In this weekly update I need to tell you about wood – and a new respect I have for wood. Plus splinters, aches and pains and standing on one foot with my eyes closed. Oh and I’m going to New York and my ear piercings continue to cause some controversy.
With rising energy costs, we have decided to stock up with firewood for the next winter. We have plenty of room and we do like the cosiness of the wood stove belting out such welcome warmth.
We spotted on the village Facebook page that someone was looking to get rid of a load of timber which had been stored in a large greenhouse. The “conditions” were for us to agree to take at least one cubic metre and accept some large, awkward chunks of timber.
The deal was done. The address was a certain large property, just outside the village. I said to Rachel “you know you’ve made it when you have automatic gates and an entry phone system”. We certainly did know, having been instructed to press the “trade” button and meet with the groundsman. We did actually meet the owner, a youngish entrepreneurial type.
We loaded the little Honda Jazz, which can take a huge volume and the well tested suspension survived. Three times! We did supply them with Belgian buns, sourced from the village bakery as a little way of expressing our appreciation. We had quite a promising rapport and I do like knowing lots and lots of people, from all walks of life.
Collecting the three loads of timber was, perhaps, the easiest part of the process. Next we had to unload it all, grade it according to:
- ready to burn, as is
- ready to cut with our existing kit
- huge chunks which will need splitting and/or chainsawing
Our friend Paul kindly loaned us his 5 tonne hydraulic log splitting machine, which was amazingly effective but not completely powerful enough for some of the hard wood logs. A couple of times I had to drill the wood, when the machine was jammed and this reminded me of the incredible strength some wood can have. When the wood finally split, there was a loud ‘crack’ as the two halves of split wood shot out with incredible force. You wouldn’t want to be in the firing line!
Also, important to say, some of the wood is extremely beautiful and I sometimes wonder if simply burning it is the right thing to do. Wood is so varied. Through this I have learned a new respect for wood; the feel of it, the smell, the inherent beauty and the incredible strength in some wood is amazing. I have nothing but respect of those craftsmen over the years who have built stunning buildings from timber, through to fine furniture and musical instruments – think, for example, Stradivarius violin.
Yesterday, by complete coincidence, our friend Dudley gave us a small wooden bowl which he had turned himself. It was made from some hardwood we had given to him a couple of winters ago, knowing he had a wood turning lathe. We think the wood was from the bay tree we had reduced in size and the bowl is already a precious possession for us.
The effect of humping around all of this wood, has left me feeling very achey. It is, perhaps, my hands which feel it most of all. It’s not just the inevitable splinter but the feeling of achey muscles and joints. I’m just not used to it. I have also had a couple of very short runs. The good news is that I could manage them quite easily from a cardio point of view but the next day my foot was painful and complaining.
Speaking of aches and pains, I had another session with the physiotherapist last Thursday, in trying to fix my injured foot. The problem is with a ligament, possibly more than one. He has the right knack in finding the right spot and massaging it, followed by twisting my foot, as if he’s wringing a towel. It seems to work.
He has advised me to continue standing on one foot, which I do when I’m brushing my teeth etc. My next challenge, he says, is to stand on one foot with my eyes closed.
“I understand how standing on one foot loosens it up, so how does closing both my eyes help?”
“Just try it” he says “right now!”
So there I was, standing in the Doctor’s surgery, bare feet, on one foot with my eyes closed wobbling around. Sure I could grasp his logic, even if I did feel a bit daft. He explained that I need “to challenge” the joints in my foot a little more, to stop them seizing up and remaining painful.
Having cool titanium studs in my ear lobes continues to raise a few eyebrows at church. I think I’m the only man there with pierced ears and inevitably there has been a little light hearted teasing, which is fine. One lady referred to them as “the elephant in the room”. Another said it reinforced his view of me being an independent thinker and not following the crowd; I liked that. Most people seem to do a double-take, pause and then say nothing more.
I have had them for about 10 weeks now and they feel nicely healed, almost as if I can’t imagine not having them. Perhaps I am thinking it is a bit of a passing phase but time will tell. I had wondered for a long time what it would be like to have pierced ears, both physically and mentally, now I know.
Finally, I have bought an air ticket to New York, for a week in May. All being well a week of art galleries, coffee houses, chats with New Yorkers and a jog around Central Park. More to follow.