My weekend was off to a slow start but the weather cleared after lunch on Saturday and I grabbed the loppers and secateurs and headed off to attack one of the many woodpiles that will keep me busy for a month of Sundays.
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| Woodpile #1 |
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| Woodpile #2 |
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| Woodpile #3 - now over 20m long |
I started at the tyre end of the woodpile and by 9pm had made a decent pile of kindling-sized twigs and leaves, along with a pile of bigger stuff that I could cut with the loppers. Anything bigger than that will need either the bow saw or maybe even a chainsaw.
The birds kept me entertained whilst I snipped and lopped; a piwakawaka (fantail) checked out what I was doing and flitted about over my head. A few light showers breezed through which was a good excuse for having a cuppa and resting my fingers and wrists.
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| Going well - the kindling pile is about waist high |
My first day of Autumn 2015 started off with a kiwi duet at 6.53am - the female was right outside the house and the answering male probably up near the road. Magic! It's going to be a great day!!
A quick shower and breakfast then wood time again. It was a cool and cloudy start but that's ideal weather for getting physical, unlike mid-afternoon when the sun came out and the temperature shot up to 30°C. I finished up at 8.30pm and could see a lot more grass!
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| Kindling pile now almost as tall as me |
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| A beautiful Rakiura evening |
The area I've cleared is a tiny percentage of what still needs to be done but I find it very satisfying to achieve it using hand tools and human power - no noisy machinery or fossil fuel required.
