I can't take any credit for chopping the wood this year for I am far to weak-wristed, plus a girl. But I did stack it in a nice neat pile by the house under our balcony. I have read that it is best to do this a year before you burn it, but as we only arrived permanently in Bulgaria in August we had to make do with only a few months' seasoning.

1. Choose aspect

We chose the southerly side of the house for our wood so htat it would get the most sun. This is also the side of the house with the balcony, so rain cover is provided. If you are able to season for longer periods of time it should not be necessary to cover the wood... in fact covering it can sometimes lead to problems with moisture retention especially if you cover it with something like a tarpaulin. For the same reason it's better not to stack it u

p against a wall of your home as this might contribute to rising damp inside the home as well as the wood not drying properly.

2. Make a base

Similarly it is a good idea to raise your woodpile off the ground. Nothing drastic, just four or five 10cm x 10cm lengths of wood spaced apart by however long your pieces of wood are chopped. We are limited by the size of the stove so all of our chopped wood is about 30 cm in length.

3. Get stacking

The principle is to stack each row perpendicular to the last. Mix up the sizes of wood within a row and try to get it level overall, as you may end up stacking a couple of metres high. Don't try to squish in as much wood as possible, as air needs to be able to flow through the stack of wood in order to remove moisture. Don't forget to gather up little splints and chips of wood and store them in a basket in a dry place – they will make handy kindling when you get around to starting a fire!