Progress?

Friday started with a checkup with the CHEC Ophthalmologist.

The CHEC service again managed to demonstrate a complete inability to schedule appointments, with my 9.45 appointment taking place at half past ten.   How the hell they can be running three quarters of an hour late so early in the day amazes me.  I wonder what the delay will be by the time the last appointment of the day takes place?

As for the consultation, that was surprisingly productive. 

For many years I have suffered from recurring corneal abrasions on the surface of my left eye. These date back to a gardening injury and they are not pleasant. Luckily I am just recovering from one of these incidents and luckier still my appointment happened to be with a Corneal Consultant.

He took my eye pressure readings and these were satisfactory and then took a careful look at my left eye. He advised that I need to be referred to an NHS Cornea Clinic to have a corneal bandage applied. Apparently this is a contact lens that is worn for up to three months. It protects the cornea and allows it to heal properly. The reason for the recurring abrasions is that the eye can become dry at night and the simple action of blinking can cause an abrasion at the site of the original injury ... let's see how long before I hear from the NHS.

After the fun that is the CHEC service, we headed over to see Helen and spent a very pleasant couple of hours drinking coffee, and eating cake. The main outcome from the morning was that we have finally agreed the dates for our next Narrowboating holiday.* I also drew a quite fantastic giraffe for Helen's granddaughter Olivia.

That's pretty much all that took place on Friday. I had great intentions, but had a massive kip instead.

---

* Easter 2025

Catching up

TP turned up on Monday evening. He advised that he was here for a few days and that his plan was to make some progress on his sound cart project. 

This is positive news, in that I might soon be able to reclaim my garage, workshop and any other space he deems worthy of monopolising. Also, My tools might also be returned to their natural resting places, rather than being casually abandoned here and there.*

The minor downside of his visits is that my computer is in the spare his room. I feel that accessing my Mac during his stays is an invasion of his privacy, so I tend not to make entries in the Journal during his visits.

Anyway, he has headed back to Cardiff this evening, as he starts a new contract next week. His car was packed with his sound cart detritus and my garage, workshop and carport are now somewhat tidier.

I am now also able to access my computer once more, so here's what I've been up to ...

Tuesday, 28 January, 2025

My plan for Tuesday was to make a start on turning the felled tree in to firewood. Unfortunatley the weather wasn't particularly cooperative and indoors seemed a far more attractive option.

We have recently changed our Broadband provider, so this morning was spent setting up the new router and ensuring that our devices could connect to the wifi network. 

I was aware that I should simply be able to replicate the old SSID and password on the new router allowing our devices to maintain connectivity without interruption. Unfortunately the internet was filled with contradictory accounts of how easy or impossible this task was. I therefore decided that it was far simpler to go around the various devices and simply logon on to the new network.

This did involve a bit of ladder climbing as our security cameras needed to be taken down and reconnected to the controlling app to achieve this ... I still think that was easier than piddling around with router settings.

Wednesday, 29 January, 2025

Today I grabbed my splitting maul from the shed and spent the morning working my way through the sections of tree trunk left up in the orchard. The tree fellers left some odd sized sections of trunk and branches and I realised that I would need a few sessions with the chainsaw to turn it into a decent pile of firewood.

I have made a decent start on the job, but, if I'm honest, I had problems getting motivated to deal with yet another fallen tree. After a strenuous morning chopping I decided a lazy afternoon kip was a much better idea. 

Thursday, 30 January, 2025

This morning I extracted the chainsaw from its lair. Although it was initially recalcitrant, I soon had it singing and headed up to assault the fragmented Spruce. I spent a merry morning alternating between sawing and splitting and can report that my pile of logs is significantly bigger.

Dot 'n Dave called round in the afternoon and we had a couple of hours drinking tea, eating cake and catching up on each other's news. Dave seemed very keen on hearing about our planned trip to the Black Forest and is very tempted to come along with us. He is about to PX a couple of his bikes for a BMW F900, complete with hard luggage and I think he quite fancies a European road trip ... It'll be fun to have him along.

