Open wallet surgery.....

It was not a good idea....

We needed the right stuff to repair the stoves so off we went.

Normally we would have gone to the local coal man but I thought we might nip up to see Ben at Beacon Stoves our local wood fire ologist.

Now, when we moved down here we bought a wood stove from Ben.

Impressed, a few years later we decided to replace a coal burner with a wood fire, and the first choice was Ben.

Then of course the house burnt down (errr now this wasn't him) and we decided we needed another wood fire so we bought a big Franco Belle Carmargue from errr Ben.

This cost about 1000 pounds ten years ago, so you could say it was a good investement.

Now we have decided to go all technical, create in effect a split heating system, so half the house is heated on wood central heating.

I ran the idea past Ben and he was able to come up with some ideas how to do it and suggestions of which stove might do the best job.

Next thing I was writing a cheque for 1800 pounds - ouch.

I could actually have got the set up somewhere else and saved about 100 pounds.

Thing was though "somewhere else" would not have known how to set up a system to do what I need it to.

Our local "Somewhere else" could tell me wood really needs to be dried for about 2 years. Ben could tell us how to mix our douglas fir, beach and oak to get the best use out of the firewood.

And that kind of know how is worth 100 pounds.

And with the right door seal now fitted, the big Franco Belge has forced me to take off my sweat shirt, it's bloody warm in here....

R