Sunday 4 April 2021

Solar benefits

Now the weather has really picked up things are happening outdoors. 

MrFF has reconnected our outdoor solar shower, he used it on Tuesday, the next day we both used it.  The water wasn’t exactly scalding for my first al fresco shower this year, in fact it went from moderately warm to decidedly cold.  I’ve been reading recently about the benefits of cold water swimming and cold showers, so I put on my grown up face and got on with it.  A brief spell under the chilly water, apparently 30 seconds is enough to make a difference to your mental and physical health, wasn’t a problem as once out I soon dried and warmed up in the sun.  This could become regular therapy round here.

You may know MrFF cobbled together engineered the shower years ago from bits and pieces we had.  Now the old table top that holds the coiled water pipe has seen better days.  We are having an upgrade, the wooden platform will be replaced by a redundant satellite dish and we are having a modesty screen made from garden trellis that came with the house.  I always have a frisson of concern that someone might come walking down the road, lean over the wall to admire my garden and see more then they expected.   Additionally the set up needs attention soon as Enrico has decided the rotting wooden platform is an ideal sleeping place, the dish will hold him much more securely though being metal it will perhaps be too hot for comfort. 

And speaking of reusing and recycling, last week I refused to wash one of MrFF’s work shirts as the front was only attached to the back by a few threads.  He found a worthy replacement as you can see below.   Next day he discovered a diamond shape patch of sunburn on his back in the exact shape of the rip.  Sometimes you can be just too Yorkshire for your own good.



8 comments:

  1. I love the idea of using the sun to warm the water.....but outdoor showering could result in more than expected in terms of chilblains over here in Derbyshire!! BRRRR.....

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    1. And it's snowing here now.....Bank Holiday Monday!!

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  2. I took my last pre-new-lockdown walk yesterday to the lake at Passy near here. It was freezing cold and blowing a hoolie but people were windsurfing and even swimming, and I got to talking to my neighbour about "wild swimming" and how (apparently) invigorating it is. You'll have to let us know the truth about that!

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  3. Enjoy your al fresco showers and think of us back in the UK - snow is forecast for tomorrow!

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  4. So remindds me of my dear long gone farmer who never threw an item of clothing away until it was capable of walking to the bin by itself.

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  5. I have a feeling Mr FF and Mister E must have been twins separated at birth

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  6. So glad I found your blog. I love cold weather swimming - never turn the heater on in my pool unless I have visitors. It is so refreshing. The pool opens in May but doesn't really warm up until July.

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  7. The shirts makes me think of my father who cut off the collars on a couple of his shirts that had seen better days, turned the collar around (inside to the outside) and use hot glue to re-attach it to the shirt. Granted when the collar was folded into place you couldn't tell, but really dad, how thrifty do you need to be? lol

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