For those of you that don’t know, I am a self employed IT contract manager, which probably doesn’t mean much to the uninitiated so I shall briefly explain. In short, I’m paid by companies on a 3 month rolling contractual basis to prove new software is working correctly before it’s used in anger.
Anyhoo, I have just finished a 14 month stint in the south of England which involved a daily commute on the train of 3 hours each way. I’d rise at 5.30am and would not get back home until 7.30pm. By January I was a barely human somnambulist shuffling from station to work to station to bed. Now that’s over, I find myself at a hiatus. I’ve decided to take some extended leave and get back to feeling human again.
I’m currently 2 weeks into this sabbatical and already I’m feeling quite chipper again. I know this because I’ve begun doing little experiments around the house. The latest experiment is making briquettes from old newspapers. We have 2 wood-burners in our house and its fantastic this time of year to snuggle in front of a roaring fire. But I want to be more eco-friendly, so I’ve been running some experiments withhold newspapers. Now the method is simple; soak said papers in water for about 1 hour, them compress them and leave to dry for 4-5 days. Volia! Renewable slow-burning fuel. I’ve been working on 2 models, one using the loaf tins wifey uses for making bread and the other simply squashed in my hand to make a poo-shaped briquette.
Both burned quite well last night on the fire so I’m upping production. Wifey isn’t so happy about this experiment, because when the plumber came around to fix my botch job on the kitchen he asked about said briquettes festooned all about the house drying out and I told him nonchalantly ‘Oh those belong to the wife – I’ve no idea what they’re for’
Anyhoo, I have just finished a 14 month stint in the south of England which involved a daily commute on the train of 3 hours each way. I’d rise at 5.30am and would not get back home until 7.30pm. By January I was a barely human somnambulist shuffling from station to work to station to bed. Now that’s over, I find myself at a hiatus. I’ve decided to take some extended leave and get back to feeling human again.
I’m currently 2 weeks into this sabbatical and already I’m feeling quite chipper again. I know this because I’ve begun doing little experiments around the house. The latest experiment is making briquettes from old newspapers. We have 2 wood-burners in our house and its fantastic this time of year to snuggle in front of a roaring fire. But I want to be more eco-friendly, so I’ve been running some experiments withhold newspapers. Now the method is simple; soak said papers in water for about 1 hour, them compress them and leave to dry for 4-5 days. Volia! Renewable slow-burning fuel. I’ve been working on 2 models, one using the loaf tins wifey uses for making bread and the other simply squashed in my hand to make a poo-shaped briquette.
Both burned quite well last night on the fire so I’m upping production. Wifey isn’t so happy about this experiment, because when the plumber came around to fix my botch job on the kitchen he asked about said briquettes festooned all about the house drying out and I told him nonchalantly ‘Oh those belong to the wife – I’ve no idea what they’re for’
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