| This Month's Totals and Average | |||
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Another beautiful morning - pleased, as the engine 'ole will be open most of the day. Quick run round to the office first thing for more coal and kindling, then cleared access to the engine 'ole ready for RCR to get in. Kim arrived just before 10:00 and started by looking at the heater. The conclusion roughly concurred with my thoughts, that the bearings on the air impellor were 'terminal', causing secondary damage to the combustion chamber. The options are 1) to replace just those parts, 2) to get a refurbished replacement unit or 3) to get a replacement new unit (updated model with more functionality including distant monitoring). He is to pass me quotes and, once I see the figures, I'll decide. He then did the service and was finished by 13:30. The sun lasted until we had just finished before the rain returned.
After a quick lunch, nipped out for a few basics. Showers for the remainder of the afternoon.
A wet start. Drove down to Atherstone for the service at Trinity. The sun had come out by the time we finished; I returned to "Paws" for lunch. Rain back on again in showers for the remainder of the afternoon.
Woke to a beautiful sunny morning, although the coldest yet. More work on the new laptops, plus an extra walk (to make up for yesterday). The sunshine continued right through to evening.
More heavy rain overnight, continued throughout the day; a lot colder. Didn't even get my walk today! Worked on the new laptops (suspended over the Christmas/New Year period and delayed due to the work required on "Paws").
A generally damp day throughout, although there were a couple of brighter patches and I managed to still get my walk. Got more coal in ready for the next "ice age" over the weekend. Worked on the stove maintenance - removed the old door handle (the catch pin had sheared off) and replaced handle in its entirity (signs of corrosion present), removed the door-glass and replaced the retaining brackets (had corroded to almost non-existence), cleaned the glass and replaced it. The job went better than I had expected . Quiet remainder to the day with my book and puzzles.
More heavy rain overnight, and dull and damp to start the day. Had a "housework" day - a load of washing, topped up the water, emptied the loo, cleared dirty dishes, and did a batch of shopping (as well as getting in my daily walk!). The parcel from Arada arrived just before lunch - I'll attack that tomorrow. Heavy showers, with sunny spells in between.
Another bright start to the day, but again it deteriorated slowly over the day to drizzle. Had my (now becoming regular) walk in the morning. Dropped into the office for a replacement gas cylinder. Dismantled the rear steps to check for water in the cabin bilge - there was a small amount due to the faulty FW pump and condensation. Borrowed next-door's small vacuum pump and removed about 2 litres, then replaced the steps. Received a text from DPD that the parts ordered yesterday from Arada were on their way, for delivery Wednesday - excellent service.
After more rain overnight, today dawned bright again. After a very slow start, went out for a walk. Drove to Midland Chandlers for some parts, but found they do not keep spares for Arada (stoves). They did, however, give some good advice about how to deal with the job. Returning to "Paws", managed to source the parts on their advice. Sky clouded over again by dinnertime.
Long telephone catch-up with Fhi in Italy in the morning. Lovely morning, mostly sunny with scattered cloud. Decided to go for a walk in the afternoon. Showers returned by dinnertime.
Lovely bright start, although with remnants of overnight rain coming through in showers. Amongst a flurry of texts, news received from Sarah that electrics and heating for "Joshua" complete, and her own medications have been sorted out (she's feeling far better). Attacked the breaker-board and managed to get the errant breaker changed. Tested, and all appears well . Took a trip along to the farm shop for an apple & blackcurrant pie for lunch (yummie), stopping at the office for yet more coal. The afternoon cleared to mostly sunny, the first real 'sunny' spell this year. Spent the afternoon pre-preparing meals for freezing.
Another wet day, although with a brief bright spell mid-afternoon. Attempted to change the circuit-breaker for the water pump (it keeps tripping since I put the new one in). I had noted that the instructions said to fit a 10A fuse, but the original was only 5A - suggests the new pump is drawing more current. Unfortunately, as usual, there was a hitch, and I'll have to wait until I get a (planned) longer worktime. Quick trip into Hinckley for another parcel.
Heavy rain overnight continued into today. Drive out to Hinckley for stors, to collect Amazon parcels and to collect second set of new specs, otherwise, a quiet day.
A quiet day all round. No leaks found on the pump so reckon that's another box ticked. Started cloudy but improved as the day went on, with the sun getting through just before it set.
Similar pattern to today's weather as yesterday - bright but cloudy, getting damper as the afternoon wore on. Had a walk up to the town in the afternoon to get specific chutney for Pat, otherwise spent the day monitoring the water pump for leaks, clearing some e-paperwork, and having a quiet day.
A brighter, although cloudy, start to the day. Spent the whole day working on the water pump - initially getting access to the under-step compartment, then removing all the "stuff" which had been stowed there. Removing the old pump was relatively simple, but I needed to create the correct electrical connections from the bare wire-ends supplied. Eventually got the new pump in and the steps replaced. Sorted through the "stuff", making piles of still required, for transit to the house, or excess to requirements.
Managed to get a walk before the rain came on, but still had to go for coal. Had a quiet seat with my book before dinner.
A very damp and misty morning; didn't really get fully light all day! Back to Midland Chandlers for a replacement pump, and a trip into Hinckley to collect my specs and obtain a few essentials took most of the day. With the snall amount of light fading, decided to call it a day and fit the pump tomorrow. Quiet end to the day with my book.
