22.10.2026 Yummy!

 ~?~

  Thursday 22nd 49F/10C [8.15]  A cloudy day. With rain later. Peaking at 11C/51F. Windy from the south.

  A comfortable 22C/72F in the room. Heat pump remote set at 19.5C on the desk.

 Up at 7.40 after a rather disturbed night with weird dreams. Headlights shone into the room several times in the night. Presumably from neighbours at the rear coming and going. Very unusual. I hope there wasn't a medical emergency.

 Cooking class this morning. Some vital grocery shopping required. 

 13.15 Back from cooking class. Where I made a baked carrot dish with Timian. There were Danish meatballs, potatoes and a spicy vegetable stew. For desert there was an apple cake. All very tasty. 

 17.00 Back from the shops in another village. Three different supermarkets just to get basic groceries. The bananas were a black, inedible mush. Unfit to be on display!

 No dinner required. I ate too well at lunch time.

 

  ~?~

21.10.2026 Rubber fingers.

 ~?~

 Wednesday 21st 46F/8C [ 8.30] Overcast and showers. Followed by continuous rain.

 A steady 22.5C/72F in the room. 20C/68F in the kitchen.

 Up at 7.45 after waking at 7am. A quiet night.

 After a half hour chat with my minder. I switched on the bright light over my jungle. The 120cm tall rubber plant is leaning heavily towards the window. The Internet says to rotate such plants regularly. Out of ignorance I hadn't been doing that.

 There are three stems in one pot. Perhaps I ought to repot it. Using the huge bamboo support pole I bought. The current, plastic pot is only 17m in diameter at the top. Which always looked far too small to my unskilled eye. 

  The light was sold at a discount. As a builder's working floodlight. Using LEDs to provide a lot of light for comfortably low, power consumption. I fixed the support bracket to the boarded ceiling. Inboard of the south facing windows. Which are covered by the lean-to greenhouse and shaded in summer.

 10.45 Back from my walk. I was going much faster and more upright than usual. No breathlessness. The neighbour's mower was busy again after an absence. The fluffy Alsatian guard dog must be getting old by now. It turned its back on me and wandered away. It has never done that before. Despite years of turning its head away whenever I spoke to it.

 15.30 Following a quick search online. I have repotted the three stem, variegated rubber plant into a ceramic pot. Just one size larger. 22cm x 22cm With a 1.5m tall bamboo, support pole around 25-30mm diameter. I needed only two scoops of fresh potting compost. To fill the small gap around the original root ball. 

 There was no sign of root crowding. So it/they should not suffer from shock. Not with so little extra volume of new soil. I used a thick, soft cord to loop around the stems and pole for gentle support. I was completely breathless after carrying it back indoors. 

 The image was posed to simplify the background. The antique "bodgers" stool is concave in the oak top. So the whole plant can be leaned or leveled at will. If the plant grows even taller the pot can sit on the tiled floor. The advice online is to chop the plants head's off. To make them branch and bushy. I prefer the present "fastigiate" arrangement.

 Dinner was scrambled eggs on toast. With cherry tomatoes. That's what I am calling it and I won't hear any different! 

  

 ~?~ 

20.10.2026 Winter arrives in slow motion..

 ~?~

  Tuesday 20th 45F/7.2C[8.00] Overcast with showers promised. Easterly wind gusting up to 10m/s.

 A comfortable 22C/72F in the room. Heat pump remote still set to 20.5C.  

 Up at 7.20 after a fairly quiet night with repetitive dreams. I wonder if there is any connection to watching YouTube videos? Three pillows is too much. I'll try going back to two. 

 10.20 After my chat with my minder I went for a walk. It was chilly, windy and drizzling! Cruel and unnecessary treatment! No dogs again today. The abandoned restoration project grows more dilapidated each day.

 The neighbours' Husqvarna robot mower has everything back under control again. It was struggling the last time I saw it. Mowing a paddock that had got away from it during its absence. The mower was moving forwards just a meter or so then stopping and rattling. 

 Now the same paddock is trimmed in neat, amazingly straight lines. The mower itself was at its charging station. Presumably having a rest while it rains. Most mowers have rain protection for the grass. Which tends to stick and build up inside the machine. If it attempts to mow while damp.

