Midwinter's Day

There was quite a lot of sunshine today, but the light was greyish and the shadows long, even at midday. The old saying "As the days grow longer the frosts grow stronger" is rather depressing. Already this month we have had the coldest night since records began in the 19th century.

I had to make the most of the good weather and get out the chainsaw again. This seems to be a thankless task as I have found that the 3 cord of hardwood logs I bought to hold the fire in overnight are too green for the job. They need a lot of fast burning wood around them to keep them going and they don't give off much heat. About two thirds of the logs are like this. They look dry on the outside, but when I saw them in two to fit the stove the wet core is obvious. All I can do with them is stack them in a sunny woodshed and hope they dry out enough for this winter. A lot of work for no immediate return, which is what I need right now to combat the cold.