Wood
Stacking firewood can be rather compulsive. Like building a stone wall where each constituent rock or pebble has its own place in the complex puzzle, so it it with a log stack. The builder’s job is to find the right place for each element so that a ton or so of wood becomes a two metre high, 50 centimetre wide stable structure. It must not fall. The ends are important. With three logs stacked at right angles to the three beneath followed by another row of three at right angles to these, they should form a stable pillar holding in the rest of the stack. My first effort was poor and, as it neared its completion, began slowly to lean sideways like an exhausted drunk coming to rest against the barn wall. I resolved to do better. While making the second pile I was careful to make my end pillars lean inwards a little in order to avoid the same thing happening and so pleased was I with the progress that at eleven o’clock at night, rather than heading for bed, I thought that I’d just add another row or two. As I said, it can become compulsive.
Six “stere” in the barn