9.12.2024 Rattling as I walk.

 ~o~

 Monday 9th 40F/4C [7.00]

 Up at 6.20 after a very disturbed night.

 I have run out of several tablets. So will have to go into the village pharmacy. [Apotek]

 7.30 62F/17C in the room. It feels chilly. Lit the stove. 

8.10 Getting light enough to see the grey sky. Fast moving clouds coming from the north. Almost uniform grey with darker clouds and slightly lighter patches. 

 21.30 Back from a short walk around the drives. Grey but dry. There was an unpleasantly cold and strong, gusty NE wind. The drives are full of potholes and puddles. The back field has standing water but nothing to worry about. Morning coffee and then I'll drive into the village. 

 The room has risen to 65F/18C thanks to a fat log burning in my absence. I am leaving the table lamps lit to help to avoid winter depression. The fish tank and plant work light are adding their own contributions to light levels. Without them the room would be almost dark. The laundry work continues. I ought to discard the holey and raggedy towels and use them as rags.

 11.30 Back from the village. The Shell petrol station had lost its internet connection. So they couldn't sell petrol! So it was on to the next. To fill up from empty. The Danish news said later that there was a DDOS attack on many Danish targets.

 I am now taking seven tablets per day. Including a multivitamin. I bought some 5m extension leads. To reduce the chains of shorter leads spread across the floor. I must start tidying in preparation for my visitor tomorrow.

 16.00 Still tidying. It is never ending. It all has to be sorted. So I can find things again.

 Netflix was unavailable earlier. No internet on the TV. My PC was having no such problems.

 Dinner was bangers and mash with tweggs. I was able to turn the sausages by a quarter of a turn until they were perfect on every side.

 

 ~o~

8.12.2024 Let there be [more] light.

 ~o~

 Sunday 8th 40F/4C. Very, very dark! A heavy overcast with rain promised until lunch time.

 Up at 7.30 after drifting for hours. More weird dreams.

 I watched yet another YT video about Monstera care. Then quickly added an LED work lamp on the ceiling above mine. Then I pushed a beech bed slat into the pot. As a brace for the weeping, horizontal branches. Then I moved the furniture around to bring the bulk of the plant. More in line with one of the small, south facing, living room windows. Now, as I sit here, bathed in reflected glory lights. I am wondering if the neighbours will report me. For running a modest cannabis farm. 😷

 The glazed, balcony room ought to be an ideal plant growing space. Except that it freezes in winter and bakes in summer. Ideally it needs some means of ventilation to carry away excess heat. I thought of a small Velux skylight. Placed high up on the northern roof slope. 

 It would have to be netted of course. To avoid an influx of Danish rural wildlife: Things like gnats, mosquitoes, wasps, birds, hornets, bats, newts, toads, etc. Fortunately wolves haven't yet moved into this area. As far as I am aware. The logistics of my fitting a Velux window myself do not bear thinking about. While the large panes of the fully glazed gable end do not lend themselves to any perforation. 

 The goldfish are being home wreckers again. Uprooting plants all over the place. It wouldn't be so bad if lead weight strips were still available. The risk of poisoning infants, given to randomly swimming in aquaria. Apparently outweighs the usefulness of such simple aquaculture remedies. 

 The risk to myself would be minimal. Even if the water is so deep. [At 50cm/18"] That I have to take off my T-shirt to avoid involuntary laundry work. Which would never do. Plant weights are now badly formed ceramic rings of tubular form. Which stand out like a length of bright orange PVC drainpipe. In the natural aquascape one endeavors to achieve.  

 Meanwhile the Vallis continues to advance across the gravel. Each new plant a considerable saving at retail prices. I added the second LED light strip to bring up the lumen count.

 Morning coffee looms but I have run out of bread rolls. With which to make my habitual marmalade on toast. I never neared any useful supermarkets yesterday. So find myself struggling with the idea of a drive into the village to shop. Weather conditions do not favour a ride on the e-bike. I just checked. It is raining fairly heavily and steadily. Typical, camping holiday weather.

 11.30 41F/5C It is brightening up. Still overcast, but definitely lighter. Only 62F/16C in the room. I'll have to light the stove. 

 15.00 Back from a drive into the village for shopping. Even though it had stopped raining it was dark, cold and miserable. So I didn't ride the bike there. Lots of people at the supermarkets.

 Dinner was mackerel in tomato sauce on whole grain toast with halved tomatoes. I did the washing up after dragging two recycling wheely bins along the drive. 😇

 

 

 ~o~

7.12.2024 Perlite quest.

 ~o~

  Saturday 7th 39F/4C. Overcast with unbroken rain after lunch.

 Finally up at 7.40 after dozing for hours. Weird, vivid dreams again. Complex and meaningless themes involving cities. With archaeology and dogs and people mixed haphazardly.

 9.30 No real plans for today. I need to find some Perlite for improving the Monstera compost. Which needs re-potting. Perhaps separating too. This may mean a drive to the city. Nobody is advertising it in town. Or, I could pay through the nose for delivery from an online purchase. It usually comes in 5kg or 5L bags and tubs. Whoopee! There is a a specialist not far away. In a village I visit regularly. Open on Saturdays too. 

 10.00 Back from a short walk looping around the neighbour's drives. There was a cold wind southeasterly wind. Which took me a few minutes for recovery. I felt completely numbed by the assault on my senses. I have had morning coffee and will now have a tour in the Morris to collect the Perlite. What an exciting life I lead! 

 13.45 40F/4C. Heavy overcast. 20 hours of non-stop rain forecast to start soon. Returned with 3x10L bags of Perlite. They are remarkably light. Went shopping on the way back.

14.30 Lunch over. Still no rain. Only 61F/16C in the room. I had better light the stove. The fish have been pulling up the plants!

 My light switch modernization escapade needs attention. I shall have to swap the leads over. The light doesn't switch off from downstairs. When I flick the switch upstairs. Easily fixed. Tomorrow when it is light.

 Dinner was Christmas sausages, tweggs and chips. I broke one egg turning it over. The chips were underdone.

 

 

 ~o~