the kindness of a woodcutter

Ever since having a classroom and outdoor area of my own, I have found that I am constantly on the prowl for freebies that might enhance the learning environment. On a couple of occasions I have driven past men cutting down trees, but haven't quite managed to pluck up the courage to screech to a halt, jump out the car, and ask them for some slices of wood to add to my outdoor learning environment.

On Saturday morning, John asked if I wanted to play tennis after I'd met with a friend for coffee. It nearly didn't happen, as our arrangement to 'meet outside the fabric shop' was not quite specific enough. We both waited for each other outside the fabric shop for a good half an hour, then eventually realised we were waiting outside different fabric shops. Oh dear. So, our tennis match was able to go ahead, because neither of us had given up on waiting and gone home, and I'm so glad it did, because when we arrived at the tennis courts, there were two men chopping up a tree.

Sometimes boldness is not my strength, but I knew that if I didn't ask if I could have some of the wood, I would be thinking about it for the whole of our tennis match. I needed to focus on tennis, so I figured I should just ask. They were very amenable to my requests and descriptions for which diameter and length would be preferable, if not a little intrigued that I should want some wood for my playground. 

As we loaded up the car with the little logs, I marvelled at the beauty of the cross section of the tree, and the incredibly intoxicating aroma of pine emanating from the freshly cut wood. Now I have no need for a car air freshener - I have a bootful of logs doing that job - all for free.