> I think they should be allowed for cultural reasons but only if cut by hand like we did when I was a kid :)

Me too! That was a lot of work, and surprisingly hard to stack.

And turning it would cut your fingers to shreds! But it was great if the weather was fine.

Thank you both for the imagery here - quite beautiful, in its way.

This has made me remember having to go out to the coal shed and fill up a brass bucket and then come back in all covered in coal dust.

I've not thought about That Smell in years!

Did you have one of those ubiquitous brass boxes beside the hearth?

Which it almost never was :/