24.11.2024 A queue of roundtoits.

 ~o~

 Sunday 24th 44F/7C [8.00] Incredibly dark this morning! Rain forecast until just after lunch. Windy too. I can make out the absent neighbour's hedge rocking. Overnight rain has removed most of the snow. 

 61F/16C in the room. So more logs will be sacrificed for a little extra comfort. I am getting through two whole baskets a day at the moment. The kindling has not only gone through the roof in pricing but sunk to a new low in quality. I buy it by the sack [or three] from a special workshop for the disabled. So I am not sure whether I dare join the long queue for a refund.

 Up at 6.30 with another nose bleed. Removed a giant, dark red slug from my left nostril. Then plugged it with tissue again. I was up half a dozen times to use the fire bucket in the night. The opposite of last night. When I didn't wake up at all. The latter was a record for me. Guinness said it didn't constitute a "real record." Because I wasn't wearing odd socks. A bit of an oversight on my part.'

 I could feel a breeze on my face in the night. Though it could not be felt on my hand. This morning I attached the TOPDON infra red camera attachment to my phone. The window proved to have a small hole in one corner where the windowsill should have been. Now stuffed with cotton wool roundels. The cobwebs will soon hide this crime against building regs.

 This was just another unfinished job. When the quality of my [unfinished] workmanship was rudely questioned. I had allowed the spray foam to encroach on the newly painted, new windows. Though they represent a fraction of the entire exterior wall surface, the windows are the major heat loss. Even when covered by the lean-to greenhouse. 

 I fitted these newly purchased windows shortly after we took possession of Chez Hovel. Until then these living room "windows" were just bare pieces of glass. No proper frames. Nothing. Just a narrow batten around the edges for show. I bought the double glazed windows from a posh, window display centre. From a now defunct firm in a village not far away. 

 They required some assembly. The panes and glazing bars had to be fitted after painting. My wife did the painting. I did the fitting. We could never agree on suitable sills. Neither inside or out. Several panes have blown over the years. Causing them to steam up. The panes were correctly installed using corner spacers.

 Though described as "energy" windows [of the time] this did not extend to insulated panes. The glass was supposedly reflective. To keep the sun out and the heat in. There was no thermal gap in the aluminium frames between the two pieces glass. Gas was supposedly inserted between the panes during manufacture. To further reduce heat loss.

  If you think the windows are bad then you should peer at the image of the back door. I made this to measure from thick, pine, recycled floorboards. The door is a very odd size. So there was never anything suitable at the architectural recycling yard which we constantly visited. Buying new was well beyond our budget. 

 The rear entrance hall is unheated. Gaining only from leakage through the living room, kitchen and bathroom doors. All of which are kept closed in winter. This the main entrance door form the parking space and is unpainted. The door is hideous as well as cold. Frequently enjoying a layer of frost inside hen outside temperatures are low enough. I fitted sponge draught excluder but it resists the door closing well enough to be locked. Another roundtoit. 

 I would like a glazed back/main entrance door. To let some outdoor light into the hall. Whether this would be sensible from a thermal point of view I can't be sure. The door faces north into the boundary trees. So light infall would be minimal but still desirable. Security? Does it really matter? Thieves need only break a window to gain entry. I'd have to learn to wear a dressing gown to cross the hall. Just in case a solitary visitor should turn up on a shower day.  

 The third image shows the recycled, double glazed, double door I fitted to the front hall. Prior to this there was a solid, paneled, front door. Fully exposed to the elements and blocking any light to the hall. With a four inch [10cm] gap underneath. To ensure easy access for the rats. Or any passing cat, mink or stray dog I suppose. The replacement double door is covered by the lean-to greenhouse and only used for access to the greenhouse. Hall's sliding greenhouse doors do not make a serious point of entry. 

 The infra red image shows how poorly the foolishly expensive, foam draught excluder works. At combating draughts. The front hall feels like walking into a fridge, with a fan going, in winter. It relies on leakage from the adjoining rooms through [normally] closed doors for warmth. These internal doors are left open outside the heating season. For easy movement between rooms. The living room door to the front hall was closed for years while my wife was still alive. Covered in heavy curtains to keep the meager heat in the living room. We lived upstairs. Where it was warmer and there were no obvious draughts. 

 I planned to go for a short walk but the outdoors is is hardly inviting. Dark, raining and blowing. I'll put on my heavy, Ventile jacket and go anyway! It has a proper hood.

