What a let down.

Well it has been about a week now and I still haven't got my radio back on !
I feel like death warmed up, I can hardly move about but have had to put the effort in to look after my hens.
I keep checking http://www.dxwatch.com/ and every evening 40 and 80 meters is wide open to Europe and as far down as Australia and New Zealand !
How i would love a 5 and 9 from one of those places on a cold winter night !
My dad phoned today and told me he had bought me a hundred meters of Kevlar rope so it looks like I will be able to make my 40 meter delta loop as soon as I feel fit and well enough.
When I was out in the garden today my 2 element quad and half size G5RV were covered in snow and ice ! The home brew quarter wave for 20 meters looked like some kind of ice sculpture.
I am using my down time to do some research on baluns and especially a SRC 9:1 UNUN transformer. I am going to ring the chap at the http://www.snowdonia-radio-company.co.uk/ tomorrow as I think it might be a good tool to experiment with and have a play around with some long wire inverted V antennas. I will document all my trials and experiences and take plenty of photographs. I can't guarantee I will do much on my blog once the radio is back up and running, once my ear is tuned in its hard for me to do anything else apart from think radio.