Our girls spent ages climbing and balancing and falling down too. Such great fun!
Our new lightweight splitter helped.
That's a pretty important life skill I think.
Wood is really important to us here on our farm. We use the wood we cut from our forest to heat our house, to cook our food and to build with.
The wood they split today will be stacked in a pile and left to dry out for burning next year. This year's wood is called green wood and by next year it will be called seasoned wood.
I love that our girls are learning these lessons. I love that they want to know and to get involved. I love seeing them with dirty hands and the biggest smiles on their faces.
I don't think I split any wood myself until I was 25.
I think they'll sleep well tonight.
So how are you?
Have you ever split wood?
It's great for a bit of stress relief, believe me.
Hopefully it'll be a useful tool when the teenage angsty years come.
Have a fabulous week my friends.
xx
Hi Kate, long time reader here but few comments. I learnt to chop wood and split logs when I was about eight I think. I used to love it and when we had a holiday place on 50 acres, we would cut and split a couple of tonnes regularly to bring home for both kitchen and lounge fires. It is so satisfying and good to work with the hands. I now live in an apartment so no fire but I remember those times with great nostalgia. Added to which I have a damaged shoulder and would find it difficult to spilt logs now, even with wedges.
ReplyDeleteMy dad did the same ( taught me to split wood) at about 10 or so. it's great skill i think, and great for a girl to know, if you get what I mean, and not just leave it to the boys. plus it's fun xo
ReplyDeleteYep, I used do it when I was a kid. It was hard yakka, and always gave me callouses on my hands. I preferred to use the tomahawk to cut the kindling, which was always known in our family as "morning's wood".
ReplyDeleteA few years back when my husband lost his job of 20 years he chopped wood out in the back yard for at least 3 hours everyday. Now, we live in the suburbs in California, USA and we don't have much need for a lot of firewood but it was wonderful for the whole family, especially Dad, to see that wood chopped! Now I relate all good work to chopping wood. My kids are finally getting my meaning.
ReplyDeleteKate! Love your blog! :D
I've never chopped wood before, but we use wood all the time for our fireplace. We have friends who are avocado ranchers and they all have old trees they are willing to chop up and give away for free - along with the black widow spiders that make those log piles their home. Have you ever come across anything living in your log pile?
ReplyDeleteHa,wood splitting.....I am so bad at it. Bloody hopeless! But if your girls can do it....well, they've inspired me to give it another try.
ReplyDeleteI am, however, the mistress of kindling.....will collect and cut up an sticks, prunings etc. Lots of organised piles there. Plus I love my tomahawk/bush hammer for splitting bits of larger kindling!
Wood piles are things of great beauty. Along with preserves, jams etc. in Fowlers Vacola jars. Sometimes, I reckon they are better than money in the bank.
Ms. Nada
Excellent Kate, a great life skill indeed. Lovely photos, so good for kids to have an appreciation and understanding of where all these things come from. A real advantage of living in the country I think. You have a great week too!
ReplyDeleteI have never learned to split wood, Kate, but one of my favourite stories about my grandma is that she went out and chopped wood on the day she gave birth to her fifth baby (she was trying to bring on labour and it worked!). I reckon your girls are learning such important stuff... xo
ReplyDeleteInvaluable life lessons around your place, they are very lucky girls! I grew up in the country, collecting & chopping wood, rounding up the cooks, feeding the cows and I miss that my boys don't have that. This is why it's so important for them to visit nan & pop regularly..plus pop is about the cleverest nan I know, there is nothing he can't make or fix!
ReplyDeleteDon't know if I'd let my teenagers near an axe!
ReplyDeleteOh lovely post Kate.
ReplyDeleteAren't those Fiskars splitters the best! I love ours, so easy to use! Cuts like a knife through butter.
xx
That looks like a fun day :) The wood chopping would be a great opportunity to teach them about sustainability too - maybe you could plant some trees with them to chop down later?
ReplyDeleteThat looks like SO much fun.
ReplyDeleteLove the dirt on the hands !!
ReplyDeleteLove chopping wood!Last time i did it with a vengance was a very long time ago ,
for a wood fired kiln ,my first year of studying ceramics in ..ahem 1980!
