13.10.2024 Only 39km.

  ~o~

 Sunday 13th 46F/8C [8.20] Heavy overcast and wet. Rain expected for most of the day.

 Up at 7.40 after another night of weird dreams. Still 66F/19C in the room. Just comfortable when properly dressed. The [rainproof] trailer full of logs needs to come into the greenhouse. It might be best to wait for dry weather. No immediate plans for today.

 11.30 51F/10.6C. Brightening up. The afternoon rain has been cancelled. Returned from a ride into the village. 12km. I visited three flea markets before grocery shopping. It was rather cool for the thinnest GripGrab gloves. I am aiming for a Sunday dinner tonight. 

 13.00 I have exchanged 1/3 of the aquarium water. Being careful to match the temperature to within a few tenths of 1ºC or less. I use a submersible pump and 12m of 15mm hose to remove the water first. Then move the pump to the bathroom. To send clean water back to the tank. This saves and lot of time and effort. While avoiding carrying buckets full of water back and forth. With the risk of tripping and spillage during so many journeys.

 Fish produce growth inhibiting hormones as well as waste. So water exchanges promote growth and healthy fish. Constant filtration is an important part of the water cleaning process. Goldfish can reach 30cm or 12" given enough room. Many aquarists consider the goldfish as only suitable for ponds. Given a large enough tank and good water hygiene it is possible to keep goldfish healthy in indoor fish tanks. 

 Overstocking is a serious problem as it increases waste and should be carefully avoided. Yet goldfish are shoaling fish and prefer company. I decided on keeping only two fish in a decent sized tank. 100x50x50cm or about 250 liters. The extra width and depth over the usual 30cm tank dimensions gives the fish much more room to move about. While the increased volume, for the given length, helps to dilute waste between water changes. Purists demand 200x60x60cm but that requires a great deal more room and expense.

 My fish are very active and seem happy together. They have doubled in size since I set up the secondhand tank. They provide me with company and something to talk to. Albeit one sided and usually [amusingly] derogatory. Without the far more serous business of keeping warm blooded pets like cats and dogs. Which I would hate to leave unattended. Fish can mange without food for a couple of weeks. Goldfish require no added heat. So are not a great financial burden once their future home is set up.

 I feel the need for another short ride. To avoid dozing over yet more hours of YouTube. 

 16.15 52F/11C. Returning from a pleasant ride along empty lanes. Which I haven't ridden or driven in years. For a total of 39 kilometers today. Battery down to 13% remaining charge. The sharp autumn sunlight added to the beauty of the landscape. Right out to the horizon. 

 The usually deserted, scattered farms and rural cottages were strangely repopulated for the weekend. A cold headwind on the outward journey. Effortless on the way back. The endless roadworks, to spread the district heating system to yet another village. Meant several detours for the traffic. Which I could just sail through unhindered. 

 18.00 There was a light shower as I dragged two wheely bins along the drive. For emptying tomorrow morning. 

 Dinner was mince, with peas, Brussels sprouts, boiled potatoes and gravy.

~o~

12.10.2024 A busy boy!

 ~o~

  Saturday 12th 44F/6.7C [6.00] A bright day is promised but rather windy SW-S-SE.

 Up at 4.00. Wide awake. House to be tidied and cleaned. Laundry to put away. The kitchen is still a mess. Another pile of washing up to do. The living room is a tip! A 20cm/8" deep stack of official papers to be gone through again. To discard the unwanted and double check the rest for retention. [Done.]

 My problem, apart from having too much stuff, is always storage. It needs height [proper shelves] to avoid stacking stuff loosely on top of stuff already sitting on the floor. Steel racking just looks so out of place in the kitchen. Even my scruffy kitchen! I know, because I have tried it. 

 The racking went upstairs out of sight. Where it cannot offend the wandering eye. Even low racking triples the [accessible/discoverable] storage capacity of a given area of floor. I have just discovered boxes in the corner of the kitchen I had forgotten I had. 

 The airing cupboard volume is completely wasted. It needs sorting and another layer of shelving added. I am so damned untidy! Always have been. I can remember being told off about my toys being spread all over the house. While I was still a small child. 

 7.20 Washing up done and the mess in the kitchen and bathroom is dented. 

 7.45 Car and trailer parked out of the way. Tidied up outside. Recycled a stack of unread newspapers.

 8.00 Coffee table cleared of months of receipts. Start on clearing the dining table.

 9.00 Vacuumed the ground floor. The vacuum bag was full and I couldn't find the replacements. Because I had put them somewhere special! Eventually... I have now put the bags in the tub with all the other bags.    

