Journal Saturday 27th September

Morning all. I’ve finally succumbed to the Netherlands plague that our recent visitors had been suffering with. Kelly and Craig started yesterday, I felt fine about 5 minutes ago and now, migraine, sore throat and sneezy. Any plans I might have had beyond doing the washing and getting some more firewood may get parked.

Craig left for London yesterday, so I was looking forward to a few days of quiet, getting the house back in order and probably some hardcore napping. Not sure how much is exactly getting done now because I just feel like resting in front of the fire with a blanket.

Thankfully I did a reasonable shop yesterday, because the car is at the airport until Monday, and I made pea and ham soup yesterday so lunch is already sorted. I could have done without a 5.30am wakeup call from the bulldog today but we are where we are.

Very much looking forward to having new windows soon, the installation is starting on Thursday now, instead of Monday which is actually better for us. I have a million blinds to take down and plants to move, none of that is happening today I can tell you.

One thing I do need to do, but again, it might have to wait until I’m feeling a bit better, is try to fix the boiler. We have a pellet boiler, and every year when we fire it up after the summer, there always seems to be something. The two things that are needed are pellets to be feeding into the fire box, and the ignitor to be lit. We have both of those things. But, instead of the boiler progressing from firing up to incandescent, it’s just going back to cleaning and trying again. The reason for this is the little sensor that detects that there is fire in the fire box is dirty. I have not deduced this alone, but with the help of our incredibly patient boiler man that expects a phone call from me at 10 past the solstice every year. It doesn’t sound like it’s too difficult to do, but it does require manoeuvring into the very small space at the back of the boiler to unscrew some housing and remove a fan to get to the diode I need to clean. Pretty sure I can’t face this today. Thankfully we have a couple of 20 degree days coming which will help take the chill off things in the meantime.

I think I’m going to have to pop the head torch on and go get some more firewood in the dark. I had just enough to start the fire but we’re an hour from sunrise and I think it’ll need more wood before then. Let’s hope the hornets are sleeping.

TTFN,

V x

Create a cozy and inviting featured image for a blog post titled “A Cozy Day: Firewood, Soup, and Home Projects.” Showcase a snug living room scene with a warm, flickering fireplace, a blanket draped over a comfy chair, and a rustic basket filled with firewood nearby. Include a steaming bowl of pea and ham soup on a wooden table, with soft morning light filtering through a window, creating a tranquil atmosphere. The image should be styled in a homey, relaxed manner, with an emphasis on detailed textures like the wood grain and the fabric of the blanket. Please ensure the image is high resolution and highly detailed with a sharp focus.