I also heard that Bubbles has passed his Mod 2 motorcycle test, so hopefully he'll finally commit to buying the R nineT.

---

* TP was educated in the rules of the workshop a long time ago. I find it useful to remind him of them on a regular basis.

1. Put everything back in its proper place
2. Leave the worship tidier than you found it.  
3. If you don't know what it is, or how to use it, leave it alone 

Another bloody tree to sort out!

 Today was the day that the National Grid contractors finally arrived to clear the trees that are too close to our electricity supply.

We had been pre-warned that our supply would be interrupted, so 30% filled a flask with boiling water and I brought our camping stove in from the shed. 

A cheerful chap from National Grid turned up around nine o'clock and was very flexible about the time he turned the power off, especially after 30% offered to put the kettle on an make him a cup of tea. The tree felling contractors arrived a while later and we were plunged into the dark ages at around half past nine.

There were three trees that needed attention. A hawthorn up in the orchard needed to be trimmed to hedge height and a Norway Spruce, also growing in the orchard,  was to be felled. The final task was to trim a conifer in the corner of the lawn at the rear of the cottage. Our power supply runs through the crown of this tree and it needed to be pruned to provide one meter clearance from the cable.

The work took about four hours and the Arboriculturist left in the early afternoon. The National Grid chaps returned around half pst three to restore our power and we now have modern conveniences restored.

It is fair to say that we did very little today, other than stay in the lounge and keep the log burner going. I did start one of my Christmas books,* but have little else to report.

I did get some very good advice from the Arboriculturist. He took a look at the stump from the conifer that came down in Storm Darragh and suggested that we hire a stump grinder to deal with the stump. He even brought out his large chainsaw to further trim the stump, so that grinding it down would be feasible.

At the end of today I have yet another tree to convert to firewood. I'm not really looking forward to that, but at least it is only half the size of the last one.

As for stump grinding ... I can't wait, it looks brilliant!

---

* Bob Mortimer's Hotel Avocado

Leek & Potato Soup

 Yesterday's soup making was aborted due to hypoglycaemia. Actually I'm wondering whether aborted is a bit of an exaggeration? All I had managed to do yesterday was pull a few leeks and fetch a carton of double cream from the village shop. Gathering ingredients might be closer to the truth.

Today I got back on track and actually made the soup. The BBC Food website was my recipe source, and my mildly modified version is outlined below.

Ingredients

• 8 oz of peeled and cubed potatoes
• 2 medium leeks, sliced finely
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 2 pints of chicken stock
• 5 fluid ounces of double cream
• Salt and Black Pepper to season

Method

• Pour the oil in to a saucepan
• Add the leeks, onion and diced potato
• Soften the vegetables over a medium heat for five or ten minutes. Don't let the vegetables brown and add a splash more oil if they start to stick.
• Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil
• Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes until the vegetables are tender
• Blitz to a creamy consistency with a hand blender
• Pour in the double cream and blitz once more
• Season to taste

The result was a lovely creamy soup with a velvety texture. 30% declared it a great success. This is praise indeed, as she is not a fan of leek and potato soup.

That's a good job really, as I have enough ingredients for another batch ... and the leeks really need using up.

Peaked too early

 After Friday's slothfulness, I thought I had better get my arse in to gear this morning.

I took the dogs out for a short walk and then headed out to the vegetable garden. 

I appreciate that it is not really the time of year for gardening, but the raspberries really needed pruning. Yesterday's storm had blown through and today's cold, but sunny weather was sufficient encouragement to get out in the garden. I grabbed my secateurs and spent an hour or so pruning back the canes and tying them in to the supports. I can now report that a small section of the veg patch now looks almost cared for.

On my way back to the house my eyes fell upon the raised beds. These still sported a few leeks. I have been wittering on about making some leek and potato soup for a couple of weeks, but haven't got beyond the talking about it stage.