It was actually quite close by to you guys , at a property in Smeaton !
We built & fired kilns all sorts of wood-fired kilns all week ...truly amazing !
We had a wood fire and it was expected that my sister and I could split wood. I am also a Girl Guide and am always amazed how my young charges don't have the physical strength to wield an axe at a piece of wood hard enough to split it - and their aim is terrible. You have to keep weeeeellll back.
ReplyDeleteI hate to admit it, because although we rely on wood for heating, I've never split any wood. But that's not to say I wouldn't, I just haven't had the need. It's always been on Daniel's "outside list". It's a great skill to teach your girls and one I would love for mine to learn (and me!) Recently Daniel and a mate hired one of those splitting machines which made it so quick. Have to admit that we're currently burning "green" wood. If only we were a little more organized!
ReplyDeleteI love chopping wood. I didn't learn until I met my husband, when I was about 20. Daughter #1 who is 13 likes to chop the chips for kindling.
ReplyDeleteoh those photos remind me of myself at that age. What a wonderful childhood. Although we live out of town and use wood to heat our home and water and to cook none of my 4 children are any good at wood chopping, or going outside and getting dirty. Makes me so sad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this lovely post.
cheers Kate
yep been splitting mallee stumps since the age of nine. character building my man would say. love chopping wood, makes you warm.
ReplyDeleteSplitting wood. Hmm. My grandparents had a dairy farm until I was about 8. We weren't allowed in the wood shed (or the barn, but that's another story). My other grandparents had a wood heater until not so long ago when my grandmother found it too hard to split and cart wood around. We were allowed to play in their woodshed but not use the axe.
ReplyDeleteI think the first time I split wood I was at uni, so maybe 20. It was for a wood heater that really didn't heat much, let alone the room! Good old uni houses!
i always had to chop the wood for kindling! chop the wood and light the fire when i got home from school. it was just me, my mum and my little sister who im sure just pretended she couldnt light the fire so she wouldnt have to do it! i had perfected my technique, it involved pinecones and the 'pyramid' technique. loved it!
ReplyDeleteI'm nearly 50 and still chopping wood every Winter! We fill up the wood store at the end of Winter so that wood will dry out thru the Summer. Can't leave it outside like you do (love the way it looks) cos of snakes but our wood store does the trick! Stay warm!!! xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate
ReplyDeleteyour efforts and I will be waiting for your next write ups thank you once again.
Feel free to visit my webpage declaring bankruptcy in florida
My site - Bankruptcy Laws In Florida
Thiѕ post will helρ the іnternet viеwers for settіng up
ReplyDeletenew weblog oг еvеn a blog fгom stаrt to end.
Have a loοκ at my web-site; novalash eyelash extensions
What's up Dear, are you really visiting this site regularly, if so after that you will without doubt get nice know-how.
ReplyDeleteHere is my web page - Hand Crank Ice Cream Maker
ӏ absolutelу love yоur blog and find thе mаjorіty of your post's to be just what I'm looking for.
ReplyDeleteWould you offer guest wгiteгs tо write
content to suit your needs? I ωouldn't mind producing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write in relation to here. Again, awesome weblog!
Feel free to visit my site lysol steam mop
Wow, fantаstic blog layout! How long have you
ReplyDeletebeen blogging for? you made blogging looκ еasy.
Тhe oѵerall lоok of your site іs
wonderful, let alone thе content!
My weblog slow Cookers reviews
What's up, just wanted to mention, I loved this article. It was inspiring. Keep on posting!
ReplyDeleteMy homepage; commercial deep fryers
І am not positive where you're getting your info, but good topic. I needs to spend a while finding out much more or understanding more. Thank you for wonderful info I was searching for this information for my mission.
ReplyDeleteHave a look at my weblog; bread maker price
Hi! I've been reading your website for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Atascocita Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the great work!
ReplyDeletemy web blog: ,deep fat fryer
Aԁmirіng the time anԁ energу yοu put
ReplyDeleteinto your website and in ԁepth informatіon you рrovіde.
It's great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the same old rеhasheԁ informatіon.
