foraging for firewood

Cruising down to Bath a fortnight back, I saw some of the damage caused by the recent storms; lots of trees had been blown down. A couple had fallen right across the canal, preventing navigation, and had been dealt with fairly quickly by boaters and contractors. But there was still this ash tree, partially blocking the towpath at Murhill Wharf.

It was still there the other day, when I was heading back towards Bradford on Avon. So I pulled in and got the chainsaw out.

A happy combination of results; a clear towpath, and a heap of firewood for me.

...and I loaded up and carried on, because the canal here has a nasty concrete shelf, and I could only get within a long gangplank's distance from the side.

there's cosy now

Here's my neat method of splitting logs, using a hefty two-handed maul (like an axe but heavier) and a luggage strap to stop the bits from flying everywhere. Also observe the ubiquitous IKEA blue bag,  the boater's friend