I pulled about half a dozen leeks and then braved the icy water from one of our butts to wash off the worst of the soil. The leeks were then ceremoniously dumped in the kitchen, ready for soup making. I consulted a recipe from the BBC Food website and realised that I needed a pot of double cream. A quick search of the refrigerator was unsuccessful, so a trip to the village shop was going to be needed,

30% and I lunched and I then decided to walk down to the shop. For the past few weeks my knee has been twinging and I wanted to see whether some exercise might help.* I set out at a brisk pace and, although the knee was slightly achy, it didn't impede progress. I was soon back home and all ready to start cooking. 

Unfortunately my blood sugar had plummeted and refreshments and a snooze became a priority. On waking I was absolutely shattered and couldn't summon any enthusiasm for soup making. I spent the rest of the day in front of the fire.

---

* I really haven't been doing much walking over the Winter months

Nothing to see here

 Nothing of any great significance took place today.

I fitted the new panniers to my bike and they seem OK. The problem is that I have no experience of motorcycle hard luggage and, for all I know, they are a pile of crap and I have made a half-arsed job of fitting them!

I don't think that is the case,* but I really need a good long ride out** with some luggage to ensure that they don't spill my valuables down the hard shoulder of a German autobahn.

I did also manage a monumental snooze on the sofa this afternoon and crossed an item off my to do list, by proxy ... 30% collected my prescription for me.

---

* Did you see what I did there?

** That is not going to happen today as Storm Eowyn is currently crossing the country.

Have you read the manual?

 My shiny new BMW panniers were delivered today.

I carefully unwrapped them and ensured that the relevant fixings and locks were also present. The thing that wasn't in the box was a set of instructions ... Bugger!  

There are two stages to fitting the panniers to the bike; the panniers needed a bracket to be attached and this looked pretty straightforward; a couple of captive nuts were inserted into slots in the bracket and it was then fixed to the pannier using a pair of Torx head screws ... literally a five minute job.

The second stage was more complex. The pannier lock needed to be coded to the bike's ignition key and then fitted to the pannier.  There were a set of instructions for coding the key, but these were flagged with a bright orange label. It stated "Important! This product is not intended to be installed by a customer. Installation must be performed exclusively by a specialist workshop"

Well, that does tend to make one think. After all if I mess up the lock coding or the lock installation I will be left with a shiny new pannier that cannot be opened or attached to the bike. It is fair to say that I was somewhat unnerved, especially as there was no guidance at all about fitting the coded lock to the pannier.

I had already searched the internet and watched a couple of videos on coding the locks. It seemed fiddly, but relatively straightforward, but there was nothing about fitting the locks. Interestingly there were no lock fixings, just the lock and a lock sized aperture in the top of the pannier. I assumed that it must be a push fit?

After an extended period of worriting, I bit the bullet and laid out the lock components. It went relatively smoothly and it seemed that the Youtube videos were correct. The time came to insert the lock in to the pannier. I'd like to say that it went straight in, but I actually needed to re-check that I had inserted the locking plate's spring before I pushed it home ... Success! Clearly me and my dining room table qualifies as a specialist workshop. 

The second lock and pannier were a re-run of the process just completed, and I soon had two panniers ready to fit to the bike. 

The fitting would have to wait until tomorrow as this evening we were attending the Redditch College Burns Night Supper.* I am aware that Burns Night is celebrated on 25th January, but these college events are always held on a Thursday. 30%, Jules, Mummy Sheila and I had a super evening and the food was fantastic.

---

* Redditch College catering course holds regular set menu dining evenings to give the students experience of cooking and serving meals to the general public.  The food is always attractively priced and of very good quality, and tonight was no exception. 

Gossip

It was a quiet day today. 

TP's chum; Charlie paid a visit this morning to come and ogle* my new bike. He's a lovely chap and we spent a good chunk of the morning chatting, drinking coffee and loitering in the garage.

In the afternoon I did nothing more productive than cut up an old pair of pyjamas ... I have a couple of bikes to clean and am short of polishing rags. 

Late in the afternoon TP turned up as he has some location work in Birmingham tomorrow. We are a convenient base for that job, and he'll stay for a few days ... hopefully making progress on his sound cart project.**

And now on to the title of today's Journal entry; Gossip.

