Getting there...

The Man of the House was getting a little weary of painting so I suggested he have a look at the chimney and fireplace in the lounge and see how much effort it would take to get an open fire running.

A couple of days of effort, in fact, and so, so, so worth it.

It. Is. Amazing.

So warm and toasty and cosy.

I was just rapt when it was complete. I feel so happy basking it it's warmth. I love looking into it, it is such an ages-old thing to do....stare into a fire, watching the shapes change. Just beautiful.

We have a split system in the lounge which does a great job in Summer in a heatwave, although we rarely need to use it unless there are quite a few days over 40 in a row. For heating, it really wasn't the best because of the high ceilings. We had a couple of portable oil heaters we would use sometimes in the bedrooms or study.

But this? THIS! I just love it so much :-)