11:29 PM Fire in the snow and the best jacket potatoes cooked by nature |
At the weekend the day Julia and I had been waiting for suddenly appeared. It was bonfire day! We had quite a few bits to burn from the allotment and field. We had accumulated it over summer but in winter there has been no set of dry days. The rain has been constant so two dry days was a blessing. We chose a location away from any local houses and the air was still so it was perfect. Now setting fire to wood and dead cut offs that are not 100% dry is an art form. Thankfully we had some kindling courtesy of my father (although I did ask him afterwards!) and never looked back. Every item was burnt over five hours or more. It was good fun and constructive at the same time. I was a on a high to start with as my solar set up had worked perfectly and accumulated more than enough energy to power the shed. Julia and I had a cup of tea next to the bonfire; looking into the flames it takes the human soul back to its roots, as it becomes an almost mythic experience. I am not overemphasising when a comparison is made in such a way as a controlled fire brings us closer to the raw energy of nature.  The allotment is looking tidy but ready for the spring thanks to Julia Diggory the scarecrow has the best view though Julia prepared four potatoes in foil and added them in the side of the fire. When they were done they were brilliant to have. Julia took them to the shed and made some teas. We went into the allotment and looked over nidderdale while enjoying some tasty fire pots! Later we were deciding when to put the fire out when it started to snow. Now that was surreal, it has not snowed for months when suddenly I saw what seemed to be snowflakes in the firelight. It then started to come down in large amounts. We sat around the fire with this scene unfolding around us. As we were totally wrapped in waterproofs it felt like this was a magical experience and it just kept falling. As I kept seeing the gritters all around and the field was getting half a foot deep we decided to put the fire out and put the ash in a wheelbarrow. The ash is to help in the food production. Then it was taking the smoky clothes off and making our way home. The trip was not bad. The road was poor but the car has traction and is tiny so there is no way it would never make it. The afternoon was just brilliant in many ways. We achieved more than we set out to do and had the most wonderful time doing it.  It is a shame we didn't get an image of the great snow scene  Julia made lovely potatoes in the fire, best ones I have tasted Julia decorated the shed before Christmas and, although we have not been there too much over the festive period, we thought it looked like time had stood still. Julia took them down before the fire but took a photograph before she did. They were a welcome edition while they were there though.
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