11.08.2025 The Reolink elixer of youth!

 ~o~

  Monday 11th 53F/11.7C [7.30] Bright.A sunny day though with some cloud. Winds lighter.

 Up at 6.40 after an unusually quiet night. I only got up twice. 

 The "back fields" to my north.

 I am expecting a pair of goatskin, TIG welding gloves today. Hopefully these will allow me to clear a lot of thistles in the garden. None of my industrial/builders gloves provide remotely enough protection from the spikes. I was tempted to ride the 40km to the stockist but the wind wasn't encouraging. So I ordered them online.   

 Which kept me at home to make an even worse mess! The fish tank now needs to be refilled. In its new home at the bottom of the stairs. The inside is covered in ugly algae. So it needs to be scraped. At least I have much better access now. With no fish to hamper progress. 

 I'll have to provide power for the filters and lights at the new site. Probably from upstairs. Only an extension lead with a multi-socket to an existing outlet. The electricity demand is very low. 

 8.10 I ought to go for a walk. 

 Purple loosestrife on the marshy field.

 Half an hour's walk in lots more traffic. The holidays must be coming to an end. My lovely young neighbour was exercising one of her beautiful horses and gave me a wave. 

 The paddocks are being steadily expanded downhill. Towards the lowest point. Planting and mowing grass to provide a smooth lawn on the newly raised ground. New fence posts have been erected along the edge of the field. It's a shame I can't see the horses. Due to the dense tree growth in the abandoned garden next to my parking space. The marshy area in the back field is currently decorated by pretty, Purple loosestrife. Lythrum salicaria.

 The dustbin man obviously couldn't be bothered to check that the recycling bin was empty. It wasn't. It was still half full of waste paper! He wouldn't have lasted long in the good old days. When heavy metal dustbins had to be lifted onto their backs. Often being carried across the street to the lorry. Up steps and down if necessary. Before being tipped manually. Then returned to its owner. 

 Set aside with sunflowers on the front field. 

 Now they only have to move the bin a few inches before it is hooked, lifted and tipped automatically, The neighbour's cat was unnerved. By the racket the bin made. As I trundled it back. The cat was hovering in the drive but made a run for it as I approached.

 10.30 The aquarium is refilled. It is so easy with a hose and cold water from the kitchen tap. I bought an adapter which is fitted in place of the aerator. No need to match temperatures from a pumped container in the bath. The water will soon clear and match the room temperature. The ugly patches on the wall are from numerous heating systems over the years before our purchase. It was hidden my a ceiling high, display cabinet. I should have painted the wall white before placing the tank there. Perhaps I should paint around the tank? 

 10.50 I've just had a notification that my welding gloves parcel has arrived in the village. I need more groceries but have been waiting for the parcel. To avoid duplicating journeys. I might as well go now in the car. Then I can do more tidying before lunch.

 11.45 Back from the village. 

12.00 The gloves work a treat on thistles.  Though it is tiring pulling them up by the roots. No punctures so far. I haven't dared to try them on brambles yet.

 Reolink has just updated its security camera app. It magically made me 20 years younger! I am no longer moving in slow motion. Like some 100 year old survivor of an unimaginable holocaust. Which made me look utterly decrepit! I wonder if the next update will give me more hair? Then I can continue building my career as a [mature] babe magnet.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. I tried to do something else at the same time and the eggs were hard boiled. Silly old wotsit! 

  

  ~o~

10.08.2025 20 km in a gale.

 ~o~

  Sunday 10th 58F/14.4C [7.50] Bright start to another mostly sunny day but with a westerly wind and lower temperatures. Reaching 20C/68F at 15.00.

 Up at 7.10 after being up in the night. I got up at 2.30 and returned to bed two hours later.  

 The flower garden is lost in weeds! 

 Stay at home and continue tidying? Or go for a ride? Eeny, meany, miny... go? 

