Rain and wind forecast for today, just got back from Dads ...

He'd managed to spill another cup of tea overnight, so the bedside table and it's hostages were soaked along with one pillow and the top of the duvet ...

Jeeze he's hard work sometimes first thing in the morning ...
 
Morning all weather not to bad this morning so will get on with the logging and splitting and stacking we had are first snow last night strange as the temperature was 10c so melted on contact have a good Saturday and don't forget the Sun only shines on the righteous .cloudy today .😑😑
 
I'm sitting in my shed waiting for it to get light and/or stop raining. There are clusters of hibernating ladybirds everywhere this autumn:
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It must confuse them when I come in and light the fire and warm the place up. There were little creatures scuttling around the place during the night. I think they go underneath the shed to shelter.

Not much sign of weather damage, either at my place or any of the nearby farms. Usually after high winds you see trees down and holes in roofs where the sheeting or slates have lifted, but no sign of that this time. It's clearly been wet but the river Severn, whilst full, wasn't spread out over the surrounding fields. When it gets to the sort of time when shops are likely to be open I'll go to the nursery and have a look at their ornamental trees. I'd like to get a few things that'll come into flower early in the spring to put near the entrance to the property to brighten the place up a bit in the early part of the year. Members of the prunus species (all those flowering cherries and suchlike) or those cultivars of hawthorn that have pink or red flowers rather than the usual white would be nice
 
Same wood ? Year older ?
Perhaps, but the wood arrived kiln-dried last year, and has been luxuriating in an open-faced wood-store ever since so it may be damper than when delivered. I think it is the loading/laying of the fire as I am doing that differently to before.
The burner is "landscape" but not very big. This year I am cutting some of the 10" billets into 2 @ 5".
This lets me get 3 billets on the bottom (2 x 1 &1/2) laid on the long direction, then 4 1/2 billets laid front to rear, then 2 more billets laid in the long direction. Lit from the top with kindling it burns longer, slower, and hotter than the previous firings.
It might just be my imagination, but we always struggled to get the temperature up to 300 on the flue thermometer before.
Even the wife has noticed and commented that I am not feeding the fire all the time and it is hotter.
 
Perhaps, but the wood arrived kiln-dried last year, and has been luxuriating in an open-faced wood-store ever since so it may be damper than when delivered. I think it is the loading/laying of the fire as I am doing that differently to before.
The burner is "landscape" but not very big. This year I am cutting some of the 10" billets into 2 @ 5".
This lets me get 3 billets on the bottom (2 x 1 &1/2) laid on the long direction, then 4 1/2 billets laid front to rear, then 2 more billets laid in the long direction. Lit from the top with kindling it burns longer, slower, and hotter than the previous firings.
It might just be my imagination, but we always struggled to get the temperature up to 300 on the flue thermometer before.
Even the wife has noticed and commented that I am not feeding the fire all the time and it is hotter.

You got fire bricks in the fire ive never bothered but my neebs have but they have a much smaller fire.
 
You got fire bricks in the fire ive never bothered but my neebs have but they have a much smaller fire.
It is a dual-fuel fire with a riddling grate. The inside of the box is lined with what I can only think to be asbestos or suchlike slabs.
They feel fibrous to the touch and aren't hard. But back wall, sides and sloped top with the afterburner duct holes are all of the same material. :)
 
There's various kinds of travel cups you can get with a hole in the lid to drink through that don't look too baby-ish. Would one of those do the job?

Sorry to hear about your cat. I'm sure its little life was filled with purring and warm places to sleep.
All the guys who did rescue and recovery at motor sports had them. To the extent that at the end of some events we got given them with some sort of sticker on as a memento. They also had a handy hadle that you could hook over stuff and, of course, they kept your drink warm a bit longer.
Certainly not a kiddy mug.
Shedloads available!
Click here:
 
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Mornin
Tidy up day today, wash floors etc
Then relocate tele in the van
Time to switch my solar lights off, they only light for about an hour this weather:rolleyes:
Need to get poshed up and get the bus to town for a new phone but can't be bothered till next week
Hope the weather's better where you are, dull here, dry and cold
Enjoy the weekend and stay safe :)
 
Rain and wind forecast for today, just got back from Dads ...

He'd managed to spill another cup of tea overnight, so the bedside table and it's hostages were soaked along with one pillow and the top of the duvet ...

Jeeze he's hard work sometimes first thing in the morning ...
I knew someone who once thought their table top had been stolen... it transpired that it was merely overturned.
 
Has rained overnight here but now sunny.
W got back from her new doc's yessdi having been told to do a series of blood pressure tests. apparently hers was at 160 over 90.
So dug the old machine out this a.m.
Faffed about finding batts that worked.
Tested it on myself, 130 over 78, OK so far!
Tested W twice, so far, as she was told, second time she was 138 over 78. she is "aiming" for 135/85.
"White coat syndrome" we think, as prolly does the doc!
Done nowt else other than have brekfus while watching Graham Norton and now The sewing bee.
My life is such a rich tapestry!
Have a good one folks!!
:) :) :)
 
There's various kinds of travel cups you can get with a hole in the lid to drink through that don't look too baby-ish. Would one of those do the job?

Sorry to hear about your cat. I'm sure its little life was filled with purring and warm places to sleep.

Dad is a work in progress for 'stuff' to make his life work and mine a bit easier ...

Georgie the cat, rocked into our lives seven years ago in a snow storm ... she was an adult cat between two and four years old ...

and as feisty as, because she been living 'outside' for a while ... but she chose us and we loved her ...
 

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