Getting wood!

Michelle and I both grew up in the UK, and for me in particular (wife is a soft southerner!) in the bleak winters of Cumbria.   You would think I would be used to a bit of cold.  Obviously not!  It's only November and I am cold...really cold!  It doesn't help that I haven't yet bought a coat.  Well I didn't really use one before.  It didn't get shivering  cold in Perth. At the moment wearing a couple of fleece tops seem to do the job but I reckon by looking at the snow on the not so far peaks that a blast of real winter is only around the corner.

Having said that we are prepared!  On the road between L’Aguillion and Lavelanet we found a timber yard which delivered wood.  Anyway for those interested in this the minimum delivery is 2 cubic metres and they supply beech and oak. The oak is a little more expensive but quite frankly I’m none the wiser what was being dumped outside our house! We asked for a mixture of the two which worked out at €167.

We don’t really have enough room in the house for all this wood so we used the pavement outside. Our French neighbour came out and approved of the quality so apparently it should burn well. Anyway he also told us a particular French law that apparently the homeowner is responsible for his own pavement so it’s our area to use basically.  I’ve never seen anyone walk by as it’s such an odd strip outside our window and the few churchgoers just walk straight out the doors, no real reason to turn right for 10 feet of pavement. We were advised to stack it a little away from the wall (damp) and to buy a bâche (tarpaulin).  If you need one we got our for €5 at Action stores.

We were a bit concerned that the 50cm lengths were not going to fit but they do just and having them bigger means less visits to the wood burner.  The cat approved too!