 11.00 I was glad that I hadn't committed to a longer ride today. The wind was unpleasantly strong and shrieking in my hearing aids. Turning down the volume rather defeats the point of them. I rode to the village to shop. 

 Then took a farm track on the way home. Where I had seen people walking dogs and cycling over the years. Without ever having explored it. After turning right near the farm buildings I had the wind behind me now. It was a very reasonable rough gravel track. Which first wandered across a prairie and then dived into the forest.

 I eventually arrived at the back of the golf course. Just as I had expected. The mature trees and greens made a gorgeous sight in the bright sunshine. As I filtered slowly between Sunday golfers. To reach the familiar forest road. 

 A trolley from the greenhouse supporting some of my dark plant collection. 

 Where I turned left and took the usual route home. Involving negotiating the vast cobbled yards of the stately home. Before undulating through more woods. Until the "straight as a die" descent to the last village before home. It was here that the headwind was at its worst. I saw several cyclists on my ride. 

 The choice of 70PSI in the forks, to match my weight in kg, is proving ideal. I think the pressure was set too high prior to my purchase. Now the bike seems to float over most bumps and hollows. Instead of jarring.  

 I have recovered a large, catering trolley from the chaos in the garden and parked it beside the dark leaved plants. Which allows the shorter specimens to be off the ground until they grow too tall.  

 15.00 Yet again I am dripping with sweat. I have moved the large chest of drawers from the bottom of the stairs. To allow the aquarium to take its place. The oak chest is now in the NE corner beside the TV. I was tempted to lift the TV onto the chest of drawers but it would then be 30cm/12" higher. Which would make it even more dominant. 

 I have been struggling against the weight. To adjust the fish tank and its cupboard stand to be perfectly level. Moving the aquarium across the room required patience and two furniture trolleys. Plus lots of wedges, levers and scraps of timber. I had to lift the stand enough to wind the screwed feet upwards. So that they did not catch in the carpets on the journey.

 There isn't room for the fish tank anywhere else on the north wall. It would block all hope of having dining chairs on the ends of the table. Not that I think it likely to be entertaining more than one unfortunate soul at a time. I had better have a rest now. Do I dare to have a nap after being up in the middle of the night? Probably. 

 I made a Sunday dinner with Bisto gravy. An organic, pork chop, mushrooms, peas, carrots and mashed potato. The gravy was a smidgen too wet. 

 

  ~o~

9.08.2025 Tidying on all fronts.

 ~o~

  Saturday 9th 61F/16C [8.40] A pleasant, sunny day is offered. Peaking at about 22C/71F. 

 Up at 7.20 after several failures to lift off. 

 Plans for a longer ride are on hold pending spare battery recharge. I had better stay at home and continue with tidying. 

 10.30 No walk. I have been boxing up loose books from unwanted bookshelves. Still two bookshelves to clear. All of them random text books, reference and non-fiction. Mostly purchased from secondhand bookshops and charity shops. Collected for over half a century. 

 Now almost, completely worthless. Particularly being written in English while living in Denmark. I literally can't give them away. No charity shop wants them. Nor the secondhand book stores. Not the libraries or international literacy charities. 

 They can't be burnt in the wood stove either. Poor fuel, with the potential for toxins. Perhaps a winter bonfire? Or three, or five. Just getting them all back downstairs, in their 30-odd, large boxes will be a nightmare!   

12.30 Still tidying and rearranging furniture and plants.   

 14.30 Still at it! I have moved into the balcony room. To try to bring some order to the chaos. I have a another steel shelving unit but it may be limited in usefulness. By the attic's, sloping ceilings. 

 17.00 I decided to rotate the aquarium. From against the end wall. To the same corner, but standing along the north wall. You would not believe how heavy it is on its stand/cupboard. Even with the water drained and using levers, wedges and trolleys. I was still dripping with sweat. By the time I was finished.  

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on toast with tomatoes. 

 

  ~o~