Acquiring timber, honestly

Recently we went holidaying, and drove many miles. First stop was Penola, and pretty and friendly town with an unfortunate climate.

But its climate, wet and cold, makes for beautiful timber.

We did the touristy thing, looking through some old and historic cottages, built of timber slabs, plus whatever else they had to hand. It was genuinely interesting.

Stacked, ready for burning in the open fire, was a collection of local timber. I confessed to the kind lady who who had opened the cottage that I had a shameful habit, i.e. reducing perfectly good timber to shavings, and please ma'am could I have a piece of your firewood.

"Poor doddering old fool" she thought. But what she said was, "Sure, help yourself".

So I did, to a big lump of Penola redgum. Most of which now resides in a shed in Aldinga, waiting for a fellow wood butcher to have 'a nidea'. A little bit followed me home to Darwin, and I'll post a photo soon that will reveal its fate.