6.12.2024 Omelette exercise.

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  Friday 6th 37F/3C [09.00] Another cool, damp, dark grey and rather windy day. Early rain should clear to continuous overcast. The wind should slowly subside.

 Up at 7.40 after a long night of being half awake. Or dreaming about being half awake. Only 61F/16C in the room. Which feels too cold. Particularly in the semi darkness indoors on such an overcast day. I should go for a walk after a week of slacking.

 No immediate plans for the day. I haven't had a ride but the weather and appointments have limited the opportunities. I have a lot of free days now until the new year. Just as the weather is at its coldest and wettest.

 No walk. Did a few chores. Lit the stove. Washed up. 

 I changed an old light switch with a tiny lever for a modern rocker switch. So it is easier to find and operate in the darkness.  

 Dinner was a chicken and mushroom omelette. Instead of attempting a disastrous attempt at tossing the omelette. I laid the pre-warmed plate over it and inverted the frying pan. It wasn't as interesting cosmetically now but tasted fine. I threw a few cherry tomatoes on top as a Christmas bauble decoration.

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5.12.2024 Yummy! 😋

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 Thursday 5th 38F/3C[7.45] A mixed bag of sunshine and cloud. Continuous rain from this evening.

 Up at 7.00 after a very quiet night with dreams. 62F/17C in the room. The fish tank water is incredibly clear this morning. The fat goldpigs are begging for more food as usual. Their rate of growth has the makings of a Disney action film.

 Cooking class today. Without an earlier physio class in the opposite direction. Just for a change. We have already been sent today's recipes. As illustrated files appended to emails as usual. Everything is done online in Denmark. There is a traditional Danish Christmas theme. No doubt it will all be as delicious as always. Following a few hours of enjoyable company in preparation and laughter. 

 I can hardly believe the change in my tastes after the first few cooking classes. I used to be so conservative and boringly British in my choice of food. I went there to learn to cook. It turned out that little of what we do has noticeably expanded my diet at home. I am far more skilled at peeling potatoes and frying without burning. Though the complex recipes still haven't really rubbed off in my own kitchen. The small group of cheerful pensioners I have mixed with. Was just what I needed for a gentle return to normal society. Practicing my version of Danish is always useful.

 8.15. A turquoise sky to the east. With bands of small, bright pink clouds. The hill will block the sunrise for a little while yet. Then the sun will blind me. As I join the commuters for my drive to the old school kitchens. I filled up with petrol yesterday on my way to visiting the doctor. 

 I could ride there but there is a warning of icy roads. My cycle route is very different from driving. Mostly narrow winding lanes with countless hills. Many of them will be muddy from farming activities. The salting lorries on the main roads do not venture here as early. Nor as often. I had better have my shower and get ready.

 The Christmas lunch we produced was all delicious and varied. There were various salads, fish, meats, chicken drumsticks and rye bread. I, with another team member, was responsible for cleaning and treating the chicken to produce a coating before cooking. Like all the other dishes it was perfect.

 15.15 Returned from shopping in various villages on the way home. Still haven't found any Perlite. 

 19.20 I have just been out to get more logs from the greenhouse. The rain is absolutely tipping down! I can't hear it indoors. The forecasters were talking about 30mm or half a  month's worth in the next few days. Winds gusting to 15m/s from the south.

 

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4.12.2024 Museum aften.

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 Wednesday 4th 37F/3C. Raining. A cold, dark, grey, wet and breezy day is promised.

 Up at 6.10 after a quiet night but with weird dreams again. I was woken by what sounded like mice scratching. Though I believe it is the goldfish pretending to find food floating on the surface of their water. Identification of the sound and its location is complicated by my deafness. I don't wear my hearing aids in bed. I have put down a mouse trap to check if there is any wildlife indoors. 

 The refreshed water in the aquarium is crystal clear this morning.  True to form the Vallisneria is spreading though the gravel by means of runners. This is the normal sized form. The largest Vallis doesn't seem to be producing new plants at quite the same rate.   

 66F/19C in the room this morning after reaching 72F/22C last night.

 Doctor's appointment after lunch.

 9.15 It stopped raining so I went along for the dustbin. Had a chat with the builders. They are working on other projects so next door is a lower priority. 

 15.00 Back from the doc's. He has promised to look into my tablet regime. To see what can be done about nose bleeds and avoiding dementia caused by statins. 

 I bought a larger clay pot for my Monstera at the village garden centre. Plus some decorative bark to mix into the soil to improve drainage. I have a bag of clay balls at home to mix in too. Nobody local has perlite. I'll have to get some when I am in the city. I also bought four mouse traps and scattered them throughout Chez Hovel. Just in case the sounds I hear occasionally aren't the fish. 

 While I was out I had a phone call from the farm museum director. He has invited me to attend an evening to present the museum's yearbook. I actually appeared in last year's. Not once, but twice! Always hogging the limelight. International fame at last! 😊 As it is early evening I'll have to leave dinner until later. Or not.

 9.30  I have returned from the museum's evening get-together. Along with quite possibly 60 other people. The vast majority of whom were long retired. There was singing, nibbles and lots and lots of loud conversations. Not a criticism. More of an observation. That my expensive hearing aids do not excel under such circumstances. I changed their mode to background noise suppression and it helped to lift individual voices out of the din. Though not by much. They say that socialisation is a vital factor in longevity. I recognized the other volunteers but many of those present were completely unknown to me.

 It was a surprise when I was asked to get up from my table and approach the director. To be presented with a box of two bottles of red wine as an ex-volunteer. Who had to give up on health grounds. Though I was not alone. Two others, far more deserving, were served with their boxed wine. No need for dinner tonight.

 

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