In bits

Should have done this when it broke over a week ago as the weather forecast is for some snow in the coming days. I needed to strip down the 'gearbox' unit to find out exactly how serious the self-created damage was. Parts now ordered, and I hoped would be shipped today, but it looks as though they might go out tomorrow and thus probably not here until Monday.

The blower if from 2005/6 but luckily these Chinese made machines are very robust and use old-fashioned nuts & bolts which are relatively easy to take apart. In fact the exact same machines are sold new today so there are plenty of spare parts. Just hope that when I get to put it all back together again I won't end up with too many bolts and nuts left over! I'm not a natural mechanic.

Otherwise, nice sunny day. It was frustrating yesterday that a relatively small amount of our PV panels on the roof were clear, but the unit wasn't registering any generation. Today more was free but still nothing. Checked the internet and phoned our electrician - a very high proportion needs to be free before it will start & surely enough with the +6°C temperature and sun, by midday it started up.

Nice evening dog walk and the Alps to be seen again - the southerly wind from Italy tends to do this and accounts for the warmth. As Luna and discovered, walking 'off-piste' is not a good idea, the snow is very heavy and there is no ice crust to support one, so you sink in.