The fog this morning as thick as pea soup. A real Scottish Haar. Somewhere out in the gloom there are wild boar. They must be close by. I can hear the Sows snorting as they forage along the lane. The piglets squeal. Every dog for miles around can hear them too. There is a communal howling.
The PONs have never been known to forego a good howling. They join in, heads back, eyes closed. The full PON wolf howl. Angus has no idea whether the gates would stop an irate two tonne wild boar so the angelic duo are encouraged back inside. In return I get given the 'spoilsport' look.
The tree surgeon has cut the fallen oak into logs that are slightly too large to go into the stove. We have a barn stacked to the rafters with logs that are 5 centimetres too long. As the fog lifts the PONs are loaded into the back of the car and we head off for our morning cafe trip and a visit to the hardware store.
Angus looks at a variety of electric log cutters. The cheaper ones appear to be made of tin. I reckon they'd last all of twenty minutes. Some have what seem to be unshielded groin height rotating blades. The only sensible one costs $1400. I'll go on line and see if I can find a travelling wood cutter who'll come to the house and trim the logs. It's unlikely to be cheap but should be cheaper and safer than buying one of these monstrosities.
The hardware store have a special on walnut collectors. Oval shaped, rotating wire cages. You push them across the grass and the shells get caught in the wire. We buy one. The vet has phoned to tell me to watch out for decomposing walnuts. The warm weather has caused the walnut shells to turn black and rot. As they ferment they emit an enzyme that's highly poisonous to dogs. Another consequence of global warming.
Hmmmm . The diva in Sophie would love the disco ball dancing. .... http://www.doggiesatthebeach.com/overnight.asp
How to politely disagree with your best friend. You cannot imagine how much time went into drafting this tweet : https://twitter.com/KimDarroch/status/936239930459787264
14 comments:
That log machine looks very dangerous. I agree Disco Ball dancing is Mlle Sophie's thing. Especially on 2 legs!
I bet that if you opened the gates, those boars would eat up all the walnuts in no time.
Hari OM
those walnut lifters could very well turn into disco ball dancing... Truly, there's a gadget for everything it seems! YAM xx
Once again I learn something new here: walnut collectors. Between rotting walnuts and churlish boar, you must be on your guard these days. And do stay away from those rotating blades.
Another wonderful blog post. Soon after the Ambassador diplomatically spoke with the White House, they were celebrating a decision handed down by the Supreme Court which for now approved a ban on Muslims traveling to the US.
Log size (too big) seems to be a problem confronted by many woodstove owners who live in France(and who write blogs). Surely one of the local farmers will know someone for the job.
Since foot surgery your blog is even more special. I get to be transported each day to the magical land of the Pons. What an informative blog today!! A walnut collector sounds like a fun new toy. Enjoy.
Mere thought of the rotating blades will give me sleepless nights.
A visit to Bob and Sophie will certainly speed your recovery.
Good call on the log cutting. It seems that in France they don't apply the carpenters' mantra: Measure twice, cut once.
Your ambassador is so cute. He makes it sound as if he's actually dealing with rational, sentient beings in DC.
Sometimes your options are limited.
Walnut collectors...that's a new one.
Absolutely right!!
Try a chainsaw. Much cheaper, and from the looks of those log cutters, MUCH safer! Or better yet, a farmer with a chainsaw. Surely the Old Farmer can direct you to someone?
Communal howling...what a wonderful thought !
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