New toy: Axe and wood chopper...

Through this neighbor friend (called K) of mine, I continue to strengthen my 'arsenel'...
Before purchasing, he encouraged me to try out several makes of axes...
And hands down, Gransfors Bruks' "Splitting Maul" it was...
This axe not only feels solid, it is also a piece of very handsome art...

Had not heard of this Swedish outfit before...
Up to this time, the only Swedish connection I had was a pen-friend in the early 1970s... and, no email or internet at that time...
Lisbeth Backlund... if you happen to come across this post, please throw me a line!

Looked up the company homepage...
Was surprised to learn what a fine outfit this family-owned company is...
They have only 24 employees, plus another 20 in South Carolina, US...
One of their catch-phrases is 'A craftsman behind each axe'...
Imprinted beside the Crown is the initial, DG...

Also bought a wood cutter...
This one comes with a jacket and is made in Kochi Prefecture, which is also in the the island of Shikoku...
Similarly imprinted on the blade is the name of the iron smith...
'Yoshi-michi', says my missus...

(Picture sourced from company homepage)

Gransfors Bruks brings it one step further...
From its homepage, we can find out exactly who this 'DG' is...
'Daniel Grantz' seems to be they guy at the back row with the checkered shirt, looking sideways...
I feel happy to be able to know exactly, the craftsman who chiselled the axe I just bought...

Ok... it snowed yesterday and today, it snowed even more...
My Grasshopper is not spared of the snow....

In the warm confines of our wood stove, my partner conjures up another lovely noodle concoction...
I put some homemade 'kimchi daikon' (the reddish 'sticks') in there and oohlaaa...

Stylish Blogger Award... many thanks...

This photo-less post is simultaneously uploaded in my two blogs, Kedahan-Malaysian in Japan and http://potagery.blogspot.com/... the reason being, both these blogs were awarded the 'Stylish Blogger Award' by My Little Potted Garden and milka's jishiben respectively...

Before I continue, a brief note...
These past few weeks came by and went off like a 'whirlwind'...
We had our wood stove installed... and we are fully satisfied with the high standard of workmanship and professionalism of the people involved...
Through our new woodstove, we met so many people who were so kind, so friendly...
Experienced wood stove owners guided me on how to collect wood, how to fell a tree, and how to share out the cut logs...
The several folks in our hamlet who own forest land offered to allow me to cut their trees... to pick up wood that is of no use to them...
I bought a mini truck, a chain saw and many of the accessories...
Through the introduction of a friend, I knocked on the doors of three factories dealing with wood, asking if they have wood that needs to be disposed off...

Ok, now back to the award thingy...
I thank My Little Potted Garden and milka's jishiben for being too gracious to award me the 'Stylish Blogger Award'... Am very honored indeed...
At the same time, being the curious cat that I am, I did a check on the net to find what and who is behind this award...
There is not much information on this award...
Most of the folks who are selected for the award express happiness and that's about it...
Still, as one blogger commented, it is an expression of 'peer' support among bloggers and I think that is very siginificant gesture...
Apparently, to accept this award, I must:
Post linking back to the person that gave you the award

Share 7 things about yourself

Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers

Contact these bloggers and tell them about it
The seven things...
1. I love veggies, that is, the eating and the growing...
2. Photography is the hobby that has the longest hold on me... over 25 years now... and I intend to continue shooting...
3. I sleep early and wake up early...
4. I am not very fond of drinking alcohol... just a little bit, maybe...
5. My preferred mode of commuting is the bicycle... I take about 1hour 15 minutes one way to cycle the approximately 20 kilometer route to work...
6. I am still very much in love with my 'suweeto haaato' Y and I thank god and my lucky stars for my good fortune... we have no kids and we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this coming April...
7. I would like to express my gratitute to all you nice folks out there who come to visit and comment on my humble blogs...

The 15 blogs, newly discovered or otherwise...

1. Urutora No Hi
2. MyJourney
3. Photos by Senior Hiker

4. Foodie and Travel Bug
5. Pacific Islander
6. Life in the Land of the Rising Sun
7. books@me
8. Keats The Sunshine Girl
9. Adventures of
10. Photos by Senior Hiker
11. All Bout Food
12. Theanne and Baron
13. The Whimsical Gardener
14. Journeys and Jonquils
15. HAZEL DENE

I would like to offer all the folks above the option to (quietly) opt out of the game as I must honestly say that this is a very time consuming exercise... plus, some of the bloggers mentioned may already have been 'awarded' by someone else... so, please feel free to reject the 'award' as you wish it...

Oyasumi nasai (goodnight) from Japan, folks...

Dovre 760 Woodstove makes appearance...

These were the beans I that I threw (into my mouth) to ward off the red devil (in the background) during the Bean Throwing Festival...
Folklore dictates that we should eat the same number of beans to match our age...

So if you are 52 like yours truly, you eat 52 beans...

Rainfield61 apparently consumed a lot of goodies during the Lunar New Year...
We had just the tomato-based squid spaghetti (one of my all-time favorites)...

Went to Tokyo to attend a seminar...
On the return leg, bought 8 packets of 'omiyage' (gifts)...
Had never bought so much omiyages in my life at one go...
As mentioned, very friendly neighbors we have...
So, why not a gift or two to them as a token of our goodwill?

Yes, while I was in Tokyo, the wood stove professionals came to finish off the installation...
Missed the maiden 'trial' run of the stove...
Apparently, we need to 'season' the stove by controlling the burning...

The stove must be heated up to a certain temperature over a span of time, and be allowed to cool down completely...

The neighbor who gave us the truckload of logs was as excited as us...
So, with his wife, they came along today, wine bottle in hand, and a wheelbarrow full of dried logs...
Oh my... what a delight...
And he had invited me to join him to cut wood tomorrow...

The third 'seasoning' burn...
So good to feel the raw heat...
while gazing at such a beautiful flame...

New toy: Daihatsu mini truck aka 'The Grasshopper'

Note: I would like to thank My Little Potted Garden for giving this blog the Stylish Blogger Award... I am humbled by this gesture and am very grateful... But before I accept the award, I need some time to think about what blogs to nominate for the award (condition # 3)...

Now for the main story...
Yes, the mini truck came a few days ago...
From the look of it, why not the nickname 'Grasshopper'... no?
Its sole (or primary) purpose is to carry logs and wood for the stove...

Yes, a cool blue Grasshopper...
I must say that the mini trucks I have seen so far are all white in color... as in 99% white?

The Grasshopper is 660 CC...
Carrying capacity is 350 kilograms...
It is a manual car, which is just what I have been looking for...

It is 13 years old now...
Borned in the 10th year of the Heisei era (1998?)...

And, can you believe that it is a 'part-time' 4WD?
Woah, I am ready to roll with the Grasshopper...