At long last we've had some very sunny days over the last week or two. As a result the solar panel attached to the outside light has seen plenty of sunlight and not the dull January cloudiness that plagued it during the first few weeks of the year. So, the outside light is working fine with plenty of power supplied to the batteries. Okay, so it's only one LED outside light that we've hooked up to the power of the sun but it's a start!
Meanwhile, we've just boosted next years log pile by felling the old apple tree. It only took a couple of hours to remove the branches at the top and then fell the trunk with the aid of a chainsaw. Whilst it's a shame to lose the tree, it was rotten through the middle of the trunk and the apples are not the greatest. Plus it's in the way of the house extension. The wood will come in useful, mostly for the woodburner, but I'd also like to use some of it more creatively...not sure how yet but give me time!
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Monday, 4 February 2008
Coppicing
One thing we have plenty of are trees. And now that we have the woodburner, trees mean warmth!
Pervious owners of Hillside have neglected the garden and allowed the numerous Hazel trees to run riot, resulting in very tall trees which provide too much shade. So while we're still waiting for building work to start it seemed a good time to do some woodland management.
Hazels thrive when cut right back to just above ground level, a term known as coppicing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppice, allowing the wood to be harvested for fuel or other uses. (Hazel also makes great walking sticks but I think it'll be a while before I have time for such hobbies!) So we've just coppiced some of the Hazels and plan to do the rest over the coming weeks, giving us a great stack of Hazel poles ready to be sawn into logs to start the woodstack for next winter. I think the squirrel will be unimpressed though.
Not burnt any Hazel on the stove yet but it is supposed to be a good fuel. http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/hqdocs/facts/pdfs/fs315001.pdf
Pervious owners of Hillside have neglected the garden and allowed the numerous Hazel trees to run riot, resulting in very tall trees which provide too much shade. So while we're still waiting for building work to start it seemed a good time to do some woodland management.
Hazels thrive when cut right back to just above ground level, a term known as coppicing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppice, allowing the wood to be harvested for fuel or other uses. (Hazel also makes great walking sticks but I think it'll be a while before I have time for such hobbies!) So we've just coppiced some of the Hazels and plan to do the rest over the coming weeks, giving us a great stack of Hazel poles ready to be sawn into logs to start the woodstack for next winter. I think the squirrel will be unimpressed though.
Not burnt any Hazel on the stove yet but it is supposed to be a good fuel. http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/hqdocs/facts/pdfs/fs315001.pdf
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