Fuel to the pyre
Posted: Sat 15 September, 2007 Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Green Garden 1 Comment »This weekend, it looks like we’re getting prepared for winter.
We’ve made an order for oil through Boiler Juice, which seems to get a decent price for purchases of heating oil, so that’ll arrive next week.
In addition, we’ve also ordered a load of logs from a local supplier, which’ll turn up on Monday. Not bad – £75 for a full load, which can then be stuck onto our wood pile while the stuff we’ve already received (from a number of sources) and chopped, which is slowly seasoning on the pile already. With luck it’ll keep us going through the winter, but if not well, we can always get another load delivered. Happy day.
And before the delivery of logs, we need to chop up the remaining wood to go on the pile first. Joy. That’s most of tomorrow sorted out then…
Can I just add a word of caution about Boiler Juice? I used to recommend them highly, but, just recently, their prices have been up to 5p a litre more than local suppliers, which soon mounts up on a tankful. I’ve been keeping a very close Witchy eye on them and their ‘buying weekends’ and ‘someone else has ordered in your area’ emails are no cheaper than standard price.
Keep a couple of local numbers to hand and give them a quick call before ordering. It’s worth asking it they’ll price match other quotes, as several of them will.
Also – logs – have you thought about getting in touch with local tree surgeons or builders? Several round here will happily deliver you wood (trees or building site offcuts) for nothing as it would otherwise cost them money to dispose of it. Your £75 a load sounds very steep (but I guess you’re paying the wood burner retailer’s add-on commission).
We only bought logs the first year we were here (12 years ago) and since then, friends, buildres and our own ‘finds’ while in the countryside have kept us freely supplied. OK, so cutting it up takes a bit of time, but it keeps you fit!