Here comes the chopper…

You may remember this handsome woodpile which was delivered in August, all 18 tonnes of it; the story of Rumplestiltskin comes to mind watching Graham steadily reduce it; sawing, chopping then stacking the logs in our woodshed. If you are wondering at the shapes of these logs, they are the “first cuts” off oak and chestnut, before the next process  renders those mighty tree-trunks into planks. I feel some sadness when I think of all those years of growth so casually cast aside, it seems a terrible waste. We buy it for firewood, so it’s not totally wasted, and it keeps us cosy all winter, ( also, Graham gets nice and warm chopping it!). However I try not to think of the amounts that get burned: we are one of many millions of French households who use wood for our main winter fuel, I am not even going to go there with those calculations! Well, it is renewable energy……

This pile, you can just about see Meggie there to show the size of it :

 

is being reduced :

 

 

to this:

 

4 little paintings I have done recently (10×10 cm) :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and a trompe l’œil:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The forest is sublimely autumnal at the moment; the carpet of fallen leaves is richly colourful with chrome yellow golds, russet reds, siennas, purples and  browns; as I walk, the damp squidginess underfoot gives off a musty, yeasty odour intermingled with the scent of an endless variety of fungi.

Meggie wondering why I am lying on the ground, ” let’s get on with our walk! ” : fungus out of focus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meggie blurred, fungus in focus, what a fine specimen!

 

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