24.02.2026 New stairwell curtain.

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  Tuesday 24th. Overcast and misty. Most of the snow has gone.

  Up at 7am. 

  9.00 Visiting my friend. Now that I can get out. Without fighting ice and snow in the drive.

 13.00 Returning from my visit. My friend had advised me on improving and varying my cooking. I need to do more baking. Rather than endlessly frying my dinners. I shopped on the way home. 

 14.00 38F/3.3C.The stove is lit. 64F/18C in the room. I have just hung the heavy, insulated curtain over the originals I had fitted around the open stairwell. 

 The latest curtain came from the local charity shop and is perfectly sized. To go the whole way around in one drop. So no more gaps. Nor rearranging the curtains every single time opening the door wafts them apart. The tight fitting to the ceiling leaves no room for warm air flow. As might occur with a conventional curtain rail and hooks.

 I simply stapled this new curtain to the plasterboard ceiling tiles. Just as I had done with the previous curtains. Leaving these still hanging doubled the thickness. The new curtain is also lined. So effectively triples the thickness relative to the originals. While the air space between the curtains acts as further insulation. 

 The appearance is a matter of taste. I feel the darker, metallic grey has less impact on the eye than the original off-white curtain. This new curtain cost me the equivalent of about £7GBP. If it further improves the efficiency of the stove in warming the room. Then it will have been money well spent.

 The room temperature stuck at 71F/21C all afternoon. Dinner was a fry-up of sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes and an egg. 

 

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