Small things matter

[Bugtownboy]

Did the same a couple of weeks ago, Joe. Let go of some of my long hung on to wood bits - kindling pile is looking healthy.

As an aside, saved all of the prunings off the fruit trees last year - got a good dumpy bag of kindling now. Bit random and disorganised bunch of ‘twigs’, but it’s easy to scrunch up and burns hot and bright.

To me, a better way of recycling.

[Joeboy]

Did the same a couple of weeks ago, Joe. Let go of some of my long hung on to wood bits - kindling pile is looking healthy.

As an aside, saved all of the prunings off the fruit trees last year - got a good dumpy bag of kindling now. Bit random and disorganised bunch of ‘twigs’, but it’s easy to scrunch up and burns hot and bright.

To me, a better way of recycling.

Absolutely, all the woodash from my burns thru the year go straight onto the veg beds and around the fruit trees. Had some cracking apples and the plum tree is heaving.

[Joeboy]

Been a below average day here for PV, only about 14kWh, but it's been uncomfortably humid and warm, so the aircon is still running. We rarely need to turn the heating on before November, last year it went on right towards the end of November.

For comparison, 12kWh only across both system's, made it stretch and work hard but could have used a little more! Thanks again for the Frankenstein link and tip. A great bit of kit.

[Joeboy]

Beautiful clear evening tonight. Watched the bats hunting as dusk arrived. Trying the cabin for kipping tonight. 7 days more or less solid rain. Not a glimpse inside, wbs2 is running nicely low and feeding it minimal.

Sitting outside and no smell. Well impressed for a free unit.

[Mr Gus]

Pruning boys..
The occasional lidl gardening offers include ratchet secateurs.
These are worth their weight in gold where cuts are concerned, I recommend doubling down on them when available & Sharpe ing em, it's the spring that will givefirst, but for sorting out 000's of repetitive cuts to avoid entanglement they are boss!


Only buy when ratchet variant are instore! ...far less energy & blisters as a result.
Bother saved.

[openspaceman]

Pruning boys..
The occasional lidl gardening offers include ratchet secateurs.
These are worth their weight in gold where cuts are concerned, I recommend doubling down on them when available & Sharpe ing em, it's the spring that will givefirst, but for sorting out 000's of repetitive cuts to avoid entanglement they are boss!


Only buy when ratchet variant are instore! ...far less energy & blisters as a result.
Bother saved.

I have not tried those and I rate Lidl and Aldi tools for occasional diy stuff.

I use secateurs an awful lot both at work and when using guerilla tactics.

I rate the Wolf angle secateurs at 12 quid for single hand use up to about 15mm and the Fiskars geared ones up to 30mm for 25 quid , after that it's a folding pull saw. Felco stuff is better but imo the price difference is not justified (apart from the wire cutters).

[Mr Gus]

If you need to do a solid day of several thousand cuts you will see their value. I'm afraid the age old standard (often too cumbersome for many hands but not many realise that due to lack of familiarity with secateurs as a daily work tool, i would have killed for these as a teen in a hot house environment.
Way less mangled cuts, whether it's taking cuttings or breaking the back of a shambles garden & needing to maximise green bin space.

[Krill]

I second the ratcheted secateurs. I help with logging whenever my parents have trees taken down and the sheer amount of kindling one can generate with a bit of mindless repetiveness is fantastic. Compared to the cost of buying kindling it's a no brainer if you have the health, ability and time in that scenario.

I've noticed it is getting colder in the morning and I'm preparing the stove, but its a 8kW max output and hard to keep to a lower level so I need to hold off on using it. Not had the boiler on since March. Has anyone else started using a multifuel burner yet?

[Bugtownboy]

Second that about kindling - we save the cut branches from the fruit trees after pruning. Olives to do this year too. Surprising how much just pruning can generate.

Hoping to get to December before lighting the fire.

Sure I’ll succumb in October, particularly if it’s a grey miserable day - like the glow as much as the heat.

[Joeboy]

BTB, turned my back and they breed! This saucy 2 tone unit is cooking a onion, sausage, tattie and carrot casserole on the induction hob. Once proved, it will move down to the cabin for Winter cooking duties on WBS2.