 The kitchen has sunk to a noticeable 17C/63F. So I have turned on the oil-filled radiator. Just to take the chill off. The bathroom is am even chillier 14C/57F. So The small radiator in there has also been turned on. I am not aiming for comfort. Just a lack of discomfort. No point in heating a room in which I spend so little time. I only use the fan heater when I shower. So that is only a few minutes of electricity consumption.  

 Dinner is a salmon pasty, peas and chips. 

  ~?~

19.10.2026 Recovery.

 ~?~

 Monday 19th 42F/5.6C [8.20] Presently overcast. Sunny periods and lighter easterly winds promised.

 02.00 Getting sleepy. Going back to bed with three pillows. 

 I slept fairly well. Got up at 7.30.  Rumours of my demise are unfounded.

 8.20 Sitting in the doctor's phone queue to see whether I need antibiotics to avoid a lung infection. I am number six after the queue has dropped steadily from 16 at 8.00. I am coughing to clear my throat at intervals but without pain. 

 8.25 Down to number 5. 

 8.35 The receptionist suggested I need not worry. If I have no lingering symptoms. But to contact the doctor again if things should get worse. 

 Exercise therapy today. 

 12.30 Back home again. It went very well. No obvious ill effects from last night. I woked hard at the exercises to gain maximum benefit.

 No plans for any dinner. I still feel full and slightly nauseous. Only tea and a biscuit. Instead of my usual marmalade plastered roll with a mug of afternoon tea.

 Milky coffee and a biscuit for dinner.  Bed at 10.20 with three pillows stacked.

 

  ~?~

 

 

 

 

 

 

18.10.2026 Happy Birthday Tim!

 ~?~

  Sunday 18th 42F/5.6C [8.30] A sunny morning is promised. Peaking around 10-11C/5052F. Windy again, gusting to 10m/s from the east.

 Up at 7am after a quieter night. I decided to get up as I was wide awake. I put the washing up away as an exercise in self-discipline.

 A comfortable 22.5C/72F in the room. With the heat pump remote now set to 20.5C/69F. 

 No immediate plans for today. Another ride? I should have a walk. Preferably before descending into full zombie mode on YT.

 It will/would have been be my son's 59th birthday. I haven't a clue if he is even alive. No contact for over 30 years.   

 9.15 Back from my walk of the drive loop. Two neighbours were leaving in their cars. Presumably going to the bakers. No dogs or cats this morning. 

 It was really quite chilly in the wind. I went out bent over like an old man. Returned, looking slightly the less for wear. I gave the pony a handful of the special grass on this side of the fence. 

 If I do go for a ride I will have to wear one of my winter cycling jackets. Take the warmer gloves as well. Just in case.

 10.30 Back from a 10km ride to fetch some rolls. It was sunny but windy and cool. The battery dropped from 100% to only 27%. Something seriously wrong there!

 Dinner was toasted cheese on toasted bread rolls with halved cherry tomatoes. It was a lot to get through! I still felt full at bedtime! At 10.30.

 12.45 Unfortunately I had a second look at dinner during the night. While asleep I had a regurgitation and inhaled some of it. It was difficult and very unpleasant to cough to try to clear my windpipe. Without a very strong, burning sensation. So I got up and remained upright. While sipping and gargling sodium bicarbonate in water. 

 By 12.30 I had recovered somewhat and had already read everything I could find online. If it should become pneumonia my odds of survival were not very comforting.

 The advice was to ring the out of hours doctor immediately. Just to confirm my next step. Where I was advised to ring my own doctor in the morning. When I would probably be given antibiotics to avoid a lung infection. Meanwhile, the chances of sudden and severe symptoms were not something I should worry about. 

 01.00 I am still clearing my throat at intervals. The question now is how long I should remain upright. I have brought back the second pillow I had only discarded a couple of nights ago. And found a third. My low bedhead does not readily lend itself to sitting up in bed. I am incapable of pushing it any nearer the wall. 

 

  ~?~

17.10.2026 27km and the new bike path.

 ~?~

  Saturday 17th 46F/8C [04.00]

 A sleepless night. Attending to the fire bucket twice an hour. Got up at 03.45.

