This is my thirteenth winter of this, so it is easy to do, but harder to draw. I will have another go tomorrow as I am sure to be stuck for ideas again on the wednesday. There is something about the sliding hand on the axe and the compound curve that the hands make, which is very satifsfying. Some of the pine I was chopping today was pretty saturated, so had an added bonus of moisture blasting from the axe tip at the end of the blow. Of course it is nice when the wood is narrow enough to split in a single thwack, but also satisfying to hit smack on the same line on three blows across a wide chunk and hear the sound change on each blow as it gives in. Wood really does warm you three times before you sit and watch it burn, collecting, splitting and stacking all get a bit of a sweat going. The tree behind has witnessed a lot of carnage, but it doesn't seem to have stunted its growth, some kind of self hypnosis therapy program I suspect.