 10.45 False optimism! It was hardly spitting as I left. Alas, it could not resist having a token downpour on the return journey. The gravel drives were soft from the double whammy. Of being thoroughly wetted and simultaneously thawing. The stream/bæk was nudging its muddied banks. The neighbour's guard dog was not happy. Complaining bitterly about the weather it must endure year round. Another recent neighbour has gone again. Taking their worldly belongings with them. Empty houses in our hamlet now outnumber the occupied homes. 

 The nice neighbour's mini-goats have made a serious impact on their allotted bit of turf. With multiples of prairie awaiting. To which to next turn their rapt attention. Once released into the recently fenced paddock. A solitary cockerel popped out to check on the weather, sniffed and returned to base. And who can blame him? 

 I have changed my wet trousers and hung my clothes to dry. Three hours of stoking the stove and the room has only just reached 64F/17C.

 I went for a drive to an antique market after lunch. They had two display cases by the same manufacturer as mine but they weren't for sale.

 Dinner was sardines on toast with tomato soup. It eventually reached 69F/20C in the room.

 

 ~o~

23.11.2024 Crunchy.

 ~o~

  Saturday 23rd 30F/-1C [8.45] The sky looks clear but the sun hasn't risen yet. 2-3cm of snow lying. The forecast is mostly dry with some sunshine. 16 hours of rain rain tonight. Starting around 20.00.

 8.45 Up at 8am after sleeping through to 7am. Filled the fire bucket and went back to sleep. My back is aching. Nothing unusual and will respond to a walk.

 9.15. It has just taken me five minutes to open the recycling dustbins. Using a 60cm/2' long batten. Snow had melted and refrozen right around the lids. Making it impossible to lift them. I was afraid of breaking the plastic while using the makeshift lever. Fortunately they responded to careful leverage and whacking the ice locally.   

 9.30 62F/17C indoors. I have lit the stove. There is a mountain of washing up to do. Before I can eat and drink again. The sun has broken through the absent neighbour's hedges. Snow on the greenhouse makes it dark indoors.

 11.00 35F/1.7C Weak sunshine. The room has reached 65F/18C and feels warm. Returning from looping around the neighbours' drives. The snow was crisp and very noisy to walk on. Too stiff to brush away from the back door. Even using a yard broom. I used a snow shovel with little real gain. Tonight's promised rain will wash it all away. The road is now cleared of slush and dry enough not to cause tire spray.  

 12.40 37F/2.8C. Brighter sunshine. I'll have to wash up if I want any lunch. 😱 And did.

 17.30 36F/2C. Despite a mostly sunny day the greenhouse has dropped to 38F/3C. It is not well sealed. The Halls Silverline has an inherent design flaw. The glass retaining clips provide little linear resistance to the long glass roofing sheets sliding downwards. Which pushes the rounded plastic shoulders away from the frame. Causing massive air leakage. 

 Had I known this I would have applied clear, silicone adhesive to the roof glass and frame. To inhibit downward movement of the roof sheets. The clear plastic sheets forming the rounded shoulders are also prone to crazing over time. 

 I would never buy another greenhouse with plastic panels. They are highly prone to sweating inside compared to sheet glass. I replaced some glass panels with polycarbonate after storm breakage. These plastic panels always dew up while the glass can remain completely clear.

 Dinner was chicken, pasta and tinned tomatoes.

 

 ~o~

22.11.2024 Well, that was stupid!

 ~o~

  Friday 22nd 31F/0C. Breezy, overcast and snowing steadily. Perhaps 2cm of new snow lying after it mostly vanished yesterday.

 Up at 7.50 after a "busy" night. Topping up the fire bucket at hourly intervals. My own fault for having a small beer followed by coffee after dinner. Will He never learn? 🙄

 I need to shop but don't want to risk driving on snow again. Not even into the village. The problem is not my driving slowly and carefully. It is being caught by speeding traffic on winter tires. Then being pushed along by tailgaters. As occurred yesterday.

 There were several cars and vans driving at "normal" speeds 80kph/50mph + on snow covered roads yesterday. While I thought 40-60kph/25-40mph was much safer given the minimal adhesion of my Hankook tires. It wasn't the driving but touching the brakes. Or attempting lower gears which quickly found my limits of grip. So I used engine braking and stayed in top gear to minimize the risk. 