A couple of days ago I was walking the dogs and bumped in to an acquaintance. As we passed the time of day, she happened to mention that someone in the village had commented about the tree that had blown over in our garden during Storm Darragh. According to this anonymous village pundit, the tree had fallen on the house and damaged the end gable.

The acquaintance questioned the veracity of this gossip and I confirmed that the tree had fallen away from the house and done little more that create a crater in the lawn, crush a hedge and provide a lot of work for me in sawing it up. The house had not been touched by the tree.

As dissected this item of gossip I pointed out that the house and the tree stump were clearly visible from the lane and, consequently, any idiot could see that the house was unharmed. I was amazed that a nugget of information could be perverted in to complete nonsense, when a simple walk past the house could provide the true picture. 

This reinforced my view of those that peddle gossip. They are stupid people that spout unfounded nonsense as fact, generally because they like to revel in the misfortune of others. If one thinks about it, this gossip has ruined their credibility, by talking such nonsense.

I don't mind being talked about behind my back, so long as the gossip is accurate. Generally I find it isn't.

---

* his term, not mine

** TP has yet to learn that out of sight is out of mind and that he will really need to make a conscious effort to come over and complete the work on this trolley. He lives and works in Cardiff and it is very easy to forget about a pile of quite expensive components when you don't see them. He needs to make this project a priority, identify the time to do the work and get his arse down here to complete it.

Glass half full?

 Optimist or pessimist? Now there's a question.

I'd like to think that I am generally optimistic, although 30% might offer a different opinion.  

I know that there are occasions when events will weigh heavily on my mind, and then I am pleasantly surprised when they don't turn out as badly as expected ... I guess I can be prone to a touch of pessimism from time to time.

On the whole I like to think that I am a realist, drawing on lifetime experience to predict how events are likely to unfold, without undue cynicism.

Now, where am I going with this? 

It is the time of year when my bees need to be treated for varroa, a parasitic mite that can devastate a colony. This morning I gathered up the necessary equipment and headed up in to the orchard. Within a few minutes I had prepared the hive* for the treatment. I removed the hive entrance and noticed a few dead bees on the hive floor. What I didn't notice was any noise or guard bees coming to investigate my assault on their home. I investigated further and was incredibly disappointed to note that the colony had failed.

At this time of year the most likely cause of colony failure is starvation, but the hive had plenty of capped stores and there was a pack of candy available to them if they were running short. The candy had been refreshed when I last checked the hives in mid December, and the colony had appeared to be doing well at that time.

I could see nothing that might give a clue to their demise, as I dismantled the hive . One possibility might be that the queen had failed at some point in the Autumn. I know that I never actually saw her during my inspections, but the hive was showing signs that she was present and laying. It could be that she may have failed and the colony has collapsed. There were no signs of brood disease, so a poor quality queen, leading to a colony that hasn't thrived, is my best guess.

Somewhat dismayed, I moved on to my second hive and repeated my preparations. This time I was welcomed by a handful of bees as I removed the entrance block. This was a huge relief. The second colony was alive.  I completed the oxalic acid vapour treatment and started to tidy up my equipment and stow the hive components from the failed colony. 

It is fair to say that this was not the outcome I would have hope for. I was hoping to see two vigorous colonies all ready for the arrival of the Spring flowers. However, I do recognise that both could have collapsed and died. 

It is good beekeeping practice to have at least two colonies. The reason for this approach is that, if one dies over Winter, you will hopefully have one that will survive. As the surviving colony starts to grow in the Spring queen cells are likely to appear. One should then be able to create another colony using the shook swarm method. 

So the optimist in me had hoped to see two colonies doing well, the pessimist in me acknowledged that both could have succumbed to the ravages of Winter. 

As for the realist, there are a few months of poor weather yet to come ... we are not out of the woods yet.

---

* A hive is a container that houses a colony of bees. Colony is the collective term for the bees themselves, comprising the queen, her workers, brood and drones.

Tidying up

After finally getting the logs stacked yesterday, I felt that I deserved an easier day today.

I did pick up the few large chunks of trunk from the front garden that were too knotty to split. These were put under cover up in Rose Cottage.*

I also swept up the debris from the floor of the carport and wheeled the trailer under cover, and that is about the sum total of today's achievements.

