparison with the majority of Teslas I see on the roads. There really are a great many Teslas in Denmark. 94% of new car purchases are battery electric.

 I passed the Husqvarna robot mower. Which was busy on the school grounds. These large areas of grass border the main road. They are punctuated with snaking paths, parking spaces, trees, walls, inclines and deep undulations. The sward was absolutely superb! 

 Back when mowing contractors, or council workers [?] used sit-on mowers it was an unsightly mess! I sat and watched one idiot tearing up the grass on every curve and even making unnecessary rotations. Showing off? Who knows? He was leaving masses of untidy cuttings everywhere he went on the grass. 

 Fortunately Husqvarna mowers are more intelligent than immature gardeners. The repetition and light cuts of the robot have absolutely transformed the entire area. Just as does the Husqvarna on the back fields at home. It is busily transforming newly established paddocks into sweeping lawns.  

 I have just taken a bottle of wine around to my kind neighbour. Who rang for the ambulance when I had my fall. 

 Dinner was a cheese roll. I wasn't hungry. The roll was nicely fresh.   

 

  ~?~