 Back to bed at 5.15. Up again at 7.15.

 A very cosy 23.5C/74F in the room. The remote was set at 21C overnight. I have reduced it to 20.5C/69F.

 A dry, sunny morning will allow a ride. The all day rain as been pushed forwards.

 12.15 Back from a 27km ride. I rode my usual Saturday morning trip to Hårby. A shopping village to my south. Then came back via the new cycle path. Though this meant a considerable detour to join it at the halfway point. It also meant I would be heading directly into the wind.

 A new section of the bike path, at Voldsmose, has been surfaced with the fine grey sand. Presumably with a binder. Probably clay. 

 I used the fresh, smooth surface as encouragement to join the path. The background in the two images show the delightful countryside through which the path passes.

  I actually came across the implement they are using to lay, level and smooth the surface material. Then later on the tractor and hopper. For feeding the material as the implement is towed along. 

 Judging from the deep indentations of footprints and tire grooves. There seems to be no serious compaction during the actual laying process.

 Though there was no sign of a road roller. As, I had seen in use nearer Assens. The last sections, nearer Glamsbjerg, have still not been surfaced. In fact they seem to have a flooding problem at the Glamsbjerg Old Station. Where a huge puddle has been growing for weeks. 

 Dinner was a chicken fry-up, with mushrooms and tweggs. 

 

  ~?~

16.10.2026 One treat short of a dog.

 ~?~

  Friday 16th 56F/13C [8.30] The forecast is wet, dark and windy. Almost continuous rain promised for two days. Southerly wind turning northerly.

 24C/75F in the room. The heat pump remote was set to 22C overnight. Now reduced to 21C.

 Up at 8.00 after several failed attempt at lift off. A rather disturbed night with repetitive dreams.

 After a chat with my minder I set off for my walk. It had been dark so far. With the hedge outside my nearest window rocking in the wind. However, once outside, the wind was hardly noticeable. My neighbours' dog was absent. So I didn't need to try the doggy treats. I was weak and slightly breathless to start but gradually improved.  

 The rest of the day was wasted on random YouTube videos. I was feeling tired. So had a nap despite dozing on the computer. I was feeling slightly fuzzy and head-achy all day. So when dinner time came around I wasn't interested in eating anything. I had a cup of tea and watched a US cops series on Netflix. 

It is nearly 23C/73F in the room but I still feel shivery. Despite the fleece jacket. I have adjusted the Heat pump remote to 22C.

 22.00 I have been having sharp heart pains while sitting watching TV. I've used three sprays of nitro under my tongue. I think the last one fixed it. I am going to bed early. I have left the door unlocked. In case I need to call an ambulance. Phone on charge near the bed. 

  

  ~?~

15.10.2026 22km and a bunch of exercises.

 ~?~

  Thursday 15th 50F/10C [8.50]  A rather cloudy day with sunny periods is promised. Reaching 15C in the late afternoon. Wind gusting to 10m/s from the SW.

 21C/70F in the room after turning off the heat pump at bedtime. When it was 25C/77F on the bedside thermometer. I have turned the heat pump back on now.

 Up at 8.10 after a rather disturbed night fighting with two thick pillows. I am experimenting with the pillows available to me. It is difficult to find pillowcases and even pillows in the UK format. The Danes use a square pillow. I still prefer the longer and narrower UK form.

 Another exercise therapy class today. I attend the Thursday class when I am not at cooking class. Which falls on alternate weeks.

 12.30 Back from exercise therapy and shopping in the village. We had the usual 15minute warm up on the exercise bikes. Then I worked my way around the various exercise machines. Rowing, pressing, all sorts. Even the treadmill. Which I have never had a chance to try before. I did ten minutes at 4.5m kph. Quite a brisk pace and faster than I would ever walk normally. It all went very well. I may go out on my bike later. I have forgotten my lunch time, raspberry jam yet again.

 16.10 22km. Back from the village supermarket. I went via the forest going both ways. The wind was slightly helpful going. More of a hindrance coming back. The road was closed to traffic at one point. Though it didn't affect me. 