I still have the stump and root ball to remove from the front lawn, but that can wait until the weather is better. I am, however, quite pleased that the lion's share of the fallen tree has now been processed and tidied away.

Allegedly the National Grid Contractors will be here at the beginning of next week to remove a conifer from under our electricity supply cable.** I'm glad I've finished with the first tree before I have to start on the next one ... Rinse and repeat, I think!

---

* The log shed up in the orchard

** They were originally scheduled to do the work at the beginning of  December, but repairing Storm Darragh damage took priority over that appointment.  It's scheduled to be very windy over the next few days. I hope they don't get diverted to storm damage repair again.

Prehistoric Jenga

A couple of days ago my journal entry pondered whether the large pile of logs in the carport could be neatly stacked. This would restore the floor space liberated by the recent sale of the Series 2 Land Rover.

Well, after a few hours work, I can report that the logs are now stacked and the carport is once again uncluttered.

They'll need 18 months drying time

I am now wondering how long it will be before some bugger attempt to fill the space with something else?

The construction of this fabulous stack took up a good chunk of the day, although we did have an intermission ... a visit from Bubbles and Bobbyn. We spent a couple of hours catching up on their news and Bubbles came and had a look at my new bike. I actually think he spent more time looking at my R nineT, as he is seriously considering buying it ... as soon as he passes his Mod 2 test.

As for the title of today's Journal entry, it quite accurately describes my wood pile. It has been carefully stacked as high as possible and god help anyone who pulls a log from the pile and causes its collapse!

Let's do lunch

 Today's main event was "lunch". Lunch with a couple of friends from my days working in the IT industry.

I keep in touch with VERY few of my ex colleagues, but Grandad Jack and Judge Dread are two exceptions. I worked with them both during my years at IBM and, for some strange reason, we clicked. We all come from very different backgrounds, but share a similar sense of humour and are all in our seventh or eight decade.* We all have an interest in the world about us and when we spend time together our conversations range from geopolitics to taking the piss out of each other.**

In a good year we may meet up a couple of times. In a bad year we may not get together at all, and last year was a bad one ... particularly for Grandad Jack. He has been undergoing treatment for a tumour in his neck and as he puts it himself he "isn't out of the woods yet".

He is now over the worst of his treatment, so we arranged to meet up for lunch at the Oak at Upton Snodsbury ... our preferred venue.***

We had a lovely few hours in the pub and gentle leg pulling took place. A couple of gins were drunk**** as we caught up with each others' news. Strangely our conversations rarely touch on our working lives, although the tale of my journey into retirement was covered.

I really enjoy their company and hope that there will be many more sessions like this. Jack has his next scan in February and we all hope that the magic word remission is heard at the consultation that will follow.

---

* Jack is now 75, John (Dread) is 66 and I am a youthful 61.

** There is a lot of the latter!

*** Jack lives over in Knowle, so it is a forty minute drive. John lives down in Portsmouth, so it's bloody miles for him. I'm laughing, it's only five miles down the road and Jack generally picks me up on the way.

**** By me. Jack was on the alcohol free Guiness and John was drinking lime and soda .... AND he calls himself a Northerner ... he's spent far too much time down South.

I hope they will fit

 For the past five weeks I have been looking out on to a large pile of split logs. These have sat in the far corner of the front lawn since I dealt with the aftermath of Storm Darragh.

The recent departure of the Series 2 Land Rover has made ample space in the car port, and I spent today moving the logs under cover.

The garden now looks slightly tidier and the carport is once again filled.* At least the logs will start to dry out and I will be sheltered from the weather as I start to stack them tidily against the wall. 

Basically I have piled a large tree in the carport and I am wondering how much space it will need when it is stacked ... I hope it will fit. 

I have also realised that stacking the logs will be the fourth time I have handled the damned things; felling, splitting, transferring to the dry store and stacking. It's no wonder they cost two hundred quid a tonne.

---

* I am starting to wonder whether there is some universal law that means that any clear space will soon become filled ... it is an aspect of entropy, perhaps?

