Cherry.

7C, hail showers, sun too.
Started cutting the cherry tree. It’s sad to do this to a beautiful tree but it’s growing into telephone wires and I don’t want to be liable.
Since its quite a big job, I have only cut the branches that affect the wires today If there’s time tomorrow, I will finish the rest. My main hope is that it doesn’t kill the tree.
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My camellia appears to be using last year’s calendar.

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Single camellia in February.

It’s a buzz to work in the garden all day. Dodging the hail showers was not troublesome and I got a good workout chopping logs.

Stay in.

10°C, brisk W. Dry and very grey.
Can’t tell what’s going on, but no ride today. Perhaps a virus.

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It’s a shame that Christmas is further into the holiday this year. Even my neighbours, both sides, agree that Christmas spoils an otherwise good holiday.
Not a wasted day though. I spent some hours brushing up on Python programming. This is preparation for teaching so I am looking for alternative ways to solve coursework tasks.

Best days.

7°C, icy start and sun for the few daylight hours.
I am at my best on days like this. The sun and crisp air lift away the winter gloom. For hours, I chopped wood, clipped plants, fitted draught excluders, fixed bike, laundry, shopping and more. Now, there is reassurance seeing a basket with enough wood to take me through January.

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Sunrise from a few days ago.!

Hibernate in the shed.

8°C, storms brewing, strong W. Heavy rain.
This moth has chosen the window frame inside the shed to spend the winter in a very sluggish state. He was on the glass, but settled here after I accidentally dislodged him. Maybe he’s better off there as the glass can get very cold in the coming winter.
Dreadful weather is looming in the northern approaches. It’s said to take quite some time to move out. The more hysterical papers call it a “weather bomb”, a huge drop in pressure in short time.

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Promise to self: look out for him, with care, he could make it.

Ten degrees

Sun and showers, 4°C, NW breeze.
Cold house, the kitchen was 10°C when I got home tonight. It’s a few degrees higher now and the fire is roaring in the front room.
The cold has penetrated deeply today, it reached its fingers beneath skin, veins and muscles.
At fifty years old, I am yet to learn to like winter.
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Drawing in my work diary, it’s only an inch across.

Carpet.

11°C, strong southerly,
Carpet fitters can only come to your house during work hours. Luckily, we had the afternoon off in lieu of presentation evening. They cut it fine though. I expected them at 1pm, but it was 3.30 before they arrived. It’s not perfect either, there is one edge that’s not straight. Nevermind, it’s done now.

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If I’d known, then I could have spent more time finalising reports at work, or extended the bike ride home in the gusty wind.

Clean-up

16°C, brisk SW. Dry and grey.
Half-term break: is a time to clean up. It’s only been two weeks since the lodger moved out, but I am in the process of discovering problems he left behind. Rug Doctor is a carpet shampoo machine which I have rented to clean the his room as well as others. There are wine stains and other spilt drinks; some on the mattress. They cleaned up remarkably well.

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I have am idea for the staircases – stripey carpets. Then, in each room, it’s possible to put replacement carpets that match one of the stripe colours.

Never again will I allow a lodger to keep a pet. His lizards ran up the electricity bill and the rabbit made the room stink (plus a damaged patch on the carpet).

Black facias

18°C NW2, crystal clear blue.
Bike ride,tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 54.64mi, time: 03:25:38, pace: 3:46min/mi, speed: 15.94mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/722467783
Conscious of cadence, I rode in a lower gear and spun quickly with low pressure. Often, I see novice riders who are pushing too low a gear. I feel like telling them “change down and you’ll go faster”.
Such a beautiful day for a ride, the warm sunlight offset slightly cool air, visibility was vast and shadows crisp.
late start after working on the house until 2pm. The facias were all flakey with bare wood or yellow gloss visible. It looked terrible and troubled me like a stone in my shoe. It doesn’t sound much but I feel most satisfied. One part was quite inaccessible even with a long ladder. I finished by reaching out of the window. That was blind painting. I ran down to the garden to look after each bit. Most of it was done by touch, already wet sections feel more slippery under brush. There is only one small area that is out of reach.
That was quite a big job that started with something minor. In the living room, a strand of ivy has reached into the room and was growing up the wallpaper.
Done.
Happy now.

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Slag.

Sat. 19°C white cloud. No wind.
This is the strangest stone in my possession. It’s twice the weight, for its size, compared with others. It can’t be scratched with screw-driver and is slightly magnetic.

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It does have some characteristics of a meteorite, the signs of surface melting, its density and metallic qualities. However, another view shows slight layering. That discounts another possibility- magnetite. There remains one other explanation- slag. I picked it up, over ten years ago, near a railway line in Wakes.
Slag is used as ballast on the tracks on many railways around the world. Since Wales is a post-industrial montaine landscape, its origin seems less natural.
If it were a meteorite, it would be the oldest object I have ever touched. That record remains with the Lewisian Gneiss picked up in Assynt last month (2,000 million years).

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Rainday.

16C, rain most of the day. NW3,
Rain all day again. Summer rain isn’t so bad, though nice days are forecast for next week when we’re back in work.
Gardening- moved a bay tree and planted magnolia in its place. A satisfying, mucky job.

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