Monday 13 July 2009

The Local Campfire

This is the fireplace next to which we spent a great deal of our time last week. The house was très homey, albeit rather drafty. (I'm sure there's a Dad joke in there somewhere about written drafts and windy drafts, but I'll leave it up to mine to make it.)

Although our home here becomes super snug at the press of a button, we are missing the presence of the fire in our lives. Reading, writing, talking, knitting and making love by the heater just isn't the same.

When television was first invented then commercialised, apart from the programs it offered, I can definitely see why people were so inviting of it into their homes – there is much to be said about the comfort and company of flickering lights in the centre of a room. I agree with the sociologists who said that first television then the internet, are the new global campfires.

Although I found it difficult to be offline last week, I'm finding it just as hard to live without a fireplace now we're home.

4 comments:

farmdoc said...

How can your dad resist that cue, LOM? All I want to say is that you and I live in a second world country, and our first world antecedent mother country spells it 'draughts'. To my eye, 'draughts' looks much more homey than 'drafts' which emanates from that gauche second world land of the free. xx
PS If that's a dad joke then I'm guilty as charged, your honour.

Petrus Spronk said...

I have a fireplace in my home. It creates the heart in my home and helps make winter a very special time. the warmth, the flickering light, the smell of burning wood, slightly smokey fragrance all make the time you spend gathering, cutting, splitting (or paying for) bringing the wood in, keeping it dry, organising kindling, cleaning out the fireplace and setting the fire all worthwhile. Real winter activities.

Umatji said...

So true. I love the fire place in our house! W was born on the back verandah after a night of stars in the sky. This babe, with luck will be born cosied up by a roaring fire. Both in water - fire and water and fire and air. Hmmm...

eddy carroll said...

Snakes-
You know, for the door, they take the blow of the draft/draught.
I cant live with out them, made out of kookie fabric and filled with sand, or rags.

When I was away at my friends farm, all we did was sew around the fire, talk around the fire, listen to the fire, stare into the fire, top up the fire, warm our backs by the fire, make work about the fire, bring lambs into warm by the fire...
I kept sneeking off to be by the fire, like a cat.
Oh the joy.