Collier Blues

I have a new appreciation for just how tough life was in the middle ages; I hurt. I spent much of my Sunday digging out a pit, stacking wood in it, recovering said wood with earth, and then dumping burning coals into the stack through a hole at the top. This is my first attempt to create a charcoal kiln; how effective it will be remains to be seen.

Yesterday evening, my good lady Fjorleif noticed a bright orange glow coming from holes around the top of the kiln, which makes me think it was getting too much air. A few extra shovels of dirt eliminated that, but I won't know until I dig it out whether it will contain charcoal or ash. I suspect that the whole thing was rather smaller than it needed to be to make a good kiln, but I didn't want to go overboard on my first try, and the tiny kiln that I made took a lot out of me.