Peter in France

[mpprh]

The apartment renovation has fallen behind as other priorities arise. Also, the plumber is now working on different things and there are a couple of small leaks. I won't box in the pipes until I'm 100% sure they are leak free.

Changing the clock acted as a spur to do some garden work and look at the pool house. As suspected the cold spell had frozen a plastic pipe that then split (actually the plastic collar on one of the joints). After a lot of dry assembly and adjustment, the pipes were glued and proved to be leak free overnight. Even better, the pool repair from last year is also watertight. Next job remove cover, clean and use. The plumbing is something like this but not as neat or accessible :



It includes four inlet pipes, three outlet pipes and joints to pool, filter and pump. Of course, the current valves and joints are no longer made so the fix was a mix of new and cannibalised old parts.

We've still had virtually no rain since October and the latest 10 day forecast is 0% probability of cloud or rain with temps up to 23C.

Back to the apt work during the week.

I have two or three projects in mind before I retire .... again.

[mpprh]

Time to open the pool. Hopefully the warmer weather will bring it up to temperature in May.

The very cold snap in February (and high winds shortly afterwards) have caused many elastics to snap. I'll re do them for next year.



The water itself was pretty clear with a few leaves that had blown under the cover on the bottom. However the cover had a lot of dust and plant material caused by the winds which fell in the water as the cover was removed.

Still not too bad :



Next will be :

[trevnhil]

The pool certainly looks very inviting. As you say it needs the sunshine on the surface now to raise the temperature.
Here also we are in what appears to be the first real days of Summer.

Cheers. Trev..

[mpprh]

The dust has now settled and I'm ready to do the first vacuum.

Water temperature is 16C, so no swimming just yet.

[accykeef]

16C - mmm better wait for that to cool a bit, wouldn't want you getting blisters or a heat rash.

Do you heat it in Summer or is the sun enough to bring it to a god temperature?
I remember a hotel in Spain, near where I worked and their pool was almost constantly in shade. I used to go in quite regularly but only for swimming.

It was too bally cold to float about in it.

The hotel is still in one of the big tour operator's brochure and in the picture there is bright sunshine. That had to be taken very late in the afternoon./

[mpprh]

We don't heat the pool - too mean !

June to mid September it is normally 30+C. Earlier and later in the year the days are shorter, sun lower and the pool has more shadow, less sun. My pool is not perfectly aligned but I get about 90 % of it in summer, then this drops off in spring and autumn. My neighbour has tall trees to the North and his pool never gets over 24C whereas my record is 33C. In fact anything over, say, 28C, needs much attention to prevent algae growing.

Wind also cools the pool, so that makes a difference. Best to protect the pool from prevailing winds at least.

[WillowTheWhisp]

But isn't a nice cool pool more inviting when the weather is really hot?

[mpprh]

Coolish !

All things are relative. As I get older I find 25C is coolish.

I remember swimming once on the first day of the season at SSS (we were there trying to get low serial number season tickets) when it was 49F or 10C.

Swam one breadth and walked back to the changing rooms and hot showers.

[mpprh]

BTW, the junior annual season tickets were 10/=

[mpprh]

This a 3rd generation cock up.

1)This cover originally ordered for an enormous pool but didn't arrive before the owner had sold.

2) Given to someone with an equally (or thought to be) pool, but proved to be too narrow.

3)Stored outside and one end deteriorated in the sun.

4)= Given to us with a smaller pool and we cut out the good bits to fit.

Another one of those tuit things. We've been meaning to extend the season with one of these since 1999, but never got a round tuit.

[accykeef]

We need a round tuit for our drive, it looks and sounds like a loose inspection cover but it will remain loose until I get one of those afore mentioned round tuits.

[mpprh]

Just to keep up to date ...


Home Sweet Home.

19 days, 4540km and lots done.

Minor problem is AC started to fail on the way up but it wasn't really a problem in Morecambe (14C), Lake District (11C), Harrow (20C), Brighton (22C), started to be uncomfortable on the Paris peripherique (25C and smokey). Today it was 20C - 25C between the house of horrors and the Millau Bridge. Then it got rather sticky with 35C around Beziers.

No help from the pool - it was 36C after removing the solar bubble cover.

[mpprh]

Seems there is a known fault on the AC compressor for my model car and it will be replaced FOC.

Parts ordered and appointment for Wednesday am.

[accykeef]

It was great to meet you face to face on your nostalgia trip. Glad you got back safe and sound even if you did suffer a bit of discomfort.
We have just returned from a week in sunny (yes really), drizzly, thunderous Scotland and AC would have been very useful at times.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Any chance Coachman could borrow that tuit?