Majikle rocket stove

Yipee, at last a dry Saturday to get out into the garden.
However knowing that the sunny day was going to cause a hard frost I knew i couldn't risk putting a spade in the ground for fear of letting in cold into tender roots so, i decided it was time for me to build a Rocket stove.

Step by step.

Firstly i build a plinth of bricks to get the stove off the ground and save a bit on bending over while lighting or cooking, these are the white bricks in the picture.  After this I set out the first layer of stove bricks which includes one half brick.

Then building up with whole bricks to cover the gap....

I carried on building up trying to keep the bricks close together until I'd used all the bricks.

This version I lit successfully, however the smoke didn't draw well and just crawled out through the gaps in the bricks, hardly going like a rocket!

So, having three bricks with holes in them i built a triangular trivet shape on the top

to place the pot upon, this worked beautifully and the water was boiling within ten minutes.  Also I extended the entrance way with another three bricks i had left over including one rather fetching one with some writing on it in pride of place

It took only dry twigs and paper to light the stove and once the twigs were going i added more from the top hole as with a storm kettle. I hope that over time an ash bed might form to make the stove even easier to light.  I plan to use it to make warm water for washing and cooking.  x

January- last jobs before the snow

Early January and it's time to harvest the last of the potatoes while the ground is still unfrozen.
After they and any weeds that have been hanging on are out I am dumping wet leaves onto the bare soil.  Because as well as providing a little bit of tilth once the snow has worked it's majik, these leaves protect the soil from the most intense frosting and so will to give the worms a chance to keep warm enough to help them keep working near the surface.
After washing the potatoes I will leave them out to dry overnight and then keep them in a dark place ready for planting out next year.  
A rare joy to be able to be outside on a dry day, a respite from recent storms with the radio on and a cup of tea, finally with plenty of time to do weeding.