 It seems the constant through traffic. Is causing damage to the historic, listed buildings. With repeated collisions being reported to the timber framed portals. Which allow traffic through the barns and other outbuildings. I hope they don't close the road to walkers and cyclists. The whole route is gorgeous.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms, peas and boiled potatoes. 

 

  ~?~

14.10.2026 31km with a crosswind.

 ~?~

  Wednesday 14th 49F/9C [8.10] A sunny day but windy again. Peaking at 14C/57F. Westerly wind gusting to 12m/s. Peaking around lunch time. 

 Up at 7.30 after an unusually quiet night. Though with dreams.

 No immediate plans. Other than a walk. 

 I had my morning chat with my minder. Before going for a walk. The wind felt strong at times but very localized. Bright sunshine. A chat with two goats. Work continues on the previously abandoned house on the road. Several cars and people moving around. It had been quiet for a few days.

 11.00 Getting ready for a ride. Both batteries are mid 80% charge. Either battery is plenty for a 30km ride.

 13.00 Returning from my 31km ride. As the wind was westerly I rode directly north and south. Up to the embankment adjoining the new railway bridge. Though it is close to the raised level of the bridge now. There is much going on behind the visible embankment. Where the motorway is closely parallel and also raised. 

 There is also work underway on the nearby industrial estate. Which once felt almost abandoned. Now has new buildings and large takeaways. 

 After that I turned around and headed straight back home again. I didn't bother to shop. It was mostly a crosswind. With a slight and helpful tailwind on the way home. Even pedaling hard in Sport Mode I still couldn't reach 40kph [25mph] downhill.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. I broke one lifting it out of the pan. Four minutes was just right for runny yolks.

 

  ~?~

 

13.10.2026 Knee-high IQ?

 ~?~

  Tuesday 13th 46F/8C [8.50] Grey day. Wet evening.  Peaking at 12C. Gusting to 14m/s from the south later. 22C/73F in the room. Heat pump remote set to 18C. Resting on the coffee table.

 Up at 7.30 after a quiet night. No visit today. 

 After my chat with my minder I went for my walk around the drive loop. No micro guard dog today. The weather was overcast and already too windy for comfort. Which put off any thoughts of a ride.  Wind is no fun on a bike. It pushes me sideways when I emerge from the shelter of a roadside hedge. Which greatly increases the risk when a sociopath brushes past too closely. 

Or, perhaps they simply have a knee-high IQ? They really aren't all evil tyrants in supposedly German made cars. Who think their "luxury" car purchase gives them a license to own the road. They may simply be too thick [retarded] to know how much harm their dreadful driving behaviour causes. 

 I notice recently that many of them have moved over to Teslas. Which have suddenly developed a habit of close passing. Can we we expect that full self driving will remember the 1.5m rule? Their current drivers certainly don't. Hence the notion that the brain dead, BMW/Audi brigade have gone full EV. 

 I spent the day semi-comatose on YouTube. Apart from working my way through the laundry at suitable intervals. Then dragging the damp stuff upstairs. To hang on the clothes airers. Well, I need the exercise. What an exciting life I lead!

 No afternoon nap. I was dozing at intervals already. 

 Dinner was fish finger and chips. I washed up while it happened.

 

  ~?~

 

12.10.2026 My kingdom for a QR Code.

 ~?~

   Monday 12th 39F/4C [9.00]  Bright sunshine all day.

  Up at 8.00. Dentist at 9.30. Therapy at 11am.

  12.15 Back from both. The therapy was a harder workout than usual. I always push myself to work hard. To get maximum benefit. If I'm not breathless then I am not trying.

 15.00  After lunch I drove into the village to post a parcel. Having prepaid the postage online. No QR code sent. So they couldn't accept the parcel. I wasted 15 minutes on the phone outside the packet office. Just to get a QR code sent via SMS.

 The Lady of the Manor turned up at 15.30. She stayed, chatting for a couple of hours.

 After which I had a half hour nap. 

 Dinner was cheese on fresh, wholemeal rolls and tomato soup. I didn't want to OD on Cheddar. So only added it to two halves and closed the rolls.

