~?~
Monday 13th 62F/17C [6.30] 23C/73F in the room. 17C/ 63F in the greenhouse. Some sunshine promised but thundery showers are likely. Leading to 16mm or 3/4" of rain.
Up at 5.50 after a quiet night with some sleeplessness and weird dreams. I tried the single bed sheet and quickly went back to the lightweight, down duvet.
Still feeling a bit rough. My temperature is 35.6C. I don't think I was exposed to excess heat but I must get away from the screen. Before it triggers dizziness.
Dehydration and high temperatures must be taken seriously when one has a weak, heart circulation system. Dizziness is a symptom of overheating. Where the brain is denied blood circulation. I don't believe I have risked myself by overdoing it in hot weather. I usually retreat indoors. Simply because it is unpleasant to be active in what feels like being in an oven.
7.15 I have assembled the garden roller. With difficulty. Despite 70 years of experience dealing with mechanical problems. The handlebar tubes were inaccurately bent. So I had to resort to a Stillson wrench to press the overlapping joints together. Just to get the screws through the prepared holes.
Perhaps it truly was the work of a great designer genius. Hoping the plain nuts would still hold beyond the first use due to tension alone. The threads on the scraper bar were already rusty. Yet were supplied with Nylock nuts. Luxury beyond the dreams of avarice!
In practice the nuts were entirely unnecessary. Since the scraper bar was captive between the handlebars. Next, I have to fill the drum with sand. Or water. It's dry [tare] weight would hardly handle pastry. Not with any sense of urgency. That scraper will take ages before it is useful. It needs to rock into contact with the drum.
My dual computer screens are still playing silly bøgers. Certain apps open on the second screen. Others on the first. Some Windows features and queries open on either screen seemingly at random. Yes, I have clicked the box to say "This is my main display." I even swapped them around to no obvious benefit.
10.50 Back from two builders merchants. The first had no large masonry bits [drills.] The second added 20 miles, had lots of drills but were horribly expensive. I wasn't going to pay £90 British pounds
equivalent for a 40cm x 22mm. Just to drill one hole to the great outdoors. I ended up paying £35 for a similar 18mm drill. Big enough for my needs.
The DeWalt uses the SDS-Plus bayonet system in the chuck. Which made a number of the bigger masonry drills in my collection obsolete. Though they still fit normal hammer drills of course. The smaller drills lack the torque and brutal hammer effect. Which makes the big drill so incredibly quick and useful. Plus the non-rotating hammer effect for chisel use. Which isn't available on the DIY sized hammer drills.
I have discovered, somewhat belatedly, that the Morris Minor has air conditioning. A Tesla in a matching colour parked right next to me. There was a large notice inside. Stating that the car was a comfortable 70F. So no panic should kids or dogs be ensconced therein. I thought to myself: I can do that too! By fully opening the quarterlights a strong, cool wind is blown across the driver's naked arms and legs while underway. Nice!
11.45 Drilling the brick wall to 18mm was quick and effortless. Using the big hammer drill. I ran a 40cm x 10mm pilot and then a series of larger drills. 40cm was a good guess. It only just broke through. I had drilled downwards to avoid water finding itself inside.
The hammer drill was an excellent investment. I used it to drill through the kitchen floor for the 4" drainpipe for the washing machine. The drill was invaluable for clearing the cement and concrete below the new glazed door using chisel bits. The door is proving much easier to navigate with the telescope tripod. Instead of struggling through the entrance hall.
12.45 Running in and out and moving the furniture made me very breathless. My vision was disturbed. Everything was going white! So I had a half hour nap with the heat pump going. It had reached 24C/75F indoors. Already dropped to 22C and still falling.
A rather interesting design of 20m draw wire. The handle rotates freely around a peripheral slot. About £10 in a big shed DIY outlet. 13.15 78F/26C. It feels like an oven outside. Had lunch. Ready to start again. I need to find a length of tube. To sleeve over a joint midway along the 20mm garden hose. Which I am using as a protective conduit for the POE 20m network cable out of doors.
An old, tubular curtain rail will do nicely. It will be easier to pull 10m lengths of cable through the conduit than the entire length of 20m. Minus the naked cable at each end of course.
The required conduit length is 18m measured in straight lines with a taut fiberglass tape. 1.5m of bare cable. To have enough length indoors. Including the 40cm thickness of the wall. There is plenty of room in the hose. So I could try pulling the full length first. I found some very long zip ties to hold the hose firmly to the 3m tall, wooden pole.
14.35 Suddenly dark outside.
14.44 Tidying up outside and the first clap of thunder! Dash around to collect all the tools. Close the car windows.
14.55 First rain.
15.02 Torrential! The woods have disappeared completely. More thunder. The whole drive is bright with reflective water.
Dinner was salad. I had to wash up for half an hour first. Or there would be no clean plates, pans or cutlery. I forgot to buy cucumber.It didn't seem to matter.
~?~
