Demonstrations

During the summer, we went to a demonstration of cooking at our Rayburn supplier in Hastings.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with the smell of breakfast! Bacon eggs and toast were being offered around amongst a volley of chatter about Rayburns and their attributes.  Everyone was very friendly and experienced with these rarefied beasties.  All had advice to offer, from wood suppliers to which kettle to use.  They were happy to share their experiences with us - Rayburn Virgins!
One emphatic piece of advice was to fire the beast up sooner rather than later so that we could  "get used to it before winter set in"
After our first experience of lighting up in May, we were a little reluctant to stoke it up while it was still relatively warm. 
Fortunately, August Bank Holiday was approaching so we decided this would be a good time to experiment.
We sent out the invitations.

Installation

The installation took place during May, and lasted about a week. It involved a lot of pipe work in the loft as well as installing the cooker itself.  It was warm outside, but uncomfortably hot in the loft.  Not really the place to be working.
As with all building work, this was disruptive to daily life, and we were forced to try out some of the local hostelries and taste their fare.  A worthwhile exercise on many levels.
At the end of the week the Rayburn was fired up to test all was well.  This occurred on one of the hottest days of the year so far.
The warmth from the cooker was almost overwhelming, but in the evening, all the radiators came on too. We had to open all the windows !
Thank God it was only a test!
We let the fire die down and did not light it again till the August.