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@Woody girl : sounds like you have the weather we had in November. Everything sodden, load of rain and over a 10-day period I ended up clearing about a tonne (literally) of silt/gravel out of the stream catch-pond (before it goes through the trash grate into the culvert under the property). All...

@Pattree : Yes, it is indeed the Grenadier.... Doh from me too..... There is room in the whole fireplace (was originally a cavernous arched thing, became clear when we pulled the old Parkray out) to remove the oven section and put a gently angled section from the top exit. As per the Apple Core...

That's really useful, thanks. There is a possibility of the stove top-venting with a bend instead of a 90 degree elbow, it's a modular Pumpkin Pi with an oven on top hence venting out the back, but if the oven module was removed, the flue could exit the top, and there's room in the fireplace...

Aye well my butane weed killer flame gun is I guess the direct successor to the gas poker! It is easier than a blowtorch as I can sit comfortably on a stool whilst using it. New fire lighting gadget arrived today, will unpack and test tomorrow..... GC

@Toddy : you have reminded me that when I was a bairn, we had a steel plate with a handle called a "bleezer" (Geordie slang) which one held against the (coal) fireplace when lighting up to get it to draw. If you couldn't afford a bleezer, a sheet of newspaper also worked, but a proper bleezer...

It's the build up of a "plug" of cold air in a chimney which makes lighting a fire very difficult and can cause spillage into the room, see here; https://sandpitsheatingcentre.co.uk/why-is-my-wood-stove-smoking-cold-flue-winter-safety/ and here...

Today I ordered a Grenadier hot- air blower fire starter. As for why....... The wood burner in the office has issues at this time of year with a cold plug forming in the chimney. But this morning it was as bad as never before- to the point where I phoned the chimney sweep I use for advice, as I...

A woodpecker visited the bird feeding station this morning. I knew there was one about- heard it quite a few times- but this is the first time we've seen it. GC

Possibly.... maybe the commercial version of the Jiminy....? Plus it has a roof to keep things dry which is a consideration in our climate, although with a higher type of canopy on the back the Hilux is also weathertight. Not sure you'd get so many of the boyz in the Jiminy vs a Hilux, although...

Toyota Hilux fitted out as a "technical". Proven track record with irregular fighters all over the world....... ;) Policy it may be, but govt (I.e. senior civil service) ain't stupid and whilst they say one thing publicly (repeat political masters' policy), they also know that without diesel...

We used to have a saying "when the Thames valley sneezes, the whole of the Western Route catches a cold." Railway geography is very different to what people are used to in the way it is presented. We have "Routes" based on the old Railway company areas, and around key lines from London. We...

Definitely essential travel. But in the rail sector (I work in) there's such a lot if criticism when decisions are made to stop trains for a bit, and day leisure or work trips are cancelled. However, as the wrong decision can these days mean prosecution for companies and individuals, a level...

Indeed, and I was trying to be careful, because this is so complex. Not political although slightly off topic..... What I struggle with (being autistic) is the social pressure to approve statements which are inviting us to "be kind" whilst not unpacking the root causes and looking to face the...

It's a difficult one, and not simple. On one hand, it's unforgivable that we have veterans and other "domestic" homeless on the street, whilst we can find hotels with warm beds for any number of migrants who arrive on rubber boats (arriving from France- which is a safe country). On the other...

I do keep a fleece blanket and a fleece-lined microfibre coat in the car/truck. Fully synthetic fleece doesn't suffer anything like as badly as more "normal" clothing does. I used to keep a sweatshirt material hoodie in the car until I realised how much the cotton attracts the damp. I used to...

It's also about stamina, thinking jobs through and pace. Today i did the regular trip to the local fuel cash and carry. 12 bags anthracite large nuts. 4 nets randoms(wood offcuts). Theynload the coal into the truck, I put the wood in. Once home, I unloaded and stacked it. I park as close to...

Getting manual: best to get practice now as it ain't easy if you are not accustomed to it. For example..... I finally planted out my orchard over Christmas. Made up the raised bed hoops, carried everything down to the planting location, rehydrated the compost, dug holes, bashed in stakes...

Cats Protection and other cat charities already do a lot of this. As for the rest, perhaps the polluter- big arable- should be paying for the damage it does especially to insect life..... ..... big difference between big cereal arable and family farms/veg growers. Big arable is profitable and...

For feral cats: Trap, neuter, return (TNR). Over time the population reduces naturally, and the cats also have a better life. Win-win. Also need to be careful about reducing the population too much given the level of food available for rats and mice, especially in urban areas. Easy to blame...

Indeed. After all, some of us "know" that Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are the true Christmas films..... :woot: :woot: :woot: GC