It’s been some time since I’ve blogged on a personal level. Although I think about it, I never actually get round to doing it. I suppose it dosn’t seem like “work” and therefore gets put on the back-burner whilst there is always something more pressing to do. Today however, I was inspired to write! A prompt on the Brit Mums site asked bloggers to write about changes you have made this year which have made a difference to your life. I immediately knew what I wanted to write about as it was the reason for me being curled up with my laptop at this very moment.
It is no secret that Adventure Togs is a flexible business run around our family life. My office is at home and our orders are packed, picked and dispatched from a warehouse some distance away. It’s great being able to work from home, as it can be as flexible as I need it to be, but I do have to be disciplined and know when to switch off. Winter is our busiest time and whilst I have all the right gear for the outdoors (obviously!), working from home in the winter months has been either cold or costly. I cannot justify turning on the heating just for me and my tiny office – a little fan heater will suffice. Even waiting until 3.30 when the kids are home form school has mean’t eye watering winter fuel bills!
Anyway, a couple of winters ago, we started to discuss installing a log burner in our living room. It’s a big room with 2 large windows and 3 exterior walls so it’s rarely cosy unless the central heating is on full pelt. Shall we? Shan’t we? Which brand? What size? Is our chimney breast capable? It went on and we didn’t do it….and forgot about it until the cold weather kicked in again. We have a woodland garden and have literally spent a small fortune on tree maintenance in recent years, giving away wood which could have warmed us for years whilst paying through the nose for gas. What fools! We had to do it by next winter!
Clearview Solution 500 Multi Fuel Stove
And so, next winter is here. The stove, a Clearview Solution 500 was installed the week the boys went back to school and although there was mess (the living room was out of bounds for weeks what with the decorating and everything) it’s fab!
We have taken a couple of weeks to get used to what is “a beast of a stove” and are learning what burns well, what needs more seasoning and what not to burn. I have lit a fire for the first time in my life and love scrunching the paper, layering the kindling and adding the logs as the heat fills the room. I also feel rather smug, knowing we are doing the green thing, using a sustainable fuel and all that.
Log splitting is our favourite hobby at the moment and the whole family have become involved. We ordered a load of semi-seasoned wood from our tree surgeon which arrived as a truckload in pre-split rounds and all four of us spent the afternoon sorting, splitting and stacking until we could do no more!
Logs straight from the tree surgeon
Logs all nicely stacked for seasoning
And how has it changed things? I have a new homely workspace ie. my lap in the warmth of our lovely new living room. I can work part of the day in the office and then settle with my laptop in my cosy corner and enjoy the flames and the warmth as I work 