 I haven't ridden the e-bike on lying snow.  Though I have ridden in falling snow on my way back from the city. Thus I have no useful data on tire grip. Which is normally superb on wet or dry roads. There is other road traffic to contend with. While I would be riding at a low speed. Increasing the risk to them and myself.

 I could ride the trike but it needs work to put the dropped [racing] handlebars back on. I changed the stem to fit the straight bars but all the cables were far too short. I could ride it, as it was, but that means stretching to reach the hoods. Not insurmountable for such a short ride but uncomfortable. 

 I have ridden many miles on snow but would usually pull off when traffic approached from the rear. Not always easy when the snow ploughs have raised a ridge right in the cycle lane. There are no cycle lanes or paths on the road to the village. So I would be forced out into the traffic lane. With very few options to pull off.

 Or I could walk to the village. It's 5km or three miles away to the supermarkets at the bottom of town. About an hour each way in these difficult conditions. Fifty minutes walk on dry roads. I have high visibility jackets and will give the traffic lots of room to pass safely. As I do under normal conditions on my walks. I'd wear my winter walking boots. No problem walking on snow. As I have done so often in the past. 

 Getting in the way of traffic. Or demanding my bit of the road. Could easily push them beyond their safe driving skills. Particularly on slippery roads. So I need to be able to hop onto the verge. There should be little traffic in these conditions. Even less mid morning. I'll walk along the drive to the road. To check road conditions.

 I don't have a rucksack. Though I could take normal [cloth] shopping bags and hope to find a rucksack in the charity shop. To get home more easily once laden. There are usually kids school rucksacks for sale but larger models are harder to find on a chance visit. I could look in as I pass on my way down to the shops. Then shop appropriately. 

 I have just remembered. I have the yellow PVC duffel bag from the trike. It has a shoulder strap. So would be easier to use for shopping. No, it is heavy and the shoulder strap was removed years ago. To fix the bag more neatly on the trike rack. The tape handles will be filthy after years of being wrapped around the trike. So would ruin my bright yellow/green jacket.

 Now I have found the sports bag. Which I bought to carry my clothes to the city for my visit. Grey, so not high visibility, but my jacket will still be seen. The bag is light and roomy. So I can fit plastic carrier bags in there. To stop things moving about and protect things from the wet. It has a sensibly wide shoulder strap too. I'll probably walk. 

 I walked the 200m to the road. Which  doesn't look ploughed or salted. Only the traffic causing the usual darker ruts in the lying now. The wind was driving the snow into my face. Making it uncomfortable without shielding glasses. I'll need my waterproof trousers too.  I'll leave after morning coffee. I left a 10.30. Just a salting lorry passed. Though it had no snow shovel on the front.

 Walking to the village was one my most unfortunate decisions. Not because of the distance. Or even the weight of shopping I brought back. The problem was that Danish drivers on autopilot don't recognize pedestrians. I was repeatedly sprayed from head to toe with filthy slush. As numerous drivers drove through the ridge of filth. Had they kept to the dark lanes of clear road it wouldn't have mattered. The spray there was minimal. 

 Being splattered by wet slush was an entirely other matter! I retreated to the back of the verge as each vehicle approached. This was enough for most drivers to stay in lane. Too many, however, chose to swerve wide. So that I was splattered yet again! 

 The first time it happened I had my coat open because I was too warm. So my jumper was wet through to my t-shirt. My hands were wet too. So I couldn't put them back into my gloves. So my hands were frozen and getting worse. As the wind blew across the snow covered fields.

 I should have driven there. Or even ridden the e-bike. Two scooters and a moped passed. They seemed to be doing okay. There were no rucksacks in the charity shop. Not that it mattered. I swapped shoulders with the strap at intervals. It snowed, rained and sleet fell going in both directions. 

 Only one in 100 of the houses with pavements outside had cleared them of snow by 11.30. The time I arrived at the village. Perhaps twice that number were cleared by 13.00. It is a legal requirement to keep the pavements clear. Just as it is a legal requirement to keep below the speed limits. If they fitted speed cameras widely in Denmark. They could repay the national debt for most of Europe in under a year. Judging by the vast number of home owners, not clearing their pavement, a hefty fine should be introduced. Presently a measly 150-200 kroner. Somewhere around £16-22 British pounds equivalent. 

 Dinner was cheese on toast. It was overdone trying to get the tomatoes to cook.

    

 

 ~o~