Hi all,
just to let you know that we now have a new wood store up at the Cottage. The store is stacked with split wood but this is not yet seasoned. The wood on the left hand side (looking at the store) is drier, (although by no means dry) so please take from there. Please make sure that there is some kindling drying off inside for the next users.
And a reminder that we cannot take ANY wood from the surrounding area.
Please do not split any more logs for now, we will get a proper rotation of wood once some has seasoned properly. I am planning a proper chopping block for splitting logs, there is a temporary one for splitting kindling. The new path and slate apron will be cemented in on my next visit.
We do have a large supply of logs at the moment, these are mostly from the two beech trees that were felled behind the Barn a few years ago. These logs were getting very rotten piled up and covered in tarps and we were in danger of losing a valuable supply of wood, albeit whilst gaining an extensive and exotic fungal collection. The new woodstore will help to make sure we can make the most of the logs, as well as housing future supplies once the logs are all used up. Please do not cover the log piles as this makes them sweat and rot.
The old temporary wood store will stay for now as we have such a glut of wood, thanks to Harri for reversing the fall of the roof at the Working Meet -it is now a lot drier in there.
Many thanks to Stel Holland and Ian Millard for their help in carrying the new store up the track,
Chiz
Top job Chiz
Much as the ecosystem of the old wood pile was a joy to behold, this is a huge improvement!
cheers Richard, feedback is always welcomed!
Happy new year to everyone, great to catch up with quite a few of you over new years.
We have burnt our way through a whole woodstore of wood since the working meet, and have restocked the woodstore so it is now full again, thanks to all that helped do this on New Year’s Day!
Some of the wood is a bit damp but it should dry off fairly quickly. Hopefully this will last up to the working meet and will give us an idea of exactly how much wood we get through between working meets so we can plan ahead and buy in logs once our own wood runs out.
I will be buying and taking up a splitting axe (we only have a felling axe currently) on my next visit so we can split some more logs ready for the spring. If anyone is competent at using an axe and wants to split some logs, then take proper care, wear proper boots, don’t split on the slate path and please stack wood in the old store NOT the new store so the wood can season over winter.
We will be building a second woodstore at the spring working meet as well as completing the slate apron and path around them.
We also tidied out the hearth and got rid of the of the (very) old newspapers, catalogues, rubbish and used tissues (thanks) that were in the cardboard box by the fire. Leaving some newspaper is fine for starting fires, but we don’t want all that flammable rubbish to be left next to the fire, please burn it or bin it. I have bought two new boxes of firelighters and put them, and some newspaper in the cubby hole in the bressamer. Also moved the bread crates to the shed, all looks a lot tidier and with less melting plastic…
Happy new year!
Chiz
Nice one Chiz. We took away a load of cardboard before Christmas. The
magazines don’t burn well so it was good to remove them. It all sounds
good. Happy New Year.
Richard
Thanks @Haszko, happy new year. Yep, magazine paper is full of China Clay so it doesn’t burn well, and best to take for recycling. If we keep a couple of newspapers up with the firelighters/matches then that is fine, but we don’t want loads of flammable stuff around the burner. One of the plastic bread crates was part melted, and the yellow trug also melted, not good! Thanks for helping with the cardboard.
There was a load of chipboard and all sorts of rubbish accumulating around the hearth a while back, now all cleared and it looks a lot better without all the clutter, we’ll look at putting something up to hang the fire irons off for the next working meet, and get a decent pair of tongs.
Cottage was very clean and tidy when I turned up after xmas, I think you and Valerie were last in, thank you!
Happy New Year everyone.
Thanks @chizharward and @Haszko for looking after the area around the fireplace. Can everyone please heed Chiz’s advice and keep the area clean and tidy and pay attention to flammable objects.
Last time I visited the cottage, I found the fire already prepared and just needing a match to start it. That was a lovely welcome. Please consider doing the same when you visit.
