I'm A Lumberjack And I'm OK

Yesterday I chopped down a tree. Actually it was this tree so it was already at a 45 degree angle but it still needed a fair bit of chopping.

The tree was blown down in the wind over the winter and I finally decided it was time that it was removed.

I knew it was going to be hard work but I had underestimated just how much. For a start I only had 2 saw's, neither of which were not designed for tree felling. When I got about half way through the trunk the friction of the wood on the blade would jam the saw and stop me from going any further. I therefore took the "Saw two parallel cuts and use a hammer and chisel to chop out the middle" method. It worked rather well I have to say.

After about an hours work I heard a cracking and a snapping noise and the tree finally fell. When it did I felt really satisfied. I was happy in the knowledge that this was a job well done and I had also managed not to get a Darwin Award for the tree falling on my head!!

After cutting down the tree it was now upright. The top branches were caught in another tree so when I split the trunk it fell to the floor. I then trimmed off the bottom branches, threw a rope over a higher branch and rocked the tree until it finally fell to the floor with another satisfying cracking sound. Alice thought this was all very exciting as she was watching from the dining room window.

It was now just a matter of chopping up the tree and lobbing it over the fence into the handy woods at the bottom of our garden. The tree could join the 5 Christmas trees currently residing there.

After I finished I was feeling very pleased with myself. This was proper 'man's work' and as I work in an office all day it's not often I get to do such things. It was hard work and this morning I feel like I was hit by a bus but I got a lot of satisfaction out of it.

We also bought a bathroom this weekend which will be fitted in the next few weeks. Very exciting!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Pah! A mere sapling.
The Author said…
Oh Christian...you're turning into a smug married. Cutting down trees at the weekend is the kind of thing that middle-aged men do because they've forgotten how to do all the things that young chaps do!!!! Welcome to the world of the middle aged person!!! Soon you'll be telling us that you like wandering around garden-centres and stopping in the cafe for a nice cup of tea and a scone!!!

Popular Posts