Winter Fuel When we moved into 45 Francis Crescent we converted the fireplace to a solid fuel heater. It became a tradition with me that I would provide the wood.
Our first solid fuel heater was a Heat Charm. It was the best we have experienced. It put out a seemingly perfect heat that pervaded the whole house. You could close it down and stop even slow burning. It could smolder all day and all night. This style of heater is no longer made. The authorities do not allow heaters that only smolder. They must burn. Something to do with the smoke being offensive. The Heat Charm brand no longer exists. Our block at 45 Francis Cres contained a lot of stringy bark trees. It had lots of unused wood standing about. Left over from previous building attempts. Lots of dead trees. I would spend every summer sawing up wood to use in the heater. I would supplement what I collected from the block by getting discarded wooden containers from where I worked. These containers normally had to be disposed of so no one complained. Whatever - I collected wood and put it in an old water tank turned on its side that had been left on the block. Perfect for keeping wood dry. One year I photographed Alexander in front of the wood I had collected as I knew the photograph would go into the album and I would feel satisfaction in that it would also show how responsible I was. Of course only I would know this when looking at the photo. Fast forward to 2019. I still get the wood for our solid fuel heater. It can be argued that I am getting a bit to old for this but I will take it slowly and battle on. I enjoy getting the winter fuel and get satisfaction from it. When we had the house built we made sure it had the biggest solid fuel heater available. This present heater is not as good as the original Heat Charm but it is satisfactory. I wouldn't have any other type of heater. Of course we are contributing to global warming by burning wood. I know we are adding carbon dioxide into an atmosphere that already has too much Carbon Dioxide.. I justify this by saying that the trees I am sawing up by hand I have planted myself. Its true. Trees that I planted myself are now dieing and I am cutting them down for firewood. It is disappointing that they are dieing. Whether from age or global warming I do not know. Lack of water. Heat of summer. Extended drought. Whatever - trees that I planted myself 20 years or so ago are now dieing. Trees that I especially selected for their suitability for koalas. Trees that I selected for their suitability for bees. Trees that I selected especially for birds. A good lot of them are dieing. All the golden wattles have died. All my good intentions have mainly been in vain. We have only had an individual koala on two occasions. There is not much food for bees in the trees. The birds have probably been appreciative but small birds also attract large raptors. We also have some mature trees that have fallen over. We have one tree that was struck by lightning. This tree was a mature tree probably well over 100 years old. It was demolished by the force of the lightning strike. Debris was spread for over 500 metres in all directions and sizes. Just picking up the debris was a job in itself. We now know just how much power is involved in a lightning bolt. Believe me it's a lot. We have demolished the old wives tale that a tree struck by lightning will not burn. We have burnt the debris. We are sawing up branches. There is a small regrowth at the base of the wrecked tree which I hope will grow into a tree. In time. Sawing up wood provides lots of opportunities for reflection. I saw by using a Bow Saw. I saw by hand. I know people see me doing this and think that this is a stupid person. I do not use a chain saw. I am the equivalent of an Olympic Champion at blunting chain saws. Within 1 minute I can have the chain saw starting to divert from a straight line because the chain is wrecked. I spend more time trying to sharpen the chain than what I do sawing. You can think when you are sawing. I have learnt how to count up to 30 in German by forcing myself to count each sawing motion. It hasn't been easy. I am doing a German course at U3A. In the German course I have transformed myself back to the mid 50’s. The only difference is that I am now one of the dumb ones who sit up the back and understand nothing. I have reflected on E = Mc2. Mass and Energy are interchangeable. We store Energy in Mass by converting Carbon Dioxide to Carbon and Oxygen by photosynthesis using heat Energy from the sun. We then reverse the formula. We combine Carbon and Oxygen to Carbon Dioxide and have Energy in the form of heat as a by product. The problem is we are contributing to the Carbon Footprint. However I can claim that I have planted the trees myself. Does this get me off the hook. I am always reminded of the Christmas Carol Good King Wenceslas and the line – When a poor man came in sight gathering Winter Fuel. I am that man. Gathering Winter Fuel. I think its a worthwhile activity. I feel satisfaction when I am doing it. I even sometimes remember doing the individual sawing when I come to burn it. This gives me a certain satisfaction. Does anyone else understand? Each to his own.
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