Little Catch-ups

It's October, and it was 14°C (57°F) in our conservatory today. Brrr, a little chilly to start the day.

Although it's October, we haven't been woken by gunshots! That's a nice change. This time of year is waterfowl hunting season in Maine. Here in the U.K. there are still traditional estate hunts and sporting lodges, a bit like private hunting reserves. Deer aren't actually fenced in, but are strategically coerced into browsing on sporting estates through their manipulative land management practices, such as supplemental winter feeding.

Hunting wild mammals with hounds was outlawed in 2004. The compromise has been to allow trail hunting where an artificial scent, rather than a live one, is followed. Lots of controversy there.

As far as our habitat goes, we had some electrical work done last week, as we make preparations for the installation of heat pumps, scheduled for the end of this month (fingers crossed it isn't typical U.K.-delayed. C'mon, prove us wrong!).

We heard an emptying-of-water-sound in the ceiling just before the crew arrived (yes, it had rained all night), so have had to investigate further. A roof leak, obviously, so that needs a repair team. In the meanwhile, we've placed an empty tote bin in the rafters to catch the offending water.

Very pleasing has been the installation of infra-red heaters in our bathroom this week. Bliss! Now climbing out of the shower cubicle won't be such a shock. And Dale can program when it's on and off, and what temperature is appropriate, with Wi-Fi smart home automation. That's extra fun for him to dabble with.