 

  ~?~

11.10.2026 A slightly chilly 16km.

 ~?~

  Sunday 11th  47F/8C [9.00] Overcast. A cloudy day with a few sunny periods is forecast. Peaking at 10C/50F. Breezy to 8m/s from the north-NW.

 A toasty 23C/73F in the room. I'll try setting 19C on the  remote. Instead of 20C.

 Up at 8.30 after a quiet night with dreams.  

 I'll have a walk after chatting with my minder. 

 Along the loop around the drives. The hairy, little, guard dog refused to let me pass. So the owner had to collect it. It was slightly too cold for bare hands.

 It is brightening to sunshine. I've had morning coffee. So I'll go for a late ride. 

 12.45 50F/10C. Back from a 16km ride to the village to shop. Back via the forest and the stately home. It was slightly too cold for bare fingered racing mitts. I had taken fingered gloves but was too lazy to stop and put them on. Mixed cloud and sunshine. The beech woods haven't turned to their autumn colours yet.

 Yet another afternoon on YouTube. I took the recycling bins along the drive. Tidied the carport. Sent the mower out for a run. Had a nap.

 Sunday dinner was chicken, mushrooms, peas, mashed potato and gravy. It was perfect.  

  

  ~?~

10.10.2026 Goats win!

 ~?~

  Saturday 10th 47F/8C[7.45] Rain and sunny periods. Windy from the SW. The hedges are already waving about.

 22.5C in the room. Panasonic HP remote set to 20C on the coffee table. I'll try moving the remote further away. 

 Up at 7am. Slept well between tending to the fire bucket.  

 No immediate plans. Rain and wind do not make for a happy [old] cyclist. '

10.15 I had a chat with my minder. Then went for a walk. A smart Ford EV was carefully parked at the end of my drive: With trailer attached. Ownership unknown and no sign of life at either abandoned property. 

 I pressed on along the main drive. Where I should have recognized the black sky and rainbow to the west. As a likely portend of approaching rain. Being surrounded in bright sunshine did not engage any of the usual warning signals. 

 So I carried on. Even as heavy, horizontal drops began to darken my cargo trousers. My breathing was already laboured by the time I reached the road. Though fortunately this soon pased.

 I managed the drive loop at a steady. Rather than a frantic pace. Though I was certainly picking up speed. As I climbed the drive on the embankment. One might even suggest a certain briskness towards the end. As the wind driven rain zipped across the road in bright droplets. 

 The goats had read the signs and had already gone indoors. Absolute proof, if any were needed. That goats are far more intelligent than some elderly human beings. Albeit based on a sample of one against three. 

 I would have repeated my gushing praise for their having reduced an impenetrable jungle to the almost manageable. The brambles were really looking the worse for wear! This after only a day or so. While the flock of chickens hadn't visibly dented their former play area of several months. 

 12.20 I have wasted the entire morning on YouTube. I could have risked a ride but decided I was too lazy. Given the changeable weather conditions. I am pretending to learn from the goats. Though I think I'll pass on the brambles for lunch. 

 Dinner was, an all too predictable, chicken fry-up. 

 

  ~?~

9.10.2026 Battery swap!

 ~?~

  Friday 9th 50F/10C [9.30] Overcast. A wet and windy day is forecast. Peaking at 11C/52F.

  Up at 8.15 after a quiet night. A toasty 23C/73F in the room. I have lowered the heat pump remote down by half a degree.

 Just had a chat with my minder. I intend to go for a walk before the rain arrives. 

 I need to go to the village for more tablets. 

 10.15 Back from my usual walk. A little breathless on the way out. It soon passed. I had a chat with my neighbour's goats. They have been moved into the chicken's former ground. Where they are doing an amazing job at removing the brambles and nettles!  I showered them with praise but they remained unmoved.

 12.20 I drove into the village to shop. I was gone only five minutes in the apotek but had left the lights on [again]. The headlights were dim orange and the engine wouldn't turn over. The old battery must have been running on fumes. So I rolled gently downhill and the engine fired. I parked the car on the flat where I could move around the vehicle. 

 Fortunately I had enough tools to remove the battery. Then found myself unable to lift the sheer weight of it. Being right at the back of the engine bay. With the hot water tap sticking up right in front of it. Somehow I managed to tilt the battery sideways and finally haul it out.