 9.15 My friend dropped in but didn't stay. On his way to a family birthday party. He had kindly resurrected my laptop. Which I had left in pieces after fitting a new a battery and twin SSDs.

 9.25 Time for a rest and morning coffee. I am delighted with my progress. It just needed the threat of a visitor. To push me into tidying up. Theoretically I have the day to myself now. Dry but windy. Do I want a ride? Best to avoid the coasts with stronger, onshore winds.

 I drove to the two nearest villages. The standard of driving was even worse than usual! A registered blind driver pulled out from a junction. Just as I approached at 80kph/50mph. I had to stamp on the brakes to avoid a collision! They then drove slowly ahead of me until they reached the next village. Whereupon they soon left me in the dust as I adhered to the speed limit. 

 It is long overdue that a traffic calming bump was used to protect a downhill junction at the other end of the village. Probably 90% of drivers completely ignore the 50kph [30mph] speed limit. This one came hurtling down the hill at well over the national speed limit and didn't slow for the village at all. A tiny white dot could be seen exiting the far end. As yet again I kept to the speed limit. 

 My afternoon nap was disturbed by chainsawing. Fortunately I was reaching the intended duration.

 I lit the stove at 18.00. It was under 18C at the time. By 9.30 it had reached 21C.

 Dinner was chicken, mushrooms, chips and tomatoes.

 

  ~o~

 

11.10.2024 Dogh!

 ~o~

  Friday 11th 41F/5C [7.00] A bright morning is promised. With rain and a stiff SW wind after lunch.

 Up at 6.20 after a restless night. I couldn't get warm in bed at 63F. Probably because I hadn't lit the stove at 66F in the room earlier and it had quickly cooled off. I had a choice of a heavier duvet or more clothes. I fetched long underwear and was comfortable after that. Though with more, weird dreams. 

 Much as I would like to ride to my friend's place today. I would be facing wind and rain on the way home. 20 miles or 30km is no fun if it is raining hard and into a headwind.

 I went in the car but could have ridden there and back. It remained sunny long after the forecast change to rain. Once home and lunch over I realised I had forgotten something. So I had to drive all the way back again, in rain. Heavy at times. I went a different way to enjoy the change.

 DR News, the Danish equivalent of the British BBC, has news articles on illegal e-bikes. Particularly about high speeds on illegal machines and chip tuning. So called "fat bikes" can be bought online and reach illegal speeds without pedaling and are often not approved for use in Europe. In the hands of fearless youth they have been involved in numerous accidents. 

The rules for "Speed" or "45km/hr" e-bikes were also discussed in detail. With a call for number plates to be made compulsory. Though there is already a class of IC scooter and moped which does not require number plates. These are officially restricted to relatively low, maximum speeds much like e-bikes. 

 Widely available tuning parts are available for those too. With pedaling rarely required or even possible with IC mopeds, scooters and motorcycles. While e-bikes require pedaling, by law, to enjoy motor assistance above walking speed. With sharp motor cut-offs at and above the legal speed limit. Motor power is also regulated by law for e-bikes. 

 I follow all the rules for my "45" and would happily fit number plates if required to. To prove that my machine is type approved and that I carry the necessary insurance. How difficult can it be to match requirement across similar machines? Both IC and battery powered.

 Traffic speeding is so widespread on Danish roads, in my own experience, that "picking on" e-bikes is extremely hypocritical. It is completely impossible to drive at the Danish national speed limits of 50km/hr [in built up areas without lower speed limits] and 80km/hr on rural roads, without being repeatedly overtaken. In the lanes, the villages, the towns, the cities and on the motorways. No vehicle remains within the law. Lorries and even the buses speed routinely.

 There is literally nowhere that you will not be repeatedly overtaken by those who blatantly ignore the law. I often see drivers overtake. Where school crossings are flashing orange and very low speeds are clearly indicated. The speed indicators at many village and town entrances flash so often, at speeding drivers, that they must wear out. 

 It is actually rare for a car to pass these signs at the required speed limit or below. So that the sign does not flash. It is routine for a flash to occur for every single vehicle approaching these signs. So that they can be clearly seen for miles up ahead. Yet not a single driver adjusts their speed accordingly. 

 If Denmark had speed cameras they could cut taxes without affecting anything else. When they do set up temporary speed cameras. The police catch so many thousands per day that it beggars belief!

 Dinner was three, small, poached eggs on three, small rounds of wholegrain toast. The free range eggs, a gift from my nice neighbours, were very tasty. With dark yolks.

  I have just been outside to check for aurora. Sadly the sky is very misty and half covered in cloud.

 

 

  ~o~