7.01.2026 Cakes!

 ~?~

  Wednesday 7th 30F/-1C [7.50] Cloudy with possible snow showers. 60F/15.6C in the room. Greenhouse 39F/4C.  

 I'll light the stove as soon as breakfast is over. Easier said than done. I had run out of kindling and beech flakes. So had to go off in the dark to find more. Made more difficult by invisible, frozen molehills under the snow. My main store was snowed over and frozen tight shut. So I had to resort to another container full of beech flakes. Which proved to not want to burn once back indoors. Until I applied a second fire lighter. Now going well. The trailer has more mixed fuel if I need it but it's at the back of the carport. 

 Up at 7.40 after a typical night. My English friend is coming to visit me. He has winter tires and his car is [hopefully] less sensitive to salt than my vintage Morris Minor.  

11.30  My friend stayed for an hour as the snowfall steadily increased. 

 The rest of the day I was dozing on YT. It snowed on and off. Adding a couple of centimeters and hiding the snow clearing I had done yesterday.

 Dinner was two bread rolls with fried eggs. I discovered the eggs were a week out of date. While the rolls have been in the fridge and were drying out. So I used them up.

  

  ~?~

6.01.2026 Snow place like home.

 ~?~

  Tuesday 6th 29F/-2C[ 9.15] Overcast with possible snow showers. Hardly any new snow overnight. 60F/15.6C in the room. Stove lit. 39F/4C in the greenhouse.

 Up a 8.30 after a quiet night. Though with weird, ultra-realistic dreams. 

 I intended to go for a walk once the stove is burning well. I need to get some idea of road conditions. Much more snow [only threatened] means I may have to gamble on a journey into the village to restock. The larder is fine but milk doesn't last forever. 

 Worst case scenario means I trike to the village. I have many miles of experience riding the trike through snow and on icy roads. It is incredibly safe and can even climb hills on lying snow. All thanks to the Trykit, two wheel drive. The downside is a long hiatus in riding it at all. My fitness must have dropped. The trike itself may need fettling.

 I have seen a couple of cyclists riding on the salted roads. My own fear is an accident. Leaving my valuable e-bike unattended if I am dragged off to hospital. I have no idea of the procedure under such circumstances. Meanwhile the house freezes without my constant attention to feeding the stove. I just checked the logs which came in yesterday. They average 6% moisture content. Which is fine.

 10.15 Back from my walk.  Just above 61F/16C in the room. The roads are passable but risk salting the poor old Morris in vulnerable areas. The traffic was busy and moving fast on wet, slightly slushy roads. Requiring I take to the snow covered verge rather too often. So I cut my walk short and just looped around the drives. Where I met one of my more distant neighbours clearing snow. We exchanged season's greetings and I plodded on. 

 11.30 Sunny periods. I shall have to complete the clearing of snow from the greenhouse roof. Every degree of solar gain will help indoor temperatures. Not to mention higher light levels.

 12.00 I have cleared the greenhouse roof again. With sufficient sunshine a positive feedback loop can develop. Increasing internal warmth can help to melt remaining snow and ice. Leading to yet higher temperatures. Though not helped by the sun's low altitude, thin cloud and inevitably long, atmospheric, solar light paths. I did more snow scraping on the gravel. While the snow is still light and powdery.

 Judging from the cameras there has been a little more snow. 

 Dinner was a chicken fry-up. I washed up while it was cooking. It has reached 65F/18.3C in the room.

 

  ~?~

5.01.2026 No snow is good snow.

 ~?~

  Monday 5th 30F/-1C [9.00] Overcast with snow showers and breezy. Snowing lightly but steadily onto about 5cm or 2" of sticky, overnight snow. It is clinging to everything. A distinctly chilly 58F/14C in the room. Stove lit. 38C in the greenhouse. 

 The snow lying on the greenhouse roof has made it even darker indoors. I made a scraper on a long pole years ago. I shall have to see if I can improve the situation. It depends on how firm the snow is and how frosted to the glass.

 Up at 8.30 after another busy night. I am taking capsules to relax the prostate. After initial improvements in flow and pressure during the day it seems to work rather too well at night. Deaf in my "good" right ear again. I couldn't hear the electric kettle boiling. I have fitted my hearing aids and caused a nosebleed trying to clear the plumbing.            

 9.30 59F/15C in the room. I have just brought in another basket of logs from the greenhouse. It might be sensible to work on the snow rather than go for a walk. Where I would be in the way of the traffic. Not to mention being at risk of being sprayed with salty slush by every passing vehicle. I have assembled a lot of snow shovels and scrapers over the decades. Where I was always the only one clearing snow on the drives. A habit going back many decades.

 12.00 32F/0C. The room is only now approaching 63F/17C. Though it feel reasonably comfortable. I have been maintaining a good fire in the stove. I can feel the warmth on my neck and back from 2.5m away in my computer chair.

 Outside the world continues to grow more white. Though there is really very little falling snow. I didn't see the point in clearing the snow in the drive. It isn't deep enough to matter. Should I want to go out in the car. Which hopefully will not be necessary. The image above was a snap from one of my security cameras. 

 16.30 31F/-1C. The snow has stopped. Leaving around 80mm or 3" of powder snow on the ground. I cleared most of the roof of the lean-to greenhouse. Pushed some snow about outside the back [entrance] door. The gravel leveling rake was the most useful tool. A 3' wide batten on a long handle. The snow was light enough to be easily moved around. The gravel is frozen solid. So hardly moved with the snow. 

  I dragged the two wheelie bins back to their parking space by the house. 

 16.45 Already, almost dark. Despite my best efforts it is still only 63F/17C in the room. Though it doesn't feel cold. Thanks to the heat radiated by the stove. 

 17.15 Just broken the 64F/17.8C barrier. I brought in another basket of logs. To be sure of having easy access to fuel tonight. The longer it is indoors and near the stove the drier it will be. And no, it isn't stacked against the stove. 

 Dinner was Heinz beans on toast. I still prefer the Danish supermarket's own label. Perhaps I have gone native? Nearly 65F/18.2C.

 

  ~?~