Sunday 8th November 09

A bit of a late start to the morning, as one of the children joined us in bed during the night following a bad dream or something. I was also bunged up and woke with a swollen throat. But got downstairs at 10 to find Gill listening to the Archers and making bread, proving it next to the stove. An hour later she was dancing round feeling very pleased with herself and saying she'd made the best bread she'd ever made. And it is delicious.

I watched the Sky At Night on BBC iPlayer about the tiny impactor which was crashed into a shadowy crater to see if there was any water ice in the material at the bottom... but it was a bit of a non event in many ways because all the people expecting a huge 'splash' of material were very disappointed. Then I listened to a Radio 4 programme on Listen Again on crickets and grasshoppers. So a very sedentary morning.

But after lunch I did a load of fruit sorting... took dried fruit off the rack and put another load on... 30 small bananas from Freshways this time. I did this whilst listening to Gardeners Question Time on Radio 4.

But then I went outside and replenished the stack of logs outside the front door; this one's on the right looking out, so to keep the house warm and cook, we're now using the stack on the left which has been drying for one or two years in the open air, in the wind, rain and sun, and has had a few weeks under cover in our porch. I judge whether something is dry enough to go on the stove by just picking the log up and feeling the weight. Although the weight of a dry log depends on the type of wood it is, I can tell when they are dry enough. There is also a visual clue, if the log has split radially, and has developed cracks in it, it has lost enough moisture to burn.

Anyway, I continued this task til dark. I built a good pile which won't collapse as it dries off fully, as the logs are interlocked and even as they shrink the last little bit, I predict this one will be OK.

Gill made a good tea, quiche, potatoes, avocado and a slice of baked squash, reheated in the microwave. We watched 'Life' on BBC1, about fish, then Countryfile.

This evening I really enjoyed the music played by Equinox, who broadcast in York on 103.7 FM on Sunday afternoon/night, and on the web at Cranky Radio (well, sometimes!) and they hold events too, find out more here. I phoned in a dedication for Gill and the boys, as they were all enjoying the music. Lovely!