 Replacement took a few minutes and then I could go shopping. I have perhaps 100 assorted spanners at home but wasn't carrying anything very useful in the car. Sheer idiocy on my part! One of the only two spanners in the Morris oilskin folder. Was only just able to manage the four nuts involved. 

 15.45 Blowing a gale and tipping down. 

 Dinner was a salmon pasty, peas, pasta and tinned tomatoes. 

 

  ~?~

8.10.2026 The phone awakens from the dead!

 ~?~

  Thursday 8th 56F/13C [7.00] Rain this morning. Temperature dropping like a stone at lunch time. Wind blowing a gale from a north westerly direction. 

 Up at 5.30 after another sleepless night. 

 Cooking class this morning.

 One+ phone still playing the dying fly.  

 I don't know what happened but somehow I managed to restart my phone through Google. The screen was not responding until then. My thousands of photos were backed up to the cloud and my PC. Now appearing on the phone too. This will save me the considerable cost of a new phone!

 13.30 Back from cooking class. Where I made tomato. leek and onion soup. Which proved popular. There were seven of us today. 

 The car is behaving normally for the moment. The phone is catching up on apps and contacts. Not helped by my failure to take a note of a new password. Typed in haste, late at night and approved with a click.

 No dinner required. 

 

 ~?~

7.10.2026 My One+ phone brick!

 ~?~

  Wednesday 7th 52F/11C. Rain this morning clearing to sunny periods. Peaking at 17C. Modest easterly winds going southeasterly. 

 A tropical 23C/73F in the room. I have reduced the heat pump remote to 20C/68F and moved it further away from the indoor unit. 

 Up at 7.50 after quiet night. I am slightly congested. The Danish news reports cold-like symptoms doing the rounds. 

 Doctor and dentist appointments around lunch time. I need to change the car battery. 

 The car continues to start instantly. I am carrying the new battery to be safe.

 The doctor has given me an antacid. The new pills seem to give me acid indigestion.

 The dentist and nurse both cleaned my teeth. Almost simultaneously but it didn't come to blows. 

 My One+ phone has turned into a brick. Thanks to One+ well known fault. I have tried erasing all the data several times but it is demanding a PASSWORD WHICH DOES NOT EXIST. Again, this  another well known One+ fault. 

 Do I risk my money on a replacement phone by the same dodgy company? Those who are in still in denial of their well know faults going back for years. 

 Google popped up and wanted verification that my phone belonged to me. Once I had entered pages of text it sent a confirmation code to the damned phone! Which is a brick for all intents and purposes! Oh joy!

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. No pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. 

 

  ~?~

6.10.2026 62km and a new car battery.

 ~?~

 Tuesday 6th 56F/13C [8.30] Heavy overcast with rain this afternoon.  

 A comfy 22C/72F in the room. The heat pump remote is set to 22C/72F and lies on the coffee table. 

 Woke at 8am after an unusually quiet night with more weird dreams. 

 I shall be visiting my English friend. After missing last week due to his business demands. He runs a B&B.

 15.40 Back again after a 62km ride. The Morris's battery was flat this morning. Mild and light winds made for good cycling conditions. My friend also has a Bosch driven e-bike. So he offered to charge my battery while I was there. I left home with 65% charge. It was into the orange after 30km. I left his place with 55% charge. Barely scraped home with only 2km of range left in Tour Mode. A car overtook me in a 40kph/25mph village. As I was entering a supermarket entrance on the off side. Just another fuckwit.

 Now I have to decide what to do about getting a new car battery. 

 16.40 Back from town after buying a new car battery. By sheer luck the car fired on the first turn of the starter when I got home. It was completely dead first thing.  I left it to charge for a while before leaving. 

 The car ran out of petrol in the detour required between the industrial estate and the nearby petrol station. The entrance to the big shed retailers is a hideous mess! Cobbled. Sunken. One way only. So no exit. 

 The Morris's petrol pump was clacking continuously by the time I reached the petrol pump. I have put the new battery on the smart charger.  Before swapping it for the one in the car. Probably tomorrow.

