Scored

While sitting outside reading yesterday afternoon, my brain slowly started to notice a sound that had been going on in the background for a while. The sound of chainsaws. It was the crack of a falling tree that finally got me to look up.

There seems to be an anti-tree movement on campus. Every so often I find them felling gorgeous things that have been growing for decades. Yesterday was no different.

There's a line of 6 or so "Swarthout" (Australian blackwood) trees at the end of my road. They were planted at least 30 years ago by a man who taught woodwork and maintenance on campus. It's one of the more pricey woods - but it was blocking the view. So down they were coming, one after the other. Besides the view issue, apparently they were "leaning toward the house" - however when one fell that way it completely fell short of the house itself... sorry, not a good excuse.

These same folk took out 3 gigantic pine trees the second they moved in, and then chopped all the greenery off the tree outside their kitchen. I'm smugly chuffed to see it has since sprouted back completely.

But down the swarthout trees were coming, and I had to go have a closer look. It was only then that I found out that all the valuable wood, all those years growth, was on its way to the nearest purveyor of firewood!

Now I love wood, that's no exaggeration. I love its smell, its grain, its rough bark texture, its glow. I was quite literally p'd off when I saw what was going on. So I got permission to haul a few logs away - just the smaller ones, about 40cm long and 20 or more cm wide. The ones I could carry, and which would fit in the boot of the ever-hard-working Friggin'Ford. The elderly gentleman who lives with the family came to help me, and today called me back to collect a few more. I now have around 20 beautiful pieces of wood stacked in the garage, drying out - with a light outer and dark heart. I don't yet know what I'll be making from them, but ideas are brewing...

You see, once that garage is cleared (thanks to freecycle), it's going to be my workshop for all the stuff I want to get my hands dirty with. A decent wood work area, a place to experiment with clay and paint too. Although I have a couple of power tools, I'm hoping to post a request to freecycle for any woodworking equipment - power tools yes, but also chisels, planes, the old and well-worn tools of yesteryear.

And then all those ideas percolating inside my skull are going to find their expression in reality. Solid wooden toys for kids, turned and carved bowls, shelves and chairs and things of beauty that showcase the wonders of wood.

In the meantime though, I've totally scored the most amazing wood. Free.