Journey's End

In November 2008 I had an idea - burn logs to provide heat and visual enjoyment. It was a simple idea and as it's turned out it's been fairly simple to achieve. Tonight I lit my first fire and burnt my own seasoned logs - and it was fantastic.

Picture 1: Ready for the off - fire stacked up using the "top down" method - basically the biggest logs at the bottom, followed by smaller logs and kindling and "sloppy knots" newspaper. By far the best method for a good long lasting fire.

Picture 2: Early days - the paper burned off, the kindling well in and the smaller logs catching.

Picture 3: "El Scorchio" - still some flame but getting down to the real heat of charcoal logs.

What have I done?

Well it had to come to this one day. I've removed my mirror, mantelpiece and cast iron fire surround and taken out all the old gas living flame gubbins. I've created a new slab for the fire back / grate to sit on. Tomorrow I'll cement in the fire back and lintel and tidy up with any bricking in/etc. I still need to buy some fireproof rope to sit between the fire back and the cast iron surround but I reckon it should all be installed and set up by next weekend.

Pictures: 1st - before picture with old gas fire in and old black fire back, 2nd - everything taken out/off, 3rd - all the bits, plus a hoover for all the cleaning up.

Wood Envy

A new term perhaps?

Wood Envy: the feeling one gets when visiting a friend's house and seeing he has some huge logs sitting on his drive.

A term I've been feeling tonight. A routine trip to the pub turned into a nightmare when I spotted the offending logs on my friend's drive. I hatched a cunning plan for last orders, the drop off then double back for a midnight raid but alas... I was foiled. Maybe it was the full moon or my friend's sixth sense but when we arrived to relieve him of his wooden burden, there he was sitting proud atop his wooden throne. Hail King Lumber!

The gasman's been

The plumber turned up today and unhooked my gas fire - so all systems go for the fire back installation. Hopefully it'll be done sometime over Easter, I've got a week's holiday, so I'll try to fit it in between lying in bed and watching telly and eating my chocolate eggs.