Of course, while I was communing with the elements, Stuy was manhandling the chainsaw. First a lengthy sharpen, then on to all the dead wood thats laying around up here at The Rise. This is a 100 acre block of land and quite a bit still has original bush although more than half is pasture. There is a lot of old wood to be had and since we only have a wood heater to warm us up, there'll be a lot of wood needed for the winter!
As I was ambling about, I noticed a very old and weathered tree stump. One that had obviously been cut down a long time ago, yes, but by hand! Can you see that horizontal cut with some bits rotted out of it - well, thats for a standing board and theres another on the other side. I thought it might be fun to have a look and see what the wood cutting was like here in Tasmania many years ago, so I did a bit of research.
The first explorers reached the area as early as 1823. Reports were not favourable with one explorer noting that the land was "mountainous, extremely barren and totally unfit for habitation".
The area was further explored by the surveyor Nathaniel Kentish in 1842 as he was trying to find a route through to the west coast.
The area was subsequently opened up for settlement but wasn't actually surveyed until 1859.
By 1862 thirty lots of land had been sold and a nearby town had been named.
And here's a tiny bit about what our Tasmanian timber was used for back in the early days.
But I did find a really interesting video about Australian wood cutting in general and will leave you with this link to watch it - highly recommended! And a couple of photos of the gorgeous lichen that has taken up residence on the inside of the old stump!
It is so good to be outside isn't it. I have just come back from our walk and felt the same as you, I am stopping to look at plants and trees and saying how beautiful all the wild garlic looks and youngest son said yes I guess! Got back and gave my plant babies another watering. I have to say that wood burner looks incredible. x
ReplyDeleteOh those young ones!! They just do not have an appreciative eye, do they? I think realising how amazing this wild world is, comes with age.
DeleteThe wood burner is built out of an old beer keg and puts out a lot of heat!
You have a wonderful blog! The topics you write about are very close to me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI follow you through GFC! If you want, go to my blog :)
MY NEW POST: QUARANTINE NUTRITION AND WORK OUT ♥
Hello Nastya, thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you are enjoying my rambles and I shall certainly have a peek into your little part of the world.
DeleteThat is a beautiful stove.
ReplyDeleteWe miss our woodburners..and the exercise that goes with having one
Thank you - building those wood burners was our business for 8 years. They are built around an old beer keg but now that theres very few old kegs around we had to shut up shop. Too expensive to go through the rigmarole of getting them made in China.....and not really possible in the current climate ;)
DeleteI too love being out in the fresh air. Our wood burner should be installed in the next couple of weeks. Yay! We had one in Tassie, a fuel stove in Batlow & wood burners in both Allendale & Nowra, so am really looking forward to it. Did you realise that one of our champion wood choppers came from Tasmania?
ReplyDeleteStay warm & safe, take care and huggles.
Oh that's exciting....a new wood burner! You'll love it all over again! I've always wanted a wood cook stove but only got as far as buying a second hand one and then selling it again when we 'left home' ;) It just didn't fit into the cottage.
DeleteYes, David Foster, champion wood chopper. I only heard of him once we moved to Tas but he certainly is well known down here!
Enjoy the anticipation of your wood burner xx
I find lichens beautiful too, Evi. I love their forms and colours. Your fire looks warm and inviting. Sitting in front a warm fire would be most lovely after a walk out in Tasmania's fresh Autumn air. MegXx
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Meg....a warm fire is certainly needed after being outside here in Tas!
DeleteI think lichens are so easily overlooked but if one takes the time to have a closer look they are really amazing. Theres a lot of them down ;)
I love the smell of freshly chopped wood, both eucalyptus and pine. The scents bring back many memories. It's great that you have a source of old wood for your lovely wood heater. I imagine that you will keep very warm and cosy when winter arrives. Hugs, Rose x
ReplyDeleteScents really do conjure up all sorts of long ago memories, dont they? Very evocative. I really hope to be very cosy during winter and we'll be gathering more wood in the next few weeks. I'm a much nicer person when I'm very warm!!!
DeleteI love that you have those moments too. When you feel totally at one with the world around you, and yes it only happens outdoors.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating tree stump, I love that it inspired you to do some research that is the sort of thing I would do!
Yep, only outdoors! And I think doing a 'quick bit of research' comes with being a home educating mama ;o)
DeleteThe smell of eucalyotus ... hmmmmm. :-) We also heat the house only with wood. I wouldn't want it any other way. A fire is the best remedy against depression for me.
ReplyDeleteThe weather is going to be lovely this week, so I think I am enjoying as much time outside as I can. :-) Have a nice week.
Regula
What species of wood do you cut and use in your stove? In my part of California there is a lot of eucalyptus and I get a little of that from a friend. People have told us over the years that it creates a buildup in the chimney, but he says that if I burn it hot enough I won't have a problem with that; so I use it at the beginning of the fire. Do you use eucalyptus for the slow-burn stage, too?
ReplyDeleteOops just found your comment GJ.....we definitely use eucalypts in our stove. There are quite a few different species of eucalypts and some burn better than others. Some give off more heat, others less, some have a slow burn and others burn faster. Depends on whats available in our area - we use it all!
DeleteWe use euc twigs to start the fire (not often because our heater runs 24/7 over winter) and then whatever wood we have. Wattle is the fastest burning for us as its softwood and not the fave choice! So yes we use eucalypt for slow burn/overnight burn.
I'm not sure if eucalypts create more of a build up in chimneys (I'm guessing you mean a flue?) however any wood thats not seasoned long enough or is damp, will cause more creosote to form. If we get wood thats from a growing tree then we'd not burn it for 1 -2 years at least. We keep it in the wood shed so we are not burning it wet from rain when we do start using it.
Hope that helps?
I love where you look for photos, reminds me of me!! These are great images. I'd rather have a wood fire but it needs some work first :( But we do have other heat, so that makes me happy!
ReplyDeleteFeel free to share at My Corner of the World
Hi Betty, yes you cant beat a wood fire!! We don't have another source of heat and this morning it was minus 3!
DeleteI will certainly share at my Corner of the World, thanks for the invite and your kind words on my pics. I would love to do a photography course one day but for now I'll just practise and take funny angle shots!!! hahaha!!