I'm feeling a bit like Isaac Newton having made a huge discovery, but at the same time kinda dumb that it took so long, like about 30 years. Always before when I had to clean the ashes out it was like preparing for D-Day. Spread newspaper everywhere, let the fire nearly go out, get down on hands & knees and shovel the ash bed out into a bucket, usually spilling heaps.
Then came a Eureka moment a couple of months ago. No need for all that. Let the fire die down to glowing shes, open the door, push the top layer of ash to one side, just bend over zlightly, hold the bucket right against the door and start scooping the ash out
Sounds unimportant and obvious but I got there. And boy, the saving on wear & tear on knees.
