Fireplaces will cheer up any continually miserable rainy day. The flicker of the fire dancing in the fireplace is mesmerising and has a warming effect.
If your part of the world boasts 100inches of rain, and you had to wear a drizabone to keep you dry and warm while working in wet weather – knowing I could come home to a fire was always wonderfully comforting. When I was dairy farming, rounding up cows for milking in the cold rain, it was drivingly dismal out in those paddocks. However, I always knew there a fire waiting to warm me at home. It was like a warm welcoming friend.
Cosy Fireplace
Nowadays when I arrive home, from school, I still enjoy that cosy, idyllic notion of a blazing warm fireplace. After traveling 40mins, the weather changes so dramatically that I still return home to my soggy feet country, but the fire is lit within minutes.
Recently, I was down to my last few pieces of timber, when a load of firewood was finally procured. This was after much ringing around and asking of locals where to get a load. One bloke wanted to dump a tonne of firewood in my yard; even after I said I would be happy to pay extra for them to stack it. I anticipated they weren’t short of work, so I graciously declined their quote.
Hit Jackpot
Then I hit the jackpot with a long-standing family run business who had recently diversified into carting firewood as an aside to their fencing contracting – during winter. I was very relieved, as my firewood contacts from last year were no longer cutting and carting. I was advised that the government permits, costs and associated paperwork knocked out the little bloke – I’m putting it politely after interruption.
Stacked
Importantly, the firewood finally arrived and the two gentlemen very kindly stacked and racked as per my instructions while I at the beauty therapist –sprucing up parts of my body. I would have been there to help them but they wanted to come an hour early, which I had no objections to. His wife and my beauty therapists even exchanged ‘hellos’ just before she started waxing. I didn’t know what to expect with two men and their interpretation of ‘neatly stacking’ firewood. But, once I arrived home, they were just finishing off and it looked so very impressive that I took a photograph.
Rainfall 100 inches
As I said, where I live in Millaa Millaa, it boasts 100inches a year, which is why it’s always so lush and green with its bucolic rolling hills. I wanted to use the word ‘bucolic’ because it was the ‘word of the week’ on the podcast, ‘So You Want to be a Writer’ with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait. Valerie is always encouraging us to use the word of the week. Also I’m using ‘bucolic’ because it relates to my ‘countryside’s pleasant aspect’ of rolling hills and it goes hand-in-hand with fireplace country.
Also, I find it therapeutically ‘good for the soul’ to be writing this in front of my fireplace.
Big Sister Blogs - Maria Parenti 
It is good that you are writing what is important to you Maria. It is that life is important, the vagaries that beset us. Some see these as mountains whereas I get the impression you relish them. It is always good to have plenty of firewood. Today we had snow again down to 150 metres. It is between 1 and 4 degrees outside with an apparent temperature of minus 1. We have our fire on and will spend the day enjoying the warmth, reading papers and baking bread and cauliflower pasties. Keep up your sharing. Stan
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How amazing Stan. I love it that I’m sharing a fireplace with you and Daniela while you’re baking bread. I can smell it from here. Allan knows how to use the breadmaker. Each time I used the old one, it had been heavy and solid. I’ll get a Allan to show me on the new one. I may have more success.Cheers. M
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I love an open fire or any fire really. One of the best things about camping in winter.
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I think fireplaces are magical and wonderous, having lived in a hot rural area for some 40 years, it is so awesome having one.
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Watching a fire is better than television. We are without power at the moment due to high winds and shallow rooted wattle trees. We keep the fire going for most of the day as it keeps the house warmer than outside. The winds whistle through us like a hot knife through butter. We love the contrast. The bracing wind outside when we go out to do a few jobs. The warmth of the fire inside, a sense of cosiness and peace. We have always loved a fire even when we camped up at Aurukun in the hot weather. It fascinates us. It drives Daniela to poke and prod and to continually add more sticks. I love snoozing beside a warm fire. We can do that here on our swag in front of the fire. We have to roll over to keep both sides warm. We can pretend we are camping – glamping. Once we had a house in Walkman with an open fireplace and when the kids went with their mum for a visit we would drag our mattress out in front of the fire. What can i say – better than television
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You always had a way with words. Do you have your own blog also. I’ve been working on improving my writing, so I keep revisiting stories. I am doing a course with the Australian Writers Centre. I want to write until I burst. I let my fingers do the walking and it is just amazing being able to see your work published. My fireplace is on now also.
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Maria. We do at sheppardsmovetotasmania.com
Let me know what you think.
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Hello Stan, I tried to comment on one of the stories but I had to try to login and then the password would not work for wordpress, so had to go to RSS feed.
Importantly, I love photos and you have an easy style of writing which is entertaining to read. I was trying to find where I could follow you and have you on my reader so I could read new stories when you wrote them. Cheers Maria
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Hi Maria, thank you for your post! I always appreciate a nice write up about fireplaces and family gatherings.
I also have wall fireplace, but I found a cheap way to get high quality fuel for it. I have visited local carpentry business and asked them for few bags of dry wood each month (they have been burning it as it is waste for them). In exchange I am bringing whole team a dinner or cake once a month so they are all happy with exchange. Its not proper fire wood, but it burns nicely and provides high temperatures.
I took your 100 inches rain as a joke until I read last paragraph. Truly amazing!
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Thank you Jessica,
Yes Millaa Millaa is very wet country for 8 or so months of the year. What a lovely think to do in return for dry wood for your fireplace.
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