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Up at 7.30 after a busy night and weird dreams. I woke up shivering early on. So I had to put on a jumper and thick socks. No obvious reason for it. The room was at 66F/19C at bedtime. The stove was still going. No change in my bedding. I always shake my down duvet. Not particularly cold outside.
I need to go to Assens. I have a small mechanical problem with my hearing aids. The monofilament, ear retention guides are disintegrating. Possibly UV degradation? I'd like to make a ride of it but there will be a 10m/s [20+mph] headwind on the way. Increasing to 25mph as I near the coast.
I keep having flashbacks to former cycle rides. With a strange sense of nostalgia. Almost with sadness and longing. I covered so many thousands of miles per year on my trike. It was obviously highly addictive. Though often painful. I would return from a longer ride in a state of near exhaustion. I never took food or even water. Saddle soreness was my constant companion. Despite padded short, or bibs and a Brooks B17 saddle.
Even in my late 60s I was extremely competitive. If I saw cyclists up ahead. I would chase them down and overtake them if I could. Even though I was dragging three wheels and heavy baggage with me. They were often young and riding a bare few kilos of carbon fibre on racing tires. Carrying nothing but a credit card and GPS or mobile phone.
A difference of 30-40lbs against the trike. While I was riding on Schwalbe Duran Plus tires. They cured the puncture problem but were heavy and must have had higher drag. I used to have a huge box of inner tubes in the shed. From my endless punctures on ordinary HP tires. I'd wear out several sets of "road" tires per year. They could have cured the puncture problem decades ago. All it would have taken would be a ban on swapping punctured wheels on big races. End of problem if money and prestige mattered.
9.00 Time for a walk.
It was dark, raw and windy. I was shown a brief sunrise as I walked down the drive. Only to watch it become clouded over. I was facing the wind on the return journey. So I have decided to drive into town. It will be quicker. A Red kite was circling over the house as I looked across from the new drive.
12.15 Back from town. I'm glad I went in the car. The hearing aid centre was closed. So I went shopping. I bought some different screws to see if I can get more into the carport roof. Preferably before it blows away. I bought some demister spray for the Morris windows. The rear window steams up under most conditions. Apparently Morris is not taking returns under guarantee any more.
Oh, and I bought some plastic cutting boards for the kitchen. We use them all the time at cooking class. I had bought a small one from a supermarket offer but it is already showing cuts. So it has to go on hygiene grounds. I bought some normal sized boards in a pack of three. They didn't sell singles at the expensive kitchen shop.
My next task is to wheelbarrow the reserve logs in from the car trailer. There are none left indoors and it is only 61F/16C.
15.00 42F/5.6C. All is safely gathered in. Stacked near the house door in the greenhouse. The flakes stuffed into baskets for kindling. The trailer returned to the carport. 60F//15.6C in the room. The stove finally lit.
Dinner was chicken curry. No mushrooms. Basmati organic white rice. I made a modest amount instead of the usual mountain.
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