Sunday 3 March 2013

Winter Wood and Weariness



  

 This is the new view from the top of the yard after my OH and I got busy with the chainsaw earlier in the week and felled three of the old Ash trees.  There is a lot more light coming in now and we have more of a view too.  It is nice to be self-reliant but I can't help feeling if we relocate TOO near civilization when we do finally move, we will be considered the modern equivalent of the Beverly Hillbillies . . .




These ivy-covered Ash trees at the top of our yard were diseased and leaning and had to come down.  Fairly straightforward, but we had to rebuild part of our neighbour's fence . . .


There's a LOT of firewood there, but boy, there's a heck of a lot of ivy too and removing that is a job and a half.  My job and a half in fact, as my OH uses the chainsaw and I wield the axe to remove the ivy (some of it is as thick as my wrist). 

 


And here's some we did earlier!  This is some of our woodpile for next winter.  The orangey pile in the centre is an Alder tree which had been brought to us by the river, already seasoned, and just needing to be carried, split and dried.  Today, in advance of the rain promised for next week, we shifted most of that pile - over half a ton - into the woodshed.  Now we both feel like we could sleep on the head of a pin!  At the top of the yard are some  lengths from the dead tree which brought down our phone line - we thought it was only right it should pay the price for its untimely fall . . .


The Carmarthen Journal had a couple of paragraphs about our lack of phone line this week, but I think perhaps they didn't quite believe our tale that we had got a rope across from pole to pole for BT, so just to prove that we did - here is the photo. 


11 comments:

  1. You have a good supply of wood for winter warmth, and you worked hard to get it. Will you plant replacement trees or bushes, for the trees you lost? That is always fun.

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  2. What a different life you have ...hard work but I think you must love it all...great photos

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  3. No I can't imagine you in the town! How wonderful to have a source of firewood on your own land.

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  4. Goodness, I still can't believe the continuing saga of BT and your phone line.
    Wonderful photos !

    cheers, parsnip

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  5. parsnip - we finally got the phone back about 9 days ago. I am still playing catch up with everyone!

    Kath - village edge is probably about as near as we should go. I was considered oddball when I worked for Price Waterhouse and made my own Elderflower handcream. I'm sure they thought I was a witch!

    Coffee Lady - welcome. We live in a very beautiful area.

    Angie - My husband's g. grandfather was a non-conformist Methodist. I think non-comforming must be in the blood (and on my side too!)

    Terra - we aim to replace any trees we fell on our land, but not necessarily like with like as there are so many Ash trees in this part of the world. We will probably plant Rowan or Sloe in our hedgerows.

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  6. Isn't it interesting how it takes a few days for the eyes to adjust when something is removed or added in our familiar landscape view. [A bit like moving furniture and then running into it in the dark!]
    I hope you've had a day of recuperating after such strenuous labor. I still carry wood into the house a few pieces at a time, but I think my days of heaving chunks into the back of the truck for transport are done.
    I have tried before to sort the difference between ash trees and rowan--there is a decorative small tree here with red berries in autumn called mountain ash, but the native tree is white ash. These are currently in danger from an insect called emerald ash borer--strange purple boxes are hung in the trees in spring to hopefully lure these creatures to their death.
    I suppose there are many sub-species of ash/rowan and I am destined to remain confused.

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  7. Rowan for luck MM, and ash is the tree in danger of succumbing to another disease all over England, ash is of course the tree on which Odin hung, the legendary Yyagradsil tree, (and that is not how you spell it!)
    Jennie I do envy you living in Wild Wales,if you lived anywhere else it will seem tame by comparision.

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  8. My OH is obsessed with Ash and its firewood joys. He will save bits for Christmas if we have any. Our neighbours let us have a beech that they needed chopping down two years ago and we're only about half way through it now its seasoned. Ash is better!

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  9. Well done you on that wood pile. Ash burns well, so if you are still in your house next winter your should have some good blazes (or will you take your wood with you?)

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  10. Lovely to see you blogging again, my dear :D

    You've achieved so much with your woodpile, I'm not surprised you were tired!!!

    Thank you for your comments, I only seem able to focus on my painting at the moment, lots going on!!!

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