Taking the log for a walk.

No: this is not a typo. This afternoon my wife and I went for a walk …. nothing spectacular: just through the local fields. As we set out on the homeward leg I found a large branch that had obviously been lying around for a long time. It was so old that the bark had all weathered from it and the wood was thoroughly dry. As we have a wood-burning stove I decided that it would make a good addition to our fuel supply. I was not so big that I couldn’t carry it the remaining distance to the house.

It was surprising and amusing to note the responses of people we passed. It was hardly possible to encounter anybody without them commenting on the fact that I was carrying a large log. Most of the remarks had to do with the fact that I had missed “Bonfire Night”.* I’ve been told several times before that if you want to make friends you should get a dog, because walking your dog is one of the surest ways of meeting other people …. also walking their dogs. On the basis of today’s experience I would be prepared to bet that walking a log is an even more effective trigger to sociability. Try it some time.

*Or “plot night” as it is known around here. If you are not British you might not know that on 5 November every year we celebrate the anniversary of a 17th. century plot, led by Guy Fawkes, to blow up the Houses of Parliament during the state opening of Parliament. Celebrations traditionally take the form of a large fire, these days usually accompanied (or replaced by) fireworks.