DVT DAY 83
Its Saturday and its a day of chores. First is the negotiation for a bacon sandwich and fresh coffee accompanied by my daily drugs. I get my tool kit out and start to get the water tank ready to have its inlet value worked on. So with a piece of string, a cut up bin bag and a selection of bull dog clips I disable the ball cock and put a cover over the water. Then its attacking the layers of silt that have built up and a liberal application of WD40. Although the valve frees up the leverage from the ballcock is not enough to close the valve. It is noticeable that the valve is leaking, so a new one needs to be ordered but in the meantime it needs a fix to stop the overflow continuing to feed the moss garden that has grown up on the roof below the overflow. So its a case of lowering he ballcock by an unsophisticated bend of the ballcock rod which I do with a a couple of pairs of pliers. It appears to work well enough to stop the overflow dripping, it will at least hold till the new spare part arrives. Chore one done. Time for a coffee in the garden and to smell the roses that have come out over the last couple of days.
I start on chore two which is to clean out the fish tank and rescue my guppy community from the hair algae that has grown quickly in the warm days. It is time consuming clearing the glass of its green coating and cleaning out the filter system. Without fail I spend time fishing out the inquisitive fish who get sucked up the syphon when I start taking the water out. In a similar way there are always the athletic fish that find their way onto the filter sections, again its a game to net them and return them to the main tank. At last the new water is in and the tank is returned to running condition , now it is a case of waiting for the filters to clear the water. Once it does the scene should be much improved.
Time for a rest and a fresh cheese scone baked by my partner after a stint doing some gardening. While sitting on the patio nibbling the freshly butter scone I look at the overflow pipe I was hoping was fixed and note with satisfaction that it has stopped dripping, now perhaps the sun will get to work on the moss. The baaing of sheep alerts us to a delivery. We choose sheep as our back of house door alarm as it seemed right for sheep to alert us in the garden. It is Mr Amazon delivering my new art bits and pieces. As my shed now doubles as an art studio as well as an office I integrate the new bits and pieces into the shed.
I have little time to spend in the shed today and make my way back to the house via some flowers to begin the blog while watching a German football match being played in an empty stadium.
This evening will be a slow and relaxed one, I’m tempted to light the chimenea and wonder how dry the pines trees are that over hang it. It is strange but today feels short, and I have yet to got for my walk.