Winter's Coming!

Well, folks, I hate to be the bringer of bad tidings, but the nights are well and truly drawing in now. The clocks go back in less than 2 weeks (October 30th, in case you'd forgotten), the forecast for Half Term week is decidedly chilly (-3 celsius on Saturday 30th) and the long-range forecast for the winter is reassuringly cold  (but dry - see? It's not all bad news) at 2 degrees below average for the time of year.

All the stove shops I've spoken to since July have been flat-out selling and installing woodburners and multifuel stoves so you can bet there's going to be no shortage of competition for nice dry firewood. All of that adds up to being a great time to lay your hands on some Hotmax! It should be in all of the village stores now. If it isn't, get them to give me a call.

The other piece of good news is that Hotmax is now available from Scats in 10kg bags, which will help spread the word in the area.

Stay warm!

Martin.

Harewood Green Energy on Andover Sound

I'm very happy to report that Andover Sound has written up the brief interview that I did with their journalist Mary Philips back in February that cold, cold morning of the Longparish Second Sunday of the Month Run.

When you read it please bear in mind I'd just raced 3 miles around the village, then jogged across the cricket pitch carrying a 20KG bag of briquettes, so was probably not in full possession of my faculties. At least in the transcript you can't hear me puffing and panting.

Mary has been doing a series of articles on villages around Andover. I don't know when they will be broadcast, but as soon as I do I'll circulate them via this blog, since they may be of interest to the mainly local readership.

All the best,

Martin.

Briquettes, Crumpets and Rugby!

Possibly a last blast of the cold weather, or is it the beginning of the barbecue season?

Winchester RFC's Under 14s provided hospitality for a visiting Ruislip squad today. Although Spring is definitely on the way there was still a distinct nip in the air so freshly toasted crumpets cooked over Hotmax briquettes were warmly welcomed by all those not watching their waistlines - or in fact including those watching their waistlines, if only from a distance.

Unfortunately the visiting team weren't able to fit any bags of Hotmax on the coach home, but the Home side took full advantage. At the end of the session it was honours-even with Winchester winning the first game and Ruislip the second one.

You may be wondering what a wheelie-bin is doing in the second photo. I'm glad you asked: there's an interesting (well, slightly interesting - if you live in Test Valley) story behind this, which will follow in a future update.

All the best,

Martin Lampard.

New shops stocking Hotmax from Harewood

I'm pleased to say that we now have a further 3 shops stocking Hotmax briquettes from Harewood Green Energy: South Wonston, Abbott's Ann and Clatford Stores bringing the total to 7.

I have to admit that I've developed a whole new perspective to weather forecasts since I started this business. The recent cold snap has seen people examining their wood stores and coming up empty in many cases - not to mention that Hotmax's burning characteristics mean that it can really pep up a fire that might be struggling with damp wood from the bottom of the pile - even a nice dense oak log can do with a bit of help when it's -4 degrees outside. Long live Winter!

Harewood Green Energy warms up Valentine's Day Runners

Every month, at about 10AM on the second Sunday of the month, a mixed bunch of runners, non-runners and asssorted masochists from Longparish and the surrounding area get together for the "L2SOTM" (Longparish Second Sunday Of The Month) handicap race.


This Sunday the weather was pretty chilly, even by February standards, so the warming services of Hotmax briquettes were engaged to thaw out the hands, legs and kneecaps of the hardy participants.


Today's was a special event since not only was it Valentine's Day (and let's face it, you have to be pretty keen to be charging around the Village in a chilly drizzle instead of snuggled up under the duvet with something nice and warm to cuddle on Valentine's Day of all days) but it was also the 90th birthday of Jack Elicock, veteran runner and Longparish resident.


Under the circumstances we felt it was a good use of some promotional Hotmax briquettes to spread the word about Harewood Green Energy and reward the participants with something a bit warmer than the slightly smug glow of satisfaction that comes with excercising early in the morning when everyone else is still in their dressing gowns (or less). As it happens, it turned out to be a very good investment, with several bags being carted away by participants to help fight the February Cold Snap!

There's a lot more information about the L2SOTM series on the Longparish site, including more detailed description of today's event and the results (please don't look too closely - I haven't been training!)

Harewood Green Energy