Split Barrow Stack

A stint on the logs today. Bright sun but a cold wind. Some of the beasts are phenomenally difficult to split. Others as easy as pie. I pressed on with my manual means slow and steady.

It's all the bending over that gets me, picking up split bits, re-placing fallen blocks that need splitting, logs with the hammer and wedges skittering here, there and everywhere, and then barrowing and stacking. Still it kept me warm.

One really tough piece of beech finally split to reveal this patterning on the wood. A burr I think. The late afternoon sun lit it and I clomped up the garden to get the camera. The darker colouring on the right is where water has penetrated the wood over the year since it was cut and left standing exposed to the rain.

I am full of admiration for the settlers of different ages who tackled whole forests with stone, bronze and steel tools and no machinery. I guess they weren't dreaming of 7 ton hydraulic splitters or taking a break every now and then to faff about on Twitter.