 I have a doctors appointment and dental appointment tomorrow. An hour and 16km apart. Rain is forecast. So I didn't want to ride. I'd be late for the second appointment. Cooking on Thursday is even further away and even wetter.

 Dinner was a fry-up with the last of the sausage. 

 

  ~?~

 

 

5.10.2026 Sausage manglais?

 ~?~

  Monday 5th 55F/13C [8.50] Rather heavy overcast. Possible sunny periods between the clouds. Peaking at 17C/63F. Rather windy from the SW. Gusting to 13m/s [30mph] for hours.

 21C/70F in the room with the heat pump remote set to 19C/66F. AI says to hang the remote on an inside wall. There isn't anything suitable. Only the wood stove chimney.

 Up at 8.00 when my minder sent me a message.  I had a quiet night with more weird dreams. 

 Exercise therapy again this morning. 

 Back from my torture session. It went well. My legs are strong but my back isn't.

 I sent Euforia, the robot mower, out for a couple of tours this afternoon

 No afternoon nap. 

 Dinner was mangled sausage on wholemeal bread rolls. I fried one portion of sausages and realised it was not enough. So I used a plastic spatula to break up the nearly cooked remains in the frying pan. 

  

  ~?~

 

4.10.2026 33km and the embankment.

 ~?~

  Sunday 4th 50F/10C [9.25]  Bright sunshine. Sunny periods peaking at 15C. Light westerly winds.

 21C/70F in the room. Heat pump remote set to 18C/64F.

 Up at 8.45! After waking, dreaming and drifting. Another ride?

 10.15 Back from a walk around the drives on the back fields. A male pheasant was caught out in the middle of the newly sewn field. Without any local cover it dashed off to the far side. Quite a distance. 

 I decided to have an afternoon ride. Neither battery was fully charged. 

 16.10 Back from a 33km ride. Heading north up to the new railway track. Where the embankment seems to have finally reached the required height at the new bridge. 

 It was mostly bright sunshine but several large plates of cloud went over. There was a blustery crosswind for most of the ride..

 I shopped in the distant village on the way back. Still more roads closed for the district heating expansion. It seems to go on forever. I was directed to use the railway underpass. Which meant quite a steep flight of stairs. So I had to dismount. 

 Dinner was free range pork sausage, mushrooms and plum tomatoes. 

 

 

  ~?~

3.10.2026 39km in bright sunshine.

 ~?~

  Saturday 3rd 50F/10C [7.50] Mist clearing to sunshine and 17C. Modest southerly winds. 21C/70F in the room. It was 24C/75F at bedtime!

 Up at 7.20 after being too hot and lying awake in the night. I got up for an hour at 2.30 and sat watching YouTube.

 I should enjoy my Saturday morning ride today. 

 First I had a walk around the loop. It was quiet, sunny, warm and pleasant.

 13.25 Back from a 39km ride. I started on the untreated leg from Glamsbjerg to Voldtofte. Of the new cycle path. 

 Then I climbed up to the ridge overlooking the sea to the south. Where I photographed an old farmhouse my wife and I looked at. Years ago now. When it was cheaply for sale. It was very isolated. 

 A number of outbuildings have been demolished. A young chap was working on renovating the place. He vanished and the place remains as he left it. The view of the sea is blocked by the humped field in front of it. 

 Bright sunshine, very steep, but empty rural lanes and a gusty wind. Marked most of this section of my ride.

 I did some light shopping on the way home. No chicken breasts. Not unless I was willing to pay double for half the quantity in free range! 

  Dinner was a salmon pasty, peas and chips. 

 10.00 I have been watching TV. The heart pain returned. I used the nitro spray and the pain has gone. 

  ~?~

 

 

2.10.2026 As you were.

 ~?~

  Friday 2nd 56F/13C [8.45] Heavy overcast with showers. Clearing to sunshine after lunch. Light westerly winds. 21C/70F in the room. The heat pump has been on all night set to 20C in Heat Mode. It is currently blowing cool air at 19C! Odd.

 Up at 8.15 after a quiet night with dreams and lying awake. 

 I have a carport full of tools which need to be put away. They are safe under a heavy tarpaulin against any rain.

