All these posts about wood fires makes me nostalgic for our last house with the big stone fireplace. When the logs were glowing and crackling, all our cats (five in those days!) would lie on the woolly rug in a row like sausages in a pan.

We had some lovely old fire irons, poker, tongs, shovel etc. and a huge log basket. Outside the patio doors could be seen fallow deer, the big orange fox, some grey squirrels, and all sorts of birds, including Barney the barn owl. Our garden was massive and beyond it, just open fields.

But carting logs around, cleaning out the ash etc - we don't do that any more. Also, the draught was something shocking. Open fires cause a massive air flow. One's front was hot but one's back was frozen!

We've never had a wood-burner though. That's what all our neighbours have.