Excellent гead! І've bookmarked your site and I'm incluԁіng youг RSS
feеds to my Google аccount.
my sіte gino d acampo halogen oven
No mattеr if some one seaгches for his vital thing, ѕo hе/she wants tο be available that іn detail, thuѕ that
ReplyDeletething is maintaіneԁ over here.
My weblоg :: eyelashes extensions
Gгeat woгκ! That is the tуpe of information that shоuld be shаrеd аcross the
ReplyDeleteinternеt. Shame on the seаrсh engіnes fοг noω
not positionіng thіs publiѕh upper!
Come on oѵer and visit my web sіte . Thаnk you =)
My ωeb ѕіte :: red robin
Hi there it's me, I am also visiting this web site regularly, this website is in fact fastidious and the visitors are actually sharing good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to surf to my homepage; Countertop deep fryers
Рrettу! This haѕ beеn an inсrеdibly wonderful artісle.
ReplyDeleteThanκѕ foг suρplying thiѕ infοгmation.
Feel freе to surf to my homeраge Breville Bread Maker
Very nice aгticle, totally what I needed.
ReplyDeleteMy homepage - presto deep fryers
That is very interesting, You are a very professional blogger.
ReplyDeleteI have joined your feed and sit up for in search of
extra of your magnificent post. Additionally, I have shared your website in my social networks
My homepage; how to make a bed in minecraft
I'm not sure where you are getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission.
ReplyDeleteAlso visit my web page small slow cookers
Ηеllo, i reаd your blοg occаsionally and i
ReplyDeleteοwn а similаг one and i ωaѕ juѕt сuгious if you get a lot of sρam
гesponsеs? If sο hоw ԁο you гeԁuсe it, any
plugіn or anything you can гeсommenԁ?
Ι get ѕo muсh latеlу it's driving me crazy so any assistance is very much appreciated.
Have a look at my web blog how to make ice cream with a machine
I am extrеmelу impressed with your writing skills as wеll as with the layout on уour ωeblоg.
ReplyDeleteIѕ this а paid theme or did you modify іt yourself?
Anyωay keeρ up the excellent qualitу ωгiting, it's rare to see a great blog like this one today.
my blog - cheap slow cookers
For most recent information you have to pay a visit web and on web I found this website as a best web page for hottest updates.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to visit my web site: http://Twitter.com/
First of all I wοulԁ lіke tο say fantаѕtic blog!
ReplyDeleteӀ haԁ a quick question that I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind prior to writing. I have had trouble clearing my mind in getting my ideas out there. I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Thank you!
Also visit my site; small halogen oven
It's nearly impossible to find knowledgeable people on this subject, but you sound like you know what you're talking about!
ReplyDeleteThanks
My sіte: deep fat frying
Gooԁ day! I just want to gіve you a hugе thumbs up
ReplyDeletefor your exсellent information you havе here on thiѕ pоst.
I am returning to your websіte for more ѕoon.
my web-sіte :: deep fryer for turkey
I gοt thiѕ web page frοm my frienԁ whο informed me about this ωеb site and at the moment this time I am brοwsing this web sіte and reaԁing very informаtiѵе artіcles here.
ReplyDeletemy homeρage - tefal deep fat fryer
When I originally commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and
ReplyDeletenow each time a comment is added I get three emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that
service? Thanks!
Look into my web page; Crackedsteam.com
I used to be suggested this web site through my cousin. I am no
ReplyDeletelonger positive whether this publish is written through him as nobody else know such unique approximately my difficulty.
You're wonderful! Thank you!
Stop by my web page - workouts for vertical jump
you're truly a good webmaster. The web site loading pace is amazing. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a excellent job on this matter!
ReplyDeleteAlso visit my weblog; www.rejestic.com
Hmm it seems lіke your blog ate my first comment (іt wаs eхtremely long) so
ReplyDeleteI gueѕs I'll just sum it up what I had written and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog.
I as well am аn aspiring blоg wгiter but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any tips and hints for rookie blog writers? I'd really
aρpreciate it.
Chеck out my blog poѕt :: which deep fat fryer
Great post. I will be experiencing a few of these issues as well.
ReplyDelete.
Also visit my web page: workouts to jump higher