 14.45 62F/17C. The sun came out and the greenhouse shot up to over 100F. So I opened the skylights. 

 I have dragged all the tools in the carport back to the shed. There was a disappointing lack of new space with the lathe cabinet gone. I could go for a ride. 

 But didn't. Chest pain over my heart again. I had forgotten to take the new tablet at lunch time. I took it with a glass of water and was soon pain free.

 No afternoon nap. Perhaps sensible but unexpected.

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast. 

  ~?~

1st October 2026 My Smart & Brown [Sabel] Lathe has gone.

 ~?~

  Thursday 1st 54F/12C [7.00] A bright morning is promised. Followed by rain in the afternoon and overnight. Windy again from the east, south-east. 22C/72F in the room with the heat pump remote set to 20C/68F.

 Up at 6am after a fairly quiet night. With weird dreams again. I was stabbed in an unfair sword fight! Probably from watching too many Asian gangster series on Netflix. A ferret just ran across the drive.

 I have a potential overlap between selling my heavy, vintage lathe and exercise therapy. There is some tidying to do if the lathe is to be easily accessed and removed. Mostly lawnmowers and other electric gardening tools. 

 I don't want it all standing outside in the pouring rain. In the vague hope of somebody turning up with an army of enthusiastic weight lifters. I could house the overflow temporarily in the shelter of the carport.

 If I park the Morris alongside the carport. Then I could treat the tidying as an exercise in itself. It needs to be done. So I can actually get into the shed. Without having to clear a pile of stuff first.

 9.00 I have had to have a rest. Having cleared loads of stuff from the shed. Dragged two full wheelbarrows across the gravel to the carport. Nostalgia is welling up at the sight of my wife's gardening tools. Most of which I was prohibited from using. I was either "clearing the Amazon" or unable to follow direct orders.  

 I've been having a chat with my minder while I cooled off. Meanwhile the "gardeners" at the house on the road. Are beating a tin shed to death with sledge hammers. Prior occupants built scruffy sheds. No doubt the new people are having a proper clearance.

 It's odd to hear anything from that direction. This house is not far away but the view is completely blocked by all the trees. I hope they don't get too ambitious with the tree felling! Though I don't think they own the 30m wide, wooded strip between our boundaries. There is a stream there and the intervening ground is very wet. With mature trees forming a shelter belt between us. Which helps to block traffic noise.

 There are two houses left. Side by side. After one oder house was demolished. Their front doors are at road level. Built on ground which drops at 45º. So they look like bungalows from the front but have split levels. And probably need ropes and crampons to climb up from their steeply sloping, back gardens.

 I walked round and had a chat with the chap who is doing the work. With the aid of his family. I was given the guided tour of the large garden, the boundary stream, etc.. They plan to do a full renovation of the house. They are clearing all the sheds, shrubs, brambles and trees. It was interesting to finally see the arrangements. After living here for thirty years. Because of the drop to the garden it was impossible to see anything from the road.  

 11.45 Time for another rest. I have been sorting the original lathe parts. From the accumulation of accessories and tools I built around the machine. For all my different projects over the years. No point in hanging onto things I shall never be able to use again. 

 14.30 Finally separated everything into lathe relevant and personal junk. Cleared all the accumulated swarf. 

 There is some cosmetic surface rust from several years of standing untouched. Though not on the ways. Where it matters for accuracy. These are protected by a special oil. Vænge olie in Danish. Google doesn't have a direct translation. So I suppose "machine or way oil" will have to do.

 The rain isn't supposed to arrive until 18.00. 

 16.00 The buyer brought a younger and stronger chap with him. Even so, the lathe was incredibly heavy. Luckily they brought a low trailer. So there was no final lift. It just had to be rolled on and then pushed forwards. 

 There was nothing exciting on the floor behind the cabinet. I thought there might be. The snap is from the security camera as they drove away. The buyer lives in the next village north. About 3km away. I owned the lathe for at least 35 years. I shall miss it. Still, a major step in downsizing. What's next? 

 18.15 Heavy rain. Dinner was fish fingers, peas and chips. I'd forgotten to buy more chips. So the portion was a bit mean. Chips nouveau?

  

  ~?~