rusting
Very satisfying standing by the incinerator burning things. It’s a blokey thing. Like barbecuing. Sometimes takes a while to get going. Use a bit of kindling and maybe a fire lighter or two. On this occasion I was burning green wood so it took more than a couple of fire lighters. Lots of stuff to get on with in out back garden. The greenwood was cuttings from apple and pear trees. The pear is going. Diseased. Not borne fruit for years. Decided we are going to get specialists in to finish the job. Need a chainsaw and need something doing with the roots. Also 60 metres or so of hedge to trim front and back. I was eventually able to put the lid on and leave the fire to its destructive and sanitizing work. The weather was closing in. Stripped off and had a shower. My clothes stank. Wore the same coat a week or so later and you could still smell the woodsmoke. It’s ok in mild doses. We also have a ciminiere though that seldom gets used. There is also the fire pit which is great for sitting around of a summer’s evening drink in hand. I like the colours of this incinerator. A thin layer of rust blended with the galvanised steel. It lives inside the old fort at the bottom of the garden. It’s not a real fort. I built it a few years ago for the kids. They used it once or twice. I left it too late. They had grown out of playing with forts at the bottom of the garden. I’ll probably take it down this year. Health and safety. The ash from the incinerator is good for putting on the raspberry beds. Surprising how little ash we had left over after burning the fruit tree branches. The ideal time for incinerating is on a cold winter’s afternoon. The sun is low in the sky and it will be getting dark early. You are well wrapped up, gloves on, scarf around the neck and a wooly hat pulled well down. The heat from the fire feels good on your face. Occasionally you have to move to avoid the swirling smoke. The wind keeps changing direction. Occasionally you put on more wood and press it down with a branch held back for the purpose. Some branches need cutting down to size before they can be burnt. A branch lopper recently purchased from B&Q does the trick. Feels good to be able to snap thick branches as if they were little twigs. Crack, crack and in they go. You would think that an incinerator would engender camaraderie amongst family members. Everyone gathered around warming their hands, a bit of banter. It is rarely like that. It can be a lonely job stood there at the bottom of the garden. Still it’s a job that needs doing and if I don’t do it nobody else will. Can you smell the wood smoke?
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Tags: Picture Paints 500 Words