Thursday 14 February 2008

Logs & Co


This sharp spell has caused a panic on the firewood gathering front - all hands etc. Obviously what you are looking at here is a selection of butts heading to the saw mill for planking up and onward conversion into fine furniture, following a few years air-drying under cover, open-stacked. The great Mabbut's mill at Brixworth, nestling up to the railway line, is sadly no longer operating - I stopped there a few weeks ago on a satisfyingly windy day and was rewarded with the hoped-for sound track of flapping tin and an opportunist Elder tree rubbing up against a building like a bullock scratching itself on a post. I have to confess that the posting of this picture was prompted by the mention elsewhere of cut sticks for timber. I am hopeful that we may be able to revive some of the atmosphere, passion, ingenuity and sheer engineering bravado of the steam powered era in agriculture and industry that is needed in response to the plastic, silicone, semi-conducting banality that is smothering the countryside - albeit in the form of toys. MORE STEAM !

6 comments:

Peter Ashley said...

I have just come round from swooning. Can I bring my Zeta tractor and trailer round to Diplo Towers for an afternoon of log transporting? The whiff of oil and steam, the whirr of clockwork, the melancholy bell tolling from the church tower, the look of sheer disbelief on Mrs. Diplo's face.

Fred Fibonacci said...

Will there be whittling?

Peter Ashley said...

There will be if you're there. Boom boom!

Affer said...

Semper gloria Dibnah. Amen!

Peter Ashley said...

Semper Eadem, as it once said on Leicester City Council's fleur-de-ys badge. I suppose it now says 'Working for U'.

Peter Ashley said...

Or even 'fleur-de-lys'.