Morning sticks

[Caran]

Went to Welshpool today to see OH's family, about half an hour from there we passed a sign near a farm advertising morning sticks for sale. I have never heard of this expression before and we had no idea what it meant. When we got there we asked if they knew what it meant. The answer was firewood or kindling for lighting the fire. Is this a common expression? Has anyone elseheard of this?

[stokemaveric]

i guess its a regional thing...a slang term...

[Buenchico]

Interestingly, the only appropriate web reference which is easily found by Google is only about a dozen miles from Welshpool. It's not the same farm, is it?
http://www.pontfarmfo...sp?prod=MorningSticks

[scotman]

Chris
So this is kindling (in English)?

[Buenchico]

Well that's what Carandrog's family members seem to be saying (and the illustration in my link seems to confirm), Scotman.

[scotman]

Do many people have real fires these days? I can't remember when I was last in a house that had one.

[scotman]

^

No

[Buenchico]

Plenty of people have real fires, Scotman but the use of kindling will be prohibited (under smokeless zone rules) in many parts of the country.

[ummmm]

In my last house I had 6 open fires.

[Buenchico]

Welshpool is the heart of coal mining country, Scotman. Even the trains run on coal ;-)
http://www.greatlittl....co.uk/welshpool.html

[Buenchico]

Ummmm probably didn't actually have any fireplaces. Just a propensity to commit arson and claim on the the insurance!
;-)

[scotman]

Hi Ummm

How many of them were lit regularly?

[ummmm]

lol Chris...

Just the one in the living room. They were all working though, and original Victorian.

I miss that house :-(

[ABerrant]

The Survey of English Dialects (undertaken between 1950 and 1961) lists "morning sticks" as a Shropshire phrase i.e. the county immediately east of Welshpool, Powys. The similar "morning wood" {stop sniggering at the back!} was (is?) used in nearby Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, along with distant Essex and Kent.

Clearview Stoves make mention of their Pioneer Oven having a fuel store, "the perfect place to dry your morning sticks". Suffice to say Clearview Stoves is a Shropshire business.

http://www.clearviewstoves.com/pioneeroven.htm

[Caran]

hris not sure if it is the one, we travelled via Craven Arms and didn't get the chance to see the name of the place. But what a weird name for kindling.

[Sir Alec]

Hi carandrog, I remember playing pooh sticks!

[owdhamer]

Come home to a real fire,buy a cottage in wales