That took while to finish off

Surprisingly I did not spend the day faffing around with the new bike. I did connect her up to an Optimate battery charger and throw a cover over her, but that was it.

I did however attend to a little job that has been ignored for a couple of years. 

Shortly after moving here TP's chum Charlie asked if I wanted a "parts bin rack." Basically this is a large sheet of metal with regularly spaced, louvered perforations. These louvres allow plastic component bins to be slotted on to it for the storage of whatever you like ... usually small components such as fixings etc.

I accepted the offer and Charlie kindly delivered the rack. It was then shoved in the back of the car port and subsequently blocked in by the Series 2. It has sat there for at least two years, probably longer.

The recent removal of the Land Rover meant that I was finally able to get at it and I spent a merry couple of hours fixing it to the wall in the garage. I had even ordered a set of parts bins, so these were slotted in place. It really does look rather professional. All I need to do now is find something to put in it.

In other news, Jason and the lads turned up this morning to grout the paving slabs and tidy up the site. The new path looks lovely and really smartens up the front of the house. The only downside is that we really need to get the driveway cleaned up ... and that is a hands and knees job!

That can wait until the weather warms.

At least it wasn't freezing

 The day had finally arrived for me to head over to Cheltenham to pick up my new bike. My original plan was to collect it on the previous Wednesday, but last week's freezing weather put paid to that plan.

This morning I woke to a thick blanket of fog, which started to lift as the morning progressed. The sun was visible by the time 30% and I headed South down the M5, but patches of thick fog were encountered as we made our way towards Cheltenham.

I went through the various formalities at the Motoradd dealership before being shown the bike controls and features ... It is like a bloody space ship compared to my other bikes. I won't bore you with the specifications, but fully adjustable rider modes, hill start assist, and clutchless gear changes are but a few from the very long list* ... It's going to take me a good while to become familiar with them, and part of me is already wondering whether I should be fiddling with electronic gizmos when I should be paying attention to the maniac car drivers around me?**

Eventually the hand-over was completed and it was time for me to take the first ride on my new bike. A lower height seat had been fitted, which made me far more confident with the bike at a standstill, but I noticed how heavy she was compared to my other bikes. The starter button was pushed and she rumbled in to life. I pulled away, with 30% watching and then got cut up by a prat in a mini before I had even got off the car park!

I found her fairly easy to ride and the ROAD mode was unthreatening. However a busy motorway with periodic patches of fog was no fun. My helmet's visor needed regular wiping to remove the droplets from the fog and it was not a great ride. The roads were busy, the weather was poor and my shiny new bike was getting covered with a layer of filth from the road.

As first dates go, this wasn't the best!

I also found it challenging to find the right point in the rev range to change gears. It alternated between smooth changes and graunches that made me wince in mechanical sympathy.

I need warm weather, clear dry roads and I need that now!

TP and his mate Charlie are both keen bikers and were interested to know how I found the bike. I had to answer that I really wasn't able to formulate an opinion on a quick whizz up the motorway in shitty weather. As I've already said, I need better weather, less traffic and more miles to become familiar with her.

I did also pop in to see Buzzer and show off my new pride and joy. Buzzer was his usual lovely self and was both surprised and delighted with my new acquisition. Both he and Dotty came out for a viewing and to watch me head off after an hour of coffee and chat.

One might think that was enough for the day ... Hell No!

I then needed to spend a couple of hours with hose pipe, bucket and chammy leather to wash off the accumulated road salt and other filth.

As I write this the R1250R is now sat in the garage, and she is a lot cleaner than she was when she first arrived at her new home. She'll need a few hours with some polish and a duster, but that can wait for a day or two.

---

* One of the features is that the bike is fitted with a multitude of sensors and these can detect whether it has been dropped or involved in an accident. If triggered, the sensors will contact a call centre via the on-board SIM card. The call centre will ask, via the motorcycle if I am alright. If they cannot get a response they will notify the emergency services, using the SIM card to provide location details.

** One wonders if this is why they installed the feature outlined in the previous footnote?

Tessa, whoever she may be?

