Author Topic: Bonfire (Read 4072 times)

ellied · « **on:** February 15, 2011, 03:59:48 pm »

Blissful day - weather dry and slightly breezy from the south so I have been at a bonfire for a few hours - let it die down about 1 and it's still hot but nearly there now

I've had masses of branches off the fallen/demolished tree and been stacking logs but had all the green stuff and a whole load of other garden rubbish to go - 3 burn hours barely touched it but is a great start and I've also got most of the other prunings and cut branches over to within reach of the fire site for next time as I made enough space with what I got through.

I'm happy cos I just love bonfires

but it's lovely to see spaces opening up as the heaps go down, move around and gradually disappear - feel I may be getting somewhere finally

Farrier cancelled this morning so I had been disappointed but not now

Now I'm just stiff and in need of a cuppa and a chocolate digestive but I earned it

bloomer · « **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2011, 04:03:49 pm »

one of my biggest clients houses has a burn area permenantly available as this winter alone I must have burned 50 cubic metres of loose brush and spindley stuff left after pruning, we keep anthing bigger than 2 inches in diameter for log burners but the spindly stuff gets burned

my favorite job for those cold clear days in winter!!!!

faith0504 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 15, 2011, 04:41:55 pm »

it must be catching i have been thinking about bonfires today, piling all the old bits of hay up and collecting garden rubbish, we just need to dry out a wee bit more here

Norfolk Newby · « **Reply #3 on:** February 15, 2011, 04:46:29 pm »

if you have space, a pile of old clean wood (not painted or treated stuff) is a great help to the local wild life. It doesn't have to be big logs, a mixture of sizes is ideal. Stacked or pile in an area where it can be left to rot lets all sorts or birds, bugs, animals, fungi and plants prosper. The wood has to be left for years so that it can decompose naturally and leave the creatures to benefit.

Just a thought.

northfifeduckling · « **Reply #4 on:** February 15, 2011, 05:22:31 pm »

everything is still far too wet here, will need a few dry days first

mind that you don't burn on old heaps - hedgehogs and toads might still hibernate in them

Fleecewife · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2011, 12:14:06 am »

I'm another bonfire fan - very satisfying. There's something very primitive and cleansing about having a fire.

We always add stuff to the fire, rather than setting fire to an existing pile, for the sake of all those creatures. Anything useable in the wood burner is stacked, and logs which are too difficult to split go onto wildlife piles to rot down. Do I get a gold star ?

No? OK........

northfifeduckling · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2011, 06:55:53 am »

Dan , we need some gold stars!

ellied · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2011, 09:58:54 am »

I always add gradually rather than set light to a whole pile - not just because of wildlife (tho these piles have only been there 2 weeks - 2 days ago!) but because the piles are so big and right beside my house

so no worries on that score.

I tend to burn anything I can't use rather than leave things to rot, other than the compost heaps which I can use later on the veg beds. I'm allergic to fungus so that doesn't appeal but I do support the wildlife as much as I can..

Sadly it's pouring with rain today so no round 2 just yet but I'm ready to go when it dries up enough as the evergreen burns well even damp once you get the fire going

Rosemary · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2011, 11:47:57 am »

My ma-in-law, Dan's mum, is a pyromaniac

so she's in charge of burning here. We have piles of rotting wood in the wood, for wildlife but if we left it all, we'd have nowhere to walk

There is something in a bonfire that appeals to the soul. No desire to get my kit off and dance round it though

Sandy · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2011, 12:03:44 pm »

We bought a large chimmenea last year to sit around, we used to have one of those incinerater bins as we used to have a small garden, that itself brings to mind a time we moved to a small house and after a day of unpacking my Husband lit a bonfire in the incinerator bin as I settled into a hot bath, I just saw him out of the window before I got in and noticed he was taking the black bin bags towards the fire, I got in, lay back and then the penny dropped, I had several areosol cans in the bin, just as I went to shout out of the window, I heard what sounded like a fireword display....too late!!!!! thankfully no damage done!!!!!!! We love our fires, once you get a bonfire going you keep seeking out other stuff to burn!!!!!!!