Frosty Beginning

This is the coldest start to winter I can remember since moving to the mountains over 22 years ago.  The lower deck this morning is covered in ice and it would be perilous to try and walk on it.  It’s been like this just about every day for the past couple of weeks.  One of the best things we did during summer was arrange to have our wood fired combustion heater lifted by installing a concrete bench approx 18 inches above the floor.  Apart from providing a great way to store wood close to the fireplace it makes it a lot easier for older wombats to actually load the wood into the fire box.  Not so much bending down and challenging the back these days. Friends have often remarked how warm it is when they come into the living room in winter.  We really love the look of it as well :)  We’re blessed that the house is oriented to the north west and in winter the sun comes streaming into all of the main rooms in the house.  By the end of June when the sun is at it’s lowest in the northern sky the sun will even light up the steps that lead down into the living room.