9.07.2026 And don't call me Robby!

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  Thursday 9th 58F/14C [9.00] Overcast. It should be full sun again. It could reach 25C.

 Up at 7am after an unusually quiet night. 

 I had another dizzy episode. The word started spinning while I ate breakfast. I had to lie down for an hour. Stopped spinning but I feel sick. My usual coffee tasted foul. Trying a cup of tea. 

 Since I don't feel I can go out I have been running the robot mower. While it is certainly improving The West Lawn. Despite the bumps and hollows of the molehills. The robot's design philosophy has found its match. When the single front castor falls into a hollow the rear wheels become skid steer. They try to revolve in opposite directions. Which would usually work on a smooth surface. On such a lumpy surface as mine it ends up making matters worse. 

 The problem seems to be that it won't attempt to mow bare earth. Not even a small patch. The AI vision sees an obstacle. Which causes the software to demand an about turn.  So there is a lot of the "rotation on the spot" tactic. Which can leave it trapped if it sees more bare earth. Or a single tuft of grass. If it would continue over these flattened molehills. Then it could run far more smoothly and successfully. 

 This said, I am shocked how well it is doing on an admittedly very poor surface. The big Makita mower bogs down in every hollow. Despite having four large wheels. Its own weight is its handicap. Pushing it across the lawn is very hard work. Hence the purchase of the robot mower.

 If I brought in some topsoil. To fill in all the small hollows. Then the robot mower would not even try to mow these areas. Not in its normal [default] mowing mode. Not even if I raked and flattened the new soil to perfection. 

 There are options in the menus. To tell the robot to mow a complete area. Ignoring all obstacles below a certain height. I could try this while carefully monitoring its progress. This option did not prove to be as useful as I hoped. Instead of long runs it is is showing exactly the same hesitancy to cross bare soil. Even a patch as small as my palm and there are so many of them. 

 Another option would be to purchase a cheap garden roller. 50cm wide x 30cm diameter. 37 liters. Filled with sand or water. ~40 or 60kg. Wet sand would be a little heavier.

 13.00 I was feeling unwell again. So it was back to bed. Now I feel better than earlier. I won't bother with lunch.  Just a cup of tea.

 17.00 74F/23C. Another cup of tea and a marmo roll. The mower has been busy all day. With occasional returns to base to recharge. I have monitored it on the security cameras. It has triggered lots of recordings as an intruder. It is still set at maximum cutting height of 75mm.

 Dinner will have to be toast. Probably mackerel in tomato sauce.Which I haven't had for a while. And so it was. The supermarket's own brand is getting worse with each new can I open. Nowhere near a tin full of fish. Lots of visible fish bones. The tomato "sauce" is now so watered down it is clear! I didn't take any pictures.

   

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