“Be good, be good,” the father duck said

“No, be great, be great,” the father duck said.

A tyro fire starter will often put on too much wood.  Wood burns, more wood equals more fire, therefore heap up the wood, its all very logical.  But too much wood too fast chokes out the flame.  You are best to start small and add wood as you go along until you have the fire you wanted.

Not if you want a bonfire though.  For the biggest of bonfires, the wood needs to be in place already.  The fire will get too big and too hot to safely toss more logs on as it grows.

The bonfire builder puts all his wood in place before he starts the fire.  Instead of a heap, though, its stacked in layers, often teepee style with plenty of air gaps so the fire can start small and then reach up to the next layers of wood with its flame. (more…)

One wishes to be an au courant hep cat and all that, fully up on the vibe and so forth, and so the dashed cry goes up from all and sundry, whither classified documents for elegant display in one’s tastefully appointed crib?

The Bingos, I am told, were reduced to the expedient of using cheap Chinese knock-offs.  Many such cases, as the fellow said.

Nonetheless, with a certain amount of relief and whatsit, frightfully hairy adventures having been undertaken, I can announce that the Wooster garage now doubles as a bijou SCIF.