I’ve been pruning Ivy and other woody stuff from around the garden and built a substantial pile. Murr needed his garden shed moving, so I offered to pick it up for kindling for a big bonfire.
My brother came over with the kids this morning.
Rather than use news paper or diesel to get it going I grabbed a canister blow lamp from the studio. Frustrated with our attempts to get a sufficiently big blaze going quickly enough, Hamish (aged 6) helpfully suggested we just throw the gas canister onto the fire. I can’t imagine where he could have picked up such sound advice from. Hamish, we need to have a man to man talk.
The kids were hoping to toast marshmallows.
There can be few pleasures as primal as lighting huge fires.
Camping Gaz cylinders go up well, and as the contents expand with the heat, they push the concave base to convex with an audible pop, giving you a helpful 4 seconds warning* that it’s about to go bang.
I’ve been aggressively cutting things back this year and have loads of stuff to burn so had a bonfire yesterday hoping not to upset the neighbours. Was worried the overhanging tree might catch light at one point when it really got going but got away with that.
Mudshark no problem burning self generated green waste up to 7.5tonnes a day, but bringing the garden shed from somewhere else is naughty. Pretty sure SEPA have similar ways of thinking about burning.
On the legal front remember nesting birds are protected too, so you should make sure that whatever your chopping down doesn’t contain anyone’s home before you fire up the chainsaw.
And surely a bonfire isn’t a bonfire until you’ve come back the next morning, poked the embers a bit, thrown on another few logs and brought the whole lot back to it’s former blazing glory.
yay bonfire season
I just love it when someone leaves a fire smouldering all night wafting in through the windows when they need to stay open in the upcoming heatwave.’ miserable old git head on’
I’m afraid Pigface is correct – just be careful that you stay within the law. The amount you are burning (that is imported from elsewhere) you’ll probably get away with this once but some people have had court action resulting in heavy fines for not much more.