8°C, clear, light W winds
Look what they’ve done to this door release button. How naughty?
Naughty children
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Author Archives: essiep
Urn
5°C, clear with westerly wind. CA35 miles.
Sales are on, here I have picked up some glitzy ceramics for the kitchen. The glaze on these stoneware pots is flawless, more like polished glass than gold. Opinions vary- some are polite, others thought “kitsch”.
I have an idea for that storage jar. What about not using it for food? What about putting in some ash from the fire’s ash bucket? Perhaps leave an old, burnt pair of glasses, or false teeth semi-covered inside. It’s an image isn’t it? I wonder how any new lodgers would react.
You have to admit, it’s a better idea than keeping couscous in there.
New year
10°C, getting windy, dry
No new year’s resolutions, new year is not a good time to make them. I have hopes though. I hope to sort my career out, I hope to have fewer sleepless nights but in the meantime, I have hurdles.
My garden is confused. There is broom in flowers along with a solitary rose and the budleah is happily pushing out new leaves.
On the Step
8°C, rain
Rosie is on watch. She sits on this step as it’s the only one she can see out of the front door’s small window. she may, if very lucky, bark at a passer-by.
Which TV?
4°C, rain.
I want a new TV. the one I have drives me nuts- there is a high pitched whining noise (even when the sound is muted)from my CRT set. New TVs are currently cheap, between £300 & £.silly, but the problem is choice. There are too many to choose from.
Plasma screen: heavy, good colour gamut, less contrast ratio very fast re-fresh rate.
LCD: cheapest option, light, sharp but poor flicker. Thicker screen, but the sound is better in the bigger box.
LED: (backlight is an array of LEDs), fast re-fresh rate is expensive, but sharp, bright and better gamut than LCD. Screen can be very thin, but once it’s set up, you won’t see that.
TechRadar
I can only hope I succeed in getting one today.
Boxing day
10°C, sun & strong wind. CK:57 miles
Good Christmases have to include a good bikeride, this one was despite the wind. It was warm (relatively) so much that I sneaked into a farm to use a standpipe to replenish my water bottles. Several recent rides have been spoilt by dehydration so I’m keeping on top of that. Using a 42×17 gear felt just right too. My troublesome tendon is not noticeable when riding without overshoes. Those things put too much pressure on that achilles tendon. A good day followed by deep sleep.
Winterlude
10~6°C, rain
This plan: Bent the flashing under that window to help it drain over a roof tile. Temporarily shoved a wad of plastic in front of the point that the water seems to get in. Let’s see how it goes, today brings rain, lots of it. The wood will take so long to dry out though, but at least we’re heading towards a slightly less wet part of winter. I put the heating back on up there and am running a de-humidifier to grab what is probably condensation.
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Leak
12°C, Westerly
Investigating a damp patch in the attic. Started with taking up the floorboards in the top room to have a look. There is a dark patch around the point that the pipes come out of the floor to the radiator. That was my first suspect.
However, confusion remains. There are four pipes that end there too. Just open pipes with an elbow bend that is not connected to anything. So, switch on the heating to see whether any water comes out. None.
The boards behind are damp to the touch behind, right into the eaves. There is a roof window just above and my second suspicion lies there. I don’t have any expertise with roof windows but it doesn’t look as if the lead flashing is right. Rain water could, I suspect, run along its lower gutter and under a roof-tile each side. It should run onto a tile then downwards off the roof.
Let’s get an expert.
Dehydrated
12°C, light cloud, light NW. CA:29½ miles
Flagged a little on the ride today, especially near the end. Dehydration was probably the cause. Took until 9pm to feel back to normal and stop worrying that I have an oncoming cold.
- Like old times: a screenshot from a flight sim, played on a 4 year old computer
no white Christmas
5°C, rain & warming. CK26 miles
Decent ride around Lancs in the gloaming. The new Armadillo tyre seems fine. Naturally, I’m wary of tough, puncture resistant tyres but there are many punctures to be had in Lancs- especially on those cycle-tracks near Southport. Puncture resistant tyres have, in the past, given a harder ride & are prone to skids. They don’t even offer any real reduction in punctures.
Today’s ride tested them reasonably well on slimy roads with black clay mud in Lancs lanes. I felt no wheel-spin or skittishness on corners.
Interesting how two rides can contrast. Sunday, I rode 33 miles and was pretty worn out at the end. Contrast that with today’s outing. Fewer miles, yes but finished feeling refreshed and warm all day. It’s not good to miss more than 2 days’ exercise.
Tomorrow is to be warmer- possibly 12°C and no rain. What a contrast with last year!
Micycle 