The work on the path at the front of the house continues and the Indian green sandstone paving stones were laid today. It is going to look really smart once they have been grouted and edged with pea gravel.

A couple of days ago, during the construction of the hardcore base, Jason knocked at the door. They had lifted the old step and discovered a finely worked grave stone. The face of the stone is about a foot square, and it is seven inches deep. It bears the inscription "Tessa, 1957 - 1969" and this has been done with much skill and care.

We can only assume that this was a memorial to a much loved pet, and it seemed quite disrespectful to have used it as a foundation stone for some steps. It has now been placed in the low stone wall that borders the front lawn and can be seen each time we leave the house.

Our neighbours;* Charmian and Peter have lived here for many decades and were certainly familiar with the two previous owners. It is hoped that they may be able to shed some light on who Tessa was.

My day was hardly momentous. I visited the dentist this morning for a filling and a cleaning session and, on the homeward journey, picked up a bag of layers pellets from the feed store. I also checked on the state of the charging batteries. They seem to be taking a charge, so it looks like I'll be treating the hives for varroa in the next few days.

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* They live out of sight, on the other side of the low hill about four hundred yards away from the cottage. That's the definition of a neighbour round here.

I'm not safe out on my own!

If you read yesterday's Journal Entry you might have noted that one of my minor accomplishments was the emptying of the embers from the Log Burner. This needs doing every few days to ensure that it burns well. The embers can be very hot so they're shovelled in to a metal bucket, which is left in the carport while the embers cool to ashes.

The cooling time is a key point and I clearly remember reminding 30% that the bucket needed leaving for a couple of days before it was tipped in the dustbin.

Unfortunately I didn't heed my own warning ... let me explain. 

Alan was due to arrive around lunchtime to collect the Series 2. So, for the fourth time in the past few days, I again needed to clear the garden chairs, barbecue etc from around the Land Rover so that it could be winched out and on to a transporter. 

The bucket of ashes was sat in the carport and I chucked them in to the black wheelie bin without a moment's thought.  The area around the vehicle was now clear and I headed indoors to continue with my day.

All was well until there was an urgent knocking on the door. On opening the aforementioned portal I found Josh, one of our workmen, looking a little flustered. "You've set your bin on fire" he advised, and he almost managed to conceal a grin.

I went outside to investigate and I had done a proper job. The black bin was melted from rim to base, and its contents were spilling from a 10" wide wound. The adjacent recycling bin fared slightly better, but it too was going to need to be replaced.

I am such a tool!

Having ensured that the bin fire had been extinguished, I then spent a merry twenty minutes on the internet and phone arranging for the two bins to be replaced. The cost of my idiocy; sixty three of your Great British Pounds.

Nursing my bruised wallet, I spent much of the day injuring my bank balance even further. The 5 Series insurance and warrantee were renewed and it also needs an oil service, so that got added to the list of work that will be done when it goes to the local dealership on 5th February.

Obviously the Series 2 did get dragged off the premises at lunch time and Alan did his best to make my bank balance look a little healthier by paying the outstanding balance on the car.

So that was my day; Arson, Administration & Automotive Antics.

Domesticity

There is little of interest to report for today.

That is not to say that my day was dull. It was just taken up with domestic activities. The little jobs that need to be done to keep things rolling along.

In the morning 30% and I headed in to Redditch to pick up a few groceries and to replace our carbon monoxide alarm. You see, nothing exciting, just making sure that we are fed and that we don't suffocate in our sleep.

In the afternoon I emptied the log burner and spent half an hour transferring soot and charred tar from the log burner glass to my hands and clothing. 

I then headed outside and refreshed the moisture traps in the 5 Series. It is currently sat in the carport under cover. I have prudently installed a couple of moisture absorbing devices to prevent the car getting damp as it sits unused over Winter. I replaced the crystals in one of the traps and put the silica beads from the others in to a low oven to dry for a couple of hours.

While the silica beads slowly desiccated I finally got around to insuring the new motorcycle, as I will be picking it up in the coming week.

The final activity of any significance was to attempt to get a charge in to a car battery.  This is not for automotive purpose, but is actually beekeeping related.  Each Winter the bee hives are treated with oxalic acid vapour as a precautionary measure to control varroa mites.* The battery is used to provide a heat source to vaporise the oxalic acid crystals in the hive.

Unfortunately my battery didn't seem inclined to take a charge. Bugger, I may need to find another, as the hives need treating in the next week or two.

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*These are a parasitic mite that can have a devastating effect on a colony. A varroa infection can lead to total colony loss.

This wasn't on my to do list

 The weekend has arrived and 30% has been inundated with messages from potential buyers for the Series 2 Land Rover.  She had already arranged for "Alan" to come and take a look at midday, but some oddball going by the name of "Grab" was incredibly anxious to come and view too. 

While 30% attempted to arrange viewing appointments, I headed outside and, once again,  cleared the area around the Land Rover of garden chairs, the barbecue and other assorted debris.

Alan arrived at midday with his son and father, literally three generations of Land Rover addicts.  They spent a good hour going over the vehicle before deciding that it was worth saving. 

After a short haggling session a price was agreed and a healthy deposit was put down. The Series 2 will be collected on Monday and I will finally have some space in the car port.

Having sold the Land Rover, I must admit that I felt that I deserved a lazy Saturday afternoon. An hour was spent snoozing on the sofa in front of the log burner and some low quality television was consumed.

I won't miss the Series 2. I bought it back in 2020 when we lived at The Pile down in the village. At that time we had just about finished the work on the house and I needed another project. However, we were then offered first refusal the cottage, and it was an offer that we couldn't refuse.

Moving in to the cottage meant that our priorities changed. Maintenance and restoration of the house and gardens take precedence. The realist in me knew that I was never going to find the motivation to restore the Land Rover when there were so many other things to do. I also have a string of other interests to consume my hours.

It just took me a few years to get my arse in to gear and get the damned thing advertised. It's surprising how motivated I have become after over spending on a new motorbike. 

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Post Script: I'm not sure what aspect of the Land Rover sale is most attractive. I agree that my bank balance looks healthier, but both 30% and I agree that more space in the carport is very welcome. It'll be much easier to stack the logs from the conifer that blew down, without a crumbling vehicle in the way. On balance I think the extra space in the carport wins.

Liquidating Assets

I had an appointment with the dental hygienist this morning. I mentioned that I had some recent discomfort with one of my teeth and it appears that I need a filling too. As a result my appointment was aborted and rescheduled to next Tuesday, as more time would be needed to complete the work.  I will now have the pleasure of a twenty five minute appointment featuring anaesthetics, drilling and that, oh so pleasant, scrape and polish. I really can't wait!

On my return I prepared for the arrival of Mike, the chap that had contacted me earlier in the week about the sale of my Browning shotgun.  It is fair to say that I was somewhat apprehensive about selling the shotgun. Mike was a complete unknown and could be anywhere on a spectrum that ranges from nice guy to homicidal maniac. Then there are the legal aspects to consider. I needed to verify his identity and ensure that his shotgun license was legitimate. I also needed to ensure that the monies were transferred and that the relevant Police firearms units were notified of the sale. 

If any of this goes wrong the least worst outcome is that I loose out on the sale fee. The worst case scenario is a world of trouble with the Police and Magistrates.

As it happens Mike was genuine and a pleasure to do business with. I also managed to persuade him to part with an extra twenty quid over the agreed sale fee, in exchange for a spare gun slip that I no longer needed. 

Later in the day I had the first viewing of the Series 2. A chap call Phil arrived and gave it a thorough going over. He eventually started to haggle, but we couldn't agree on a price. His limit appeared to be £1900, which I politely declined.* 

I pointed out that he was the first to view the vehicle and that I had a long list of other people queuing up to come and take a look. I also let him know that I'd agree to a price provided that it began with a two. He declined to move any further, so I let him disappear in to the frosty darkness while I returned to the warmth of the fire.

The next chap is scheduled to turn up tomorrow